Painting or drawing fast would be a challenge for me! My results are always awful. Your results are lovely! St. Ives is stunning! I’m glad you enjoyed it. ❤
I think I’d find it quite a challenge to sketch and paint so quickly but will have a go,thanks for sharing all these great tips from your courses,it’s so interesting……and more beautiful cards too. 🫶🏻👍
Your teacher's approach really does train the eye to see the key elements of a composition before movement, color, and detail complicate what you start to paint, doesn't it? Sound idea. Will dabble with that myself. Off topic: It's interested me that very often in your work the open water is to your left - and in mine, to the right. You happen to be right handed and I'm left handed. I've wondered whether we're subconsciously picking vantage points that give our brush hands the easiest time with adding detail on that hand's side o the paper - less likely to come down in wet paint when reaching to the opposite side of the paper and closer to where we set our paint and water. I do reverse that at times, and you do, too, but I've noticed I get a sort of hesitation, an inner "no," that encourages me to look at the subject in a way that puts the detail-heavy land side on my left where it "belongs." Maybe that's just me. 🤔
Ooo - maybe!!! I mean, the more interesting cliffs are on the right hand side at my local beach, and the headlands were on the right hand side where we were in St. Ives, but there could be something else going on too!
This was a super video Helen. Im a great admirer of Alex's work and follow Livingston, St Ives. l was watching your video without having read your comment, and recognised the palette, 😁 What a lovely few days you had, l would love to do it. Your images are beautiful. l really like the simplicity. The cards are so nice. Thank you for sharing your art journey.....Alioban 😊
Thanks! I'm not even sure what to do next with them, to be honest! The teacher's style doesn't really include much more detail - he just had better textures!
Beautiful work, Helen! I've learned a lot just by watching this! I've mentioned before that I think you'd love the work of Milton Avery, an American artist from the 20th century. One of my absolute favourites! Your last big painting in particular has the flavour of him. ♥️
Sounds (and looks) like it was a wonderful learning experience! You managed to produce some lovely pieces within those time limits, I think I’d find it stressful to only have 1-3 minutes and I’d freeze and create very little! The limited colour palette they provided certainly allowed for some lovely coastal colours. Fantastic cards too ❤.
It was such a nice, fun environment though, and Alex was so chilled out with it, that we all just happily got stuck in! Feeling like you had three days, and endless resources probably helped too.
I love your quick paintings. A couple of them I would call finished, if they were mine, or I'd start to overwork them. Speeding up would probably help loosen my work up a bit too. I don't set a timer because as a carer, I get disturbed quite often. I regularly do snatches of art in between other things. I bought a cheap 24 pack of brown covered sketchbooks from Amazon. They look a bit like the ones from your course except I think mine have lighter paper. I'm trying to create a quick sketch habit in them. Right now I'm working in two, one is for rocks and the other for trees. Both things I need to work on.
I think that's such a great idea! I was surprised how much I enjoyed just using the cheap books and Sharpie - it just takes any expectation totally away!
Oh goodness, l hadnt had any emails for a while and l got them often. Thats really sad. Such a shame for the artists. Thanks for letting me know.....love your sketch books 😊
Beautiful work Helen and the quick sketching challenge really appeals to me. Your sketches show how you can produce beautiful work quickly ie without the mind interfering! Quick question - the mdf boards you were painting on, were they sealed before painting and if so with what? I have sealed some in the past just with a PVA/water mix but wondered if this is suitable for if you then want to sell paintings because of the potential for some future discolouration. Thank you and love the cards too!
Thank you! We didn't seal the boards - Alex says that he prefers the texture of them unsealed. I'm assuming the first acrylic coat of paints acts as a sealant. Alex sells his work in galleries, and I don't think it's been a problem.
@@helencryer thank you, that's very interesting. I'm sure most of the time it's the manufacturers just trying to sell products, rather than there being any real problem to solve! PS don't abandon any of those paintings, they are great and deserve to be finished!
This is so stunning, what a gorgeous piece ☺☺
Great quick sketches!
Thankyou Helen - look forward to seeing what you might do with some of the paintings 😊 Also, love your little window cards!❤
Thank you!
Painting or drawing fast would be a challenge for me! My results are always awful. Your results are lovely!
St. Ives is stunning! I’m glad you enjoyed it. ❤
Thank you! Have you ever tried with a Sharpie? I was so surprised at how much I liked it!
I think I’d find it quite a challenge to sketch and paint so quickly but will have a go,thanks for sharing all these great tips from your courses,it’s so interesting……and more beautiful cards too. 🫶🏻👍
Give the Sharpie ago too - I was pleasantly surprised - it's actually another good way to not be able to get too detailed.
Will give it ago,thanks
Lovely work
Your teacher's approach really does train the eye to see the key elements of a composition before movement, color, and detail complicate what you start to paint, doesn't it? Sound idea. Will dabble with that myself.
Off topic: It's interested me that very often in your work the open water is to your left - and in mine, to the right. You happen to be right handed and I'm left handed. I've wondered whether we're subconsciously picking vantage points that give our brush hands the easiest time with adding detail on that hand's side o the paper - less likely to come down in wet paint when reaching to the opposite side of the paper and closer to where we set our paint and water.
I do reverse that at times, and you do, too, but I've noticed I get a sort of hesitation, an inner "no," that encourages me to look at the subject in a way that puts the detail-heavy land side on my left where it "belongs." Maybe that's just me. 🤔
This a very interesting observation.
Ooo - maybe!!! I mean, the more interesting cliffs are on the right hand side at my local beach, and the headlands were on the right hand side where we were in St. Ives, but there could be something else going on too!
Lovely paintings you did Helen!❤
Thank you!
so interesting and helpful to see the class projects and techniques to do quick sketches. Also love your tiny greetings cards too.
Thank you!
You have such a good eye for perspective, all your paintings look so good x
Thanks! They were very simple elements really, so not too much perspective required!
Thanks for sharing your experience at workshop. Good suggestions to reset perceptions of landscape.
Thanks!
This was a super video Helen. Im a great admirer of Alex's work and follow Livingston, St Ives.
l was watching your video without having read your comment, and recognised the palette, 😁
What a lovely few days you had, l would love to do it. Your images are beautiful. l really like the simplicity. The cards are so nice. Thank you for sharing your art journey.....Alioban 😊
Thanks so much! Yes - Alex's palette and work is beautiful! I was really surprised and sad to hear about Livingstones closing though!
I am hoping that you will finish a few of the paintings so we can see how they turn out. Maybe you can bring a few to sell!❤❤
Thanks! I'm not even sure what to do next with them, to be honest! The teacher's style doesn't really include much more detail - he just had better textures!
Wow Helen your paintings are so beautiful! Some of them look finished already, it’s amazing how you’ve captured the scenes in this way.😍x
Thanks ever so much!
Lovely. I particularly like 6:20 (right) and 7:33.
It has given me some thoughts on varying up my landscapes.
Thanks! I'm glad!
Beautiful work, Helen! I've learned a lot just by watching this! I've mentioned before that I think you'd love the work of Milton Avery, an American artist from the 20th century. One of my absolute favourites! Your last big painting in particular has the flavour of him. ♥️
Thank you! I've just been looking at his work, and I really like his landscapes!
You're welcome 😊
His wife, Sally Michel Avery, also made wonderful paintings.
Sounds (and looks) like it was a wonderful learning experience! You managed to produce some lovely pieces within those time limits, I think I’d find it stressful to only have 1-3 minutes and I’d freeze and create very little! The limited colour palette they provided certainly allowed for some lovely coastal colours.
Fantastic cards too ❤.
It was such a nice, fun environment though, and Alex was so chilled out with it, that we all just happily got stuck in! Feeling like you had three days, and endless resources probably helped too.
🐨👍
I love your quick paintings. A couple of them I would call finished, if they were mine, or I'd start to overwork them. Speeding up would probably help loosen my work up a bit too. I don't set a timer because as a carer, I get disturbed quite often. I regularly do snatches of art in between other things. I bought a cheap 24 pack of brown covered sketchbooks from Amazon. They look a bit like the ones from your course except I think mine have lighter paper. I'm trying to create a quick sketch habit in them. Right now I'm working in two, one is for rocks and the other for trees. Both things I need to work on.
I think that's such a great idea! I was surprised how much I enjoyed just using the cheap books and Sharpie - it just takes any expectation totally away!
First!
I’m glad you enjoyed the course. It’s interesting to see what these courses involve.
For me it's mainly about being in beautiful St.Ives and eating loads of nice food, to be honest!
@@helencryer I can certainly relate, especially the food bit 😂😂.
Oh goodness, l hadnt had any emails for a while and l got them often. Thats really sad.
Such a shame for the artists. Thanks for letting me know.....love your sketch books 😊
I know! Alex told us on the course!
Beautiful work Helen and the quick sketching challenge really appeals to me. Your sketches show how you can produce beautiful work quickly ie without the mind interfering! Quick question - the mdf boards you were painting on, were they sealed before painting and if so with what? I have sealed some in the past just with a PVA/water mix but wondered if this is suitable for if you then want to sell paintings because of the potential for some future discolouration. Thank you and love the cards too!
Thank you! We didn't seal the boards - Alex says that he prefers the texture of them unsealed. I'm assuming the first acrylic coat of paints acts as a sealant. Alex sells his work in galleries, and I don't think it's been a problem.
@@helencryer thank you, that's very interesting. I'm sure most of the time it's the manufacturers just trying to sell products, rather than there being any real problem to solve! PS don't abandon any of those paintings, they are great and deserve to be finished!
Whats the paper in these qee sketchbooks - it sounds quite substantial
They are 150gsm:
amzn.to/3VT1dMZ
@@helencryer thankyou!