Makings and Musings Community

Hi everyone,

This is the recording from our class last night. I really loved painting this one, I found it incredibly relaxing, and it is such a lovely way to practise your brush control with all those little fish shapes.

I thought Bel had a brilliant idea using a separate piece of paper to practise her fish first, so do try that if you would like a bit of confidence before going onto your final piece. And truly, it does not matter if your fish look a bit wonky. Someone mentioned theirs looked more like tadpoles, and I actually think that is part of the charm. Mine are not far off either. They really do not need to be perfect to feel lively and full of movement.

I would recommend using a hairdryer if you have one, especially for those first very wet background layers, as it helps speed things…

At first, I was frustrated because I couldn’t make my brush move the way Irene did. The little blobs that I created did not look like fish.

So I went off and created a practice paper and watched Irene create her painting. I really loved what she created.

The next day, when I looked at my practice paper, I thought my goodness it looks rather painterly!

This is an important lesson in trust the process, and enjoy the learning curve!

It was very relaxing to paint the little fishes.