PaintBox Tips

What to Paint When You’ve Got Nothing to Paint!!

I painted with a tutor for many years as a serious-hobby watercolourist while I continued to work in my corporate career. The great thing was, I would turn up to art class and she would have the subject all prepared for us: real-life objects, photographs, magazines,  warm-up materials and ideas. We would have a big…

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How does Contrast work in a watercolour painting?

Also discussed as chiaroscuro or conflict, contrast creates interest with opposing factors such as dark juxtaposed to light; near contrasting to far; smooth adjacent to rough; fat contrasting to thin; bright hues against neutrals, hard edges against soft edges. Without contrast a painting can be pretty dull! In your focal area, where you want to…

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how to get fired up when you’re not fired up

It’s really hard to create a painting about a subject I have no interest in, having said that, I can make myself want to paint a particular subject simply by working through a research process and getting to know and appreciate the subject. Imagine what it would be like for me to be told Country…

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Watercolour Myths & Fixes

The cool thing about Watercolour is that it is mostly not too difficult to fix. The main issue most beginners in watercolour painting have is determining what the problem actually is!! Sometimes there actually isn’t a problem but we’ve got to that dreadful middle stage and don’t know what to do next. If you definitely have an…

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when all you’ve got’s a sow’s ear

Have you ever struggled to get into just the right spot when you’re painting in a group? Everyone’s elbowing each other trying to get the best possie!! You can either get into the jostle (yuck!) or get there early. Both, to me, are pointless because you never know what the model is going to do…

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About Me
Amanda Brett painting en plein air in Sicily
Amanda Brett painting en plein air in Sicily

PaintBox Tips, secrets, random thoughts, scribblings and doodlings on art, my life as an artist who teaches, travels, muses and paints!

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