u/ShimmusStudios

Finished this recently in ink and watercolour and thought it might be appreciated here. I’ve added a couple of the earlier stages as well because I always quite like seeing how these things come together.

I’ve been farting about with watercolours recently and thought I’d have a pop at painting the new stadium.

Got permission from the other half to stick it in a frame and put it up on the shelf, so that’s basically critical acclaim in this house. It’s a bit wonky in places and not exactly photo-accurate, but overall I’m quite proud of how it turned out!

Thought I’d share it on here. Up the Toffees! 💙

This is our wee Maggie, painted from a photo taken in the pub. She might not get the pints in, but she will sit and pose for a picture!

Inked with fineliners and then painted using Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Sepia and Ultramarine Light.

This is my little friend Maggie painted on A5 cotton pressed.

Any feedback, critique and advice are welcome! Always looking to improve and build my skills to the point where I could flirt with the possibility of maybe, perhaps, one day, if the stars aligned, turning a hobby into a career.

This was my first time using watercolour to paint a portrait, so naturally I decided the best model would be the wonderful Bob Mortimer!

I’m still using micro fineliners to give myself nice, tight boundaries, which makes the finished piece look quite graphic and illustrative - but I don’t mind that in all honesty!

I added some final details with Faber-Castell Polychromos coloured pencils, but ended up burnishing parts of the cold-pressed paper by working them too heavily.

Any tips on using coloured pencils over watercolour paper would be greatly appreciated. Should I be using a lighter touch and fewer layers, or would a different type of coloured pencil be better for adding fine details over the paint?

Currently working on a pet portrait for a friend and I was planning on using ink and watercolour for the finished piece.

I completed the ink illustration of her little staffy this afternoon and now I’m a bit nervous to splash paint all over it!

Wish me luck! 🍀

Initially, I really didn’t like this little piece when I first finished it a few weeks back, but looking at it again, I can see some positives in it.

I don’t think the nebula thing quite works and I was a bit haphazard with lifting to try and create a glow around the earth, but the white gel pen stars do a fair amount of heavy lifting in saving the painting.

I also thought it looked a little too much like a children’s book illustration which wasn’t the direction I’d intended, but I actually don’t mind that now. I think it naturally leans towards my innate style when working with ink and watercolour, and I’m learning to embrace that.

Here are my first few studies since picking up watercolours again as an adult. I’d mainly worked digitally before this and hadn’t touched traditional art in nearly 20 years.

I’ve been focusing on simple subjects while learning how the paint behaves and getting comfortable with the medium - largely within the safe confines of black ink lines. Really enjoying the process so far and looking forward to seeing where it takes me!

These are my first few studies since picking up watercolours for the first time as an adult. In the past I’ve mainly worked with digital art, but I hadn’t really played with traditional materials since school, nearly 20 years ago (🥴).

I’ve been working through simple subjects to get comfortable with watercolour and learn how the paint behaves. I lean towards ink and wash illustrations because that’s where I think my strengths lie, but I’m really enjoying the process so far and looking forward to improving!