Watercolour and Botanical Painting Tutorial ~ CHASING AUTUMN ~ A progress update for you
‘Create an online painting tutorial for us! Create an online painting tutorial for us! Create an online painting tutorial for us!!!’ the messages kept saying. ‘No nooooo, nope, nup, nooo!!’ I kept replying, and for good reason too. My schedule is so hectic as it is. I am completely ensconced in my own personal work and projects as usual, and the thought of taking on the massive effort and learning curve it would take for me to create an online painting tutorial was overwhelming to say the very least. After all, I am just an artist, not a film producer!!! I have no time, and I dont know how to… this and that, but I…. but, but… Of course in my usual style, these were my last thoughts as I ploughed straight into creating my first botanical painting tutorial for you head first, right into the deep end. Thats how we love it best right? But all that concern that was soooo last February… June has arrived already, STUDIO BASICS has been produced and released, Ive slept for 18 hours straight to recover and I have moved straight into producing the second online tutorial for you to enjoy.
The reality of being an artist these days is that you wear so many hats, only one of which is the process of wetting the brushes up and painting like a rockstar. Fortunately for me, I kind of enjoy them all and I thrive on the diversity that can be found despite working in such a specific genre as I do. I want to do it all, I want to learn it all, I want… well, 60 hours in a day, 50 days a week and to remove the tedious necessity of trivial matters such as food or sleep, and better eye sight! You all know that feeling right? A learning curve this has definitely been and still is, but a few weeks into producing my current Online Watercolour Painting Tutorial ‘CHASING AUTUMN’ and things are shaping up well.
I have spend weeks working extremely long hours away from my own painting on this now, getting out and about chasing the autumn colour in all its glory for you, dodging the crazy weather as best I can, racing around beautiful colour flooded gardens in the torrential rain until I am completely drenched and freezing, only to return to the studio as the glorious mid year sunshine returns. I think I may be doing it wrong somehow, but no matter! As long as I am head first into a creative project, as long as I feel like Im doing something that enriches those around me, as long as Im doing my best, having fun and painting, I am happy!
So I am mid way through the Chasing Autumn tutorial now and I have begun to create the content for the third autumn leaf for the course. Remembering that whats most important initially is that we grasp the concepts and practice of watercolour painting and as a first step out of STUDIO BASICS, Autumn Leaves as a fun focus subject are simply ideal. Without question, this path will see us concrete what we’ve learned so far and progress the fastest and most effective way possible.
The CHASING AUTUMN tutorial covers painting a series of 7 beautiful autumn leaves in a realistic botanical art style from start to completion. Each of the 7 subjects have been carefully selected to apply the specific watercolour painting exercises that were set out for you in STUDIO BASICS. Each leaf lesson is a progressive, digestible exploration of these techniques. Each lesson increases incrementally in difficulty and complexity as we move through the course. Putting these techniques to a physical application will demonstrate and cement the relevance of what we’ve learned so far and will certainly help to put you on the path towards independent painting in botanical illustration. CHASING AUTUMN is expected to be out sometime in the next month, so please keep an eye out here for updates or release announcements in the Classroom section of this website, or stay up to date every day on my Facebook Page for the latest news and developments.
Thank you again, to everyone who has joined me in my Online Realistic Watercolour and Botanicals Tutorial adventures so far. The feedback has been so positive overall, and you make me feel like I am investing my time in something that is truly enriching and worthwhile. Together we are planting seeds and growing something wonderful for everyone! As long as I have your support in this focus, I will remain committed to continuing this work, to share my knowledge and botanical illustration experience with you as best I can.
Thanks all and happy painting ~ Heidi