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The Wonders of Ink and Water
Ink is a lovely medium to draw with and there are many ways to use it. One of my favourites is to use a watersoluble ink to draw the basics of the sketch and then to add water to the…
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New Year, New Challenges
This is a big year for the Isle of Man Nature Journal. It’s the year in which we start to deliver workshops to schools and the full purpose of the journal takes shape. As a result, there will be some…
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Favourite Art Supplies of 2024
The post-Christmas sales are now really in swing and there are lots of good deals on art supplies in shops and across the internet. It’s a good time to take stock of what you already own, what you enjoy using…
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Robins
These friendly visitors to our gardens are such a welcome sight in winter. With their orange-red breasts and joyful song, they really lighten the darker days. Long associated with Christmas, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at…
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All 100 Luminance Pencils
After discovering that Caran D’Ache’s Luminance pencils were the perfect fit for my drawing style two years ago, I’ve been gradually building up my collection. Last week, I took delivery of the final pencils I needed to complete the full…
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Saucer Sketches: Greens and Blues
Some of my favourite watercolours are in the green and blue range so I had great fun with this week’s quick sketch. I was going to draw another scene, but as I sketched the curves that I wanted the hills…
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Saucer Sketches: Muted Watercolours
This time of year is great for picking up some extra art supplies as there are so many offers for Black Friday week, the run up to Christmas and during the New Year sales. It can be difficult to know…
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The Greylag Goose in the Isle of Man
Several species of geese can be found in the wild in the Isle of Man. Some are migratory visitors, whereas others are present year round. The picture is often confused by feral, previously domesticated, birds being seen alongside those that…
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Travel Sketching and Christmas Fairs
I had a wonderful time away at a family wedding last weekend, and took my ‘Colours of Nature’ travel palette with me in case I had a chance to sketch during the trip. The weather was very grey but the…
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Colours of Nature: Palette Creation
Among the colours featured in the book ‘Nature’s Palette’ by Thames and Hudson, there are several that are described as ‘characteristic colours’ as they are used as reference points to describe other colours. As I’m going on a short trip…