Persil and Ariel

Nice clean washes - sorry someone had to say it . Never tried FA but will have to give it a go some time - really works well here.

Now that was a surprise Thea, checking out this super painting, pouring over the details then scrolling down to see who's it was, reading the intro, about paintmyphoto and then seeing your name Thea! Great that you use that site for inspiration sometimes as well, because there really is no excuse for not knowing what to paint with that one!, this is super work, great boats with excellent names, just enough detail in the background as well and great to see you filled the paper as well this time xx

Boom-boom, Michael - love the comment! Thank you for your comment - very kind of you. I haven't changed papers for ages, so it is nice to give the Fabriano a go. I have also changed the make of some of my colour from W & N to Holbein. I am finding their cobalt a lot more subtle and less brash than W & N's, their raw umber stronger and more definite and their burnt sienna and much nices colours than W & N's - far less orange and richer. I used the Holbeins in this painting. Thank you very much, Ros - glad you like the names (just a bit of fun really). The Paint My Photo does have some good photos on it and the best bit is not having to worry about copyright.

Nice work, once again Thea. You seem to have a way with boats, the perspective on the foreground one looks difficult but you have succeeded. I think you will enjoy the Fabriano paper, I used to use it some years ago, don't know why I stopped, their rough textured one is very rough. It is a rag paper, so you should find it takes more overworking than the Langton, which is really Bockingford (wood pulp).

It all works together well Thea. Good solid boat shapes against that lovely foreground pinky shade. Good title which is asking for the jokes about colour runs and whiteness!

PMP is a cool site huh? I just checked it out myself...great WC Thea, the colors are well chosen.

Thank you very much Stephen, Louise and Cheryl for adding such nice comments. Yes Louise, I am expecting a full run of 'washing' jokes - it's all part of the fun. Stephen, I have found, so far, that the Langton is more forgiving of punishment than Fabriano - as for over-working, I hope I don't visit that particular pitfall (or not often at least!) You can certainly lift paint more easily on Langton. However, with this painting I just left any mistakes and hoped that they would form part of the character or the work - an idea gleaned from Charles and it works for me!

Great shape to both boats, with a lovely mix of colours in the shadows to make those whites sing out. My only difficulty is choosing which one I'd prefer! [ sorry, couldn't resist]

Thanks, Debs, for that lovely comment. I'm pleased you think I made the white stand out as that was the aim in the end.

Love these two beauties Thea! You've done an excellent job.... Very interesting to see you're trying Fabriano; we're just back from Corsica where I took hundreds of photos and I've launched out on my biggest so far (57 x 32) and on Fabriano for the first time ! Your palette is lovely too. Keep up the good work!

I like your painting a lot Thea! There is something soft and dreamy in it. It's not your usual style because you have filled the paper and there are no random dots anywhere. It's very interesting to try new papers or canvases and different makes. I hope that you will enjoy your Fabriano!

Hi Avril and Satu - thank you so much for your encouraging comments. Satu, I tend to react to what I think the painting needs and if that means all the paper is filled, then so be it. Then again, I often feel that more white paper should be left - it just depends. In this case I felt that there was so much white in the boats that it would look too lightweight if I left a lot of white paper. That's what is so difficult about painting - making the right decisions. Avril - your big painting on Fabriano sounds wonderful, can't wait to see it! I am just getting used to the new paper. It is amazing how differently paint works on the different surfaces.I have never got on with Fabriano in the past but then I think it is harder to work with than Langton, so perhaps...just perhaps, I've improved enough to deal with it!

I know I tend to be drawn to individual items in any painting, but I do like the rail (taffrail? I'm a bit short on nautical knowledge) on the nearer boat; completely convinces me. I found the Langton took a lot of getting used to, which is odd because I normally use Bockingford for watercolours ... perhaps it was just a different degree of tooth. Like the sound of Fabriano, which I don't think I've ever tried.

Do you know, Robert, that the rail is exactly the bit that 'talks' to me as well. I was pleased with how real and solid it looked when basically it is just a line of paint. Great minds and all that......lol! Re the paper, I still like Langton, but compared to the Fabriano it is just a bit predictable and unresponsive. As I said, I have disliked Fabriano for ages so I am really surprised at suddenly finding I rather like it.

This great. I look forward to more paintings on your new paper. I haven't tried that Fabriano at all.

Thank you, Gudrun, very kind of you.

2 pretty boats full of character, lovely.

Thea so bright and sunny. The boats have a wonderful 'sparkle' to them.

Thank you very much for your very nice comments, Carole and Lesley - so much appreciated.

Hi Thea thanks so much for your lovely comment on my ridge pet pastel portrait, so pleased you like it