Makings and Musings Community

In this class, I guide you through an artist study inspired by Erin Henson, an American painter known for her bold, colourful landscape paintings. I introduce you to Erin’s work and talk a little about her style, which she calls open expressionism, where the focus is on feeling, movement and expressive brushstrokes rather than realism.

https://www.erinhanson.com/portfolio

Watch here:

We work from one of her paintings, Ruby Beach, and I show you step by step how I build up my own version. I start with a simple sketch and then move into blocking in colours, layering paint, and adding texture using different brush strokes. I demonstrate how I use both watercolour and gouache, and I explain the difference between them, especially how gouache allows for more opacity and easier layering.

This session is very practical and hands-on. You can paint along with me in real time, or pause and rewind as…

In this class I take you through a relaxed and colourful still life drawing.

I work from a winter themed reference photo and I show you how I break it down into simple shapes and playful lines. I focus on enjoying the process rather than getting things perfect, so you can feel free to be a bit wobbly and expressive in your own work.

The artists I showed you art the start are:

Susanne Rose: https://www.instagram.com/susannerose_sketchbook/

Sandi Hester: https://www.instagram.com/sandihesterart/

In this session we created a cosy little village in line and wash. I guided you through the process from the very first ink lines to the final touches of snow and glow. We worked from a simple seasonal display photo, and I showed you how you can turn an ordinary scene into a magical winter moment.

I walked you through the waterproof pens I love to use and how you can get lovely results without needing anything fancy. We talked about choosing the right paper, how to keep your ink safe once you add water, and how to build your picture in simple steps. You started with gentle shapes, then added more depth, texture, bricks, cracks and little surprises. I shared some inspiration from the German illustrator Gabrielle Carasusan and we had a look at her charming villages and her circular backgrounds. https://www.carasusan.art/pages/watercolor-illustration

You then added colour with watercolours.…