By the River

This is so fresh looking, that Phalo Blue is showing itself as a really great colour, producing some very strong greens which I always like, not being a lover of grass green colours generally.

And you want to model your watercolours on mine? You are kidding....I could only dream of achieving this standard Robert! Love the mix of yellows and blues of the grasses on the nearer bank side, and ratty of course.

Ah but did you like the Pthalo Blue Robert?<br /><br />A lovely watercolour that grew and grew :)

Yes,B&#233;atrice, the Jackson&#39;s Pthalo Blue is fabulous - as soon as I added water to the squeeze of paint I laid out on a china plate, it just sprang into life - adding a touch of Cadmium Red made this fantastic grey (which you can see in the sky) - I could go into raptures over it.... It&#39;s a great paint; if Jackson&#39;s watercolours are all as good as this, they&#39;re a range well worth exploring. <br /><br />And Fiona - you&#39;ve got spontaneity in your paintings, and I believe that&#39;s how watercolour should be used, freely, and with an abandon which overly careful painters rarely achieve (and that&#39;s what I am - I long to let rip, but so rarely do). <br /><br />Thanks all.

Beautiful

Lovely painting Robert :)

Great work Robert

Wish I could produce such lovely paintings when just testing out a new colour!

I like the composition with that meandering river, a lovely zig zag. Love the greens you made with that pthalo blue. Also you have achieved that for-shortening of the tree branches, I like that! (And of course ratty)

Great stuff and unmistakeably a Roberts Jones! Good range of colours in the tree - how do you achieve the lighter branches and twigs? Masking? gouache?<br />It&#39;s time you came clean - how much are Jacksons paying you? I use them too - and not just because of their very reasonable prices.<br />I look forward to seeing more of your work

That area of yellow grass contrasts so well with all those lovely greeny blues your Phtalo Blue has conjured up. Particularly like the dynamics : stream, tree, grasses, fence, all so nicely balanced.

Lovely work Robert, I have bought a few of the Jackson&#39;s watercolour tubes and have found them pretty good to use.

Quick reply before bed-time - the lighter patches (twigs and so on): I don&#39;t use masking fluid; I do sometimes employ scratching out, and have a green fingernail to prove it. But actually what I usually do is employ Naples Yellow - either on its own, or as the base (ie, mixed with it) for, eg, Pthalo Green, Light Red (which is also quite opaque), or just about any other colour that I need other that those which wouldn&#39;t behave with it (blues, greys, black, umbers - usually - for instance). The Naples needs to be fluid but quite thick.<br /><br />You could use Titanium White instead, but it&#39;s a bit stark. Chinese White is very hard to use successfully for this purpose - it&#39;s not sufficiently opaque. You could always use Gouache, but Naples Yellow watercolour, almost any brand, works well and probably better.

From oils to watercolour. An interesting move, Robert. As Terry has said it&#180;s an unmistakable Rober Jones and not just because of the little rat.

Thanks Robert.

And you say you aren&#39;t a watercolourist!! This shows mastery of the medium and an understanding of how to capitalise on its unique properties. I would say that your tube of Pthalo Blue did a good job with this one!

Glad you finished it, Robert. It&#39;s super - full of vitality and atmosphere. The layering is excellent.

Just like Topsy, everything is growing here, Robert. not normally familiar with pthalo blue, and cannot remember ever having used it, but what a lovely colour it is, must try it one day. I do keep my watercolour box open all the time and can&#39;t resist a splash of colour from it most days as I pass by, seems to make the day go better somehow...This is so calming and peaceful, it is lovely. See you have the obligatory whatsitsnames in the sky...can&#39;t for the life of me think what they are called, we have them over here constantly in sharp-eyed lookout. Ah yes...Got it.....Buzzards

It grew in to a very good watercolour! Green galore.