Summer afternoon watercolour painting in Bursledon. Join us outside watercolour painting in the picturesque village of Bursledon, Hampshire. On four summer afternoons in July /August 2021, Kirstin White will be leading watercolour workshops. This is an exciting opportunity for you to learn more about painting outside whilst fully enjoying the summer months.
All four watercolour painting sessions will be held out of doors, hopefully in the summer sunshine. Should the weather be poor, we will move undercover at GAF (Greyladyes Arts Foundation) on School Road, however.
These summer afternoon watercolour sessions are taught and will concentrate on additional techniques with watercolour painting. Furthermore, you will be learning tips, and tricks for watercolour painting out of doors. For the afternoon, the loan of a portable easel is included and consequently, you don’t need to bring one with you. Do, however, remember to bring your own watercolour painting paper and kit.
There will be a WhatsApp group for ‘summer afternoon watercolour’, to ensure that we all meet in the right places in the village. On WhatsApp, we will also be able to share our painting results. As well as any queries or ideas that we want to discuss between sessions, WhatsApp is handy for general chat and likewise getting to know one another better.
Kirstin White – The Vine in Bursledon
Kirstin White – The viewing point in Bursledon
Kirstin White – Bursledon
Kirstin White – School Road, Bursledon
Who is it for?
You will find the summer afternoon watercolour painting sessions most rewarding if you already have some experience with the medium.
NOTE: These summer afternoon watercolour sessions are not really suitable for complete beginners. Instead, I suggest that you opt for one of the courses for beginners instead. Only six weeks long and also held quite frequently, the ideal start point would be a beginners course. The next beginners watercolour lessons start on 1st September in Martyr Worthy.
June watercolour painting at Cheesefoot Head, near Winchester.
Beautiful rolling fields at Cheesefoot Head, near Winchester
We are fortunate to be living close to the South Downs National Park. On Thursday I was out painting with my art classes at beautiful Cheesefoot Head, near Winchester. June en plein air is always a treat but nicer still to be painting with members from my regular lessons. We are so enjoying being able to meet live after months of WhatsApp and Zoom. The weather was good for an English summer – slightly chilly but NO rain!
Regular class members painting with Kirstin White at Cheesefoot Head (also known as Matterley Bowl)Sharing a chat, whilst sketching, in the chalk grassland of Cheesefoot HeadA useful sign board at Cheesefoot Head, near Winchester
This outing was for adult students who are currently taking termly lessons with Kirstin White. However, during the summer, Kirstin will be out painting every Thursday. If you would like to join her painting, you are very welcome to do so. Informal Summertime Days Outside Watercolour Painting with Kirstin White are £25 per day, or part thereof. Come to any or all of the days outside painting. Turn up and leave when you wish. Kirstin will be watercolour painting and will be happy to show and explain what she is doing. There will not be a formal lesson on these summertime days out but there will be some tips and advice. Paintings and sketches from the day will be for sale. The exact location for each session will be provided on receipt of your payment. All being well, with the progress out of lockdown, taught courses will resume on the 1st and 2nd of September in Martyr Worthy and on the following week in Bursledon.
Informal Summertime Days Outside Watercolour Painting with Kirstin White
The end of a happy days painting at Cheesefoot Head on the South Down Way
Kirstin demonstrated to students how thye might want to build an image up in layers. We also looked at two additional ways of approaching the subject before everyone went off to do ther own thing.
English Summer at Cheesefoot Head – a watercolour by Kirstin WhiteWild flowers underfoot, pretty pink grasses and a dog roses in the hedgerow. Heaven!
We saw many wildflowers, including some that not one of us could name with any certainty. That is not surprising since the site is an SSSI. For another time, I must install an app to help with the correct identification of interesting plants! Then I will need one for the insects!
Wheeeee! Spotty dog, Aero, in full flight.
A short video from Cheesefoot Head proper. Sound on to hear the birds singing! I made a 360 degree rotation on the spot, there are a host of landmarks to pick out. (If you watch carefully and you may also see a silly spotty dog trying to catch flies!)
360 degree rotation at Cheesefoot Head, Winchester. June 2021.
Chalk painted furniture with a safari animal theme
Chalk painted furniture with a safari animal theme has brightened up my recent days! I enjoyed this, pre-Christmas, commission to paint nursery furniture for two baby boys. The client had good quality, but mismatched, furniture that was otherwise ideal for the room. The project was to transform a large stripped wardrobe, a dark wood chest and two side tables, into items suitable for an adventurous nursery!
Stage sets, wall murals and carnival floats aside, this was a new area for me. After a little research, I decided to use chalk paints, and more specifically, Frenchic chalk paints for the project. These are non-toxic, readily available locally and the colour range is exiting. If you are thinking of doing something similar with furniture of your own, my recent experiences with this type of paint may be of interest to you.
‘Frenchic’ for chalk painted furniture
The paint colours used in this project:-
Frenchic Lazy Range
Hot as Mustard
Creme de la Creme
Wolf Whistle
Loof
Frenchic Al Fresco Inside / Outdoor Range
Ol’ Blue Eyes
Hot Lips
Constance Moss
Additional items included, Frenchic oval brushes, Frenchic detail brushes, Frenchic Finishing Coat, sandpaper, masking tape, dust sheets, rags, a large flat screwdriver for opening the tins of paint and a hammer for closing them.
What is Frenchic paint?
Frenchic is a chalk and mineral paint with a wax infusion. It is certified child safe (EN 71:3). The paint drys to a lovely matte finish.
Local supplier
I chose a fairly local supplier, My Fab Find. The shop, in Andover, is run by Amanda Parkinson and stocked, or sourced, everything that I required. If you want to try painting something similar yourself, I can recommend My Fab Find, Unit 10 Kenyon’s Yard, 80a Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire, UK, SP10 3NP. Phone 07770 365662 to speak to Amanda.
Beginning with a safari animal theme
Excited about trying the new tins of paint, I first experimented on a small coffee table that I had at home. It quickly became obvious that the paints were easy to use had almost no odour and were quick to dry between coats. I found the detail brushes well-shaped and easy to use, while the oval brushes were fantastic for rapid coverage. When mixing the paints, I stuck to mixing just two or three paints from the same product range together and had no problems.
Since it was particularly large and heavy, I worked on the client’s wardrobe in situ and painted it first. The smaller items I brought back to the studio to paint.
Having washed down the surfaces with sugar soap, I applied a base coat or two of ‘Wolf Whistle’ to each item of furniture. This light grey paint covered well and I knew that it would instantly unify the mismatched group of furniture.
Designing the safari animal decoration for the nursery furniture
The following snaps illustrate the design process. Since Botswana is a particularly popular safari destination, I selected animals found there as subjects for the nursery furniture decoration. Firstly, I made a scale drawing of the key piece of furniture, the wardrobe. Then I played around with lots of cut out photographs of safari animals. I also researched typical African patterns and African fabric designs. Once I had a feel for what was wanted, I made a watercolour sketch of my vision for the wardrobe.
As I designed the furniture, I imagined stories that young children may hear while growing up. Stories about animals who lived in harmony, animals who fought, animals who hunted one another, animals who ran very fast and animals who crept rather slowly. Tales of animals who had difficult youngsters and animals who had easy young, animals who laid eggs, animals who flew and animals who crawled. Tall creatures, tiny creatures, scaled creatures, furry creatures and slimy creatures. I wanted to include them all!
Painting the safari animal wardrobe
The wardrobe was immaculately pre-stripped. These snaps show my initial base coat of Frenchic Lazy Range ‘Wolf Whistle’, grey, and subsequent use of Frenchic Lazy Range ‘Hot as Mustard’, yellow, used to draft out the design onto the wardrobe. Once these stages were dry, I switched to Frenchic Alfresco ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ and began to work up the background shapes.
Progress of the wardrobe
I continued to build up the design using blue. I immediately noticed a marked difference in the way the Frenchic Lazy Range and the Frenchic Alfresco range paints performed. In order to achieve a similarly flat and opaque surface result, the Frenchic Alfresco Range paints that I used for this project required many more coats of paint than did the Frenchic Lazy Range paints. I also found Frenchic Alfresco Range paints less efficient at self-levelling than were Frenchic Lazy Range paints. As a consequence of the experience, were I to embark on further indoor furniture projects of this type, I would be inclined to stick to the colours available in the Frenchic Lazy Range and to avoid the Frenchic Alfresco Range. Having said that, the fabulous Frenchic Alfresco Range colours were perfect for this project and looked well together!
Next came a green, ‘Constance Moss’, and a lovely red, ‘Hot Lips’. I mixed these two colours together to make a satisfying range of browns.
Various greys were achieved using a rich dark grey, Frenchic Lazy Range, ‘Loof’. This was mixed with the light grey, Frenchic Lazy Range ‘Wolf Whistle’, that I had used as the overall base coat, to create some pale toned greys.
Wardrobe details
Since the chosen curtains have a cream base colour, the tops and backs of all the furniture were painted to match, in Frenchic Lazy Range, ‘Creme de la Creme’. Inside the wardrobe door, the safari theme continues with an Impala, a Crocodile, a Painted Wolf plus various insects and amphibians.
Treasure chest
For the treasure chest, I picked out the existing carved design in ‘African’ colours, while adding wilder beast, buffalo, meerkat, snakes and more to the back and sides of the chest.
Side tables
The side tables feature a simple outline map of Africa and some patterns and colours sampled from suitable traditional fabric designs, that I found illustrated, online.
At one point I was a bit hasty in applying masking tape to a not yet fully dry layer of paint. I needed to sand back and patch in a new layer of paint to repair my mistake but the paints we forgiving and the end effect was seamless. I used paper stencils to make a template for a reasonably accurate map of the continent of Africa.
A short video, showing the finished nursery room.
Once it had been imaginatively styled by the homeowner, the nursery took on personality. Won’t it be a fun space for young zebras, meerkats and Tarzans to grow up in?!
All in all, this was a satisfying project to work on during a nationally difficult time. I may have ‘got-the-bug’, but it’s for nothing more sinister than chalk paint! Future ‘victims’ are currently sitting, unsuspectingly, in corners my own home! Watercolour paint will always be my preferred medium but chalk paint makes a fun change!
Small groups of artists from Kirstin White’s existing classes have recently been getting together to paint ‘en plein air’. Students who previously met for weekly lessons in Dummer, are enjoying meeting up again and putting all those virtual lessons to good use. 🙂
An outdoor watercolour painting session in Warnford
In July 2020 we visited Warnford in the Meon Valley Having painted from the top of Old Winchester Hill the previous week, we now wanted to look back towards it from below. We were grateful for the opportunity to paint on private land, where we had just the view we had been looking for. Warnford is in the South Downs National Park and makes a rewarding painting location.
The day we visited Warnford was bright and blowy, the right conditions to be able to concentrate on aerial perspective. Finding different ways in which to create the impression of distance and depth in our paintings was fun and everyone managed to achieve the desired result. Some for the wall, I feel!
Swarraton, painted from Northington, at a rewarding outdoor painting session in August 2020
It was a case of all weathers in one day when we painted Swarraton from Northington! Arriving to fine drizzle, since it was not a cold day, the painting group doughtily settled down to work in pencil instead.
Quite soon the conditions changed to a flat overcast light, just right for moody detailed watercolour paintings. By lunchtime, the day had brightened considerably, so it was out with the sun hats and in with the strong defining shadows! All in all a rewarding outdoor painting session in good company.
Artists painting together at Meon Shore in Hampshire
July 2020 saw us outdoor watercolour painting at Meon Shore, a shingle beach roughly halfway between Lee on Solent and Warsash.
On a typical day, as Cliff Road turns away inland and becomes Meon Road, the beach at Meon Shore becomes increasingly unoccupied. A good spot for a spot of socially distanced painting, we thought!
In the event, the day was gloriously hot and sunny. Consequently, the beach was considerably busier than the painting group had anticipated. Never the less, we did succeed in finding a suitably quiet spot, with just enough activity to inspire exciting ‘en plein air’ watercolour paintings!
There was a lot to record, but since the paint was drying fast so we could work quickly with time to spare for a natter!
Another popular painting destination, Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve, an area of coastal wetland, is just behind the beach and we will probably paint there later in the year. Hill Head Harbour, at the opposite end of the beach, has been a favourite painting spot in the past.
It’s been so lovely to be able to be meeting up with a few of my class members over the past two weeks, getting the band back together! We visited Old Winchester Hill last week and Watership Down the week before. Social distancing and masks notwithstanding, it seemed so much more effective teaching face to face!
At both locations, we were able to find a spot away from the main thoroughfare, keep our social distance but never-the-less chat. (Neanderthal Skull Facemask by Kirstin White, available at RedBubble!)
Meeting up with a few of my class members
Since lockdown, my beginners’ groups have been on hold, I am hoping that we may be able to resume again, perhaps around October (fingers crossed that there’ll be no second wave!). I have been sharing online inspiration and ideas with my more experienced students and have been so impressed with the beautiful and accomplished paintings that have been achieved.
Online, in June 2020, we took trees as our subject and discussed different way we might edit what we saw in life or in photographs. We thought about ways of developing an individual language of marks appropriate to trees. Additionally, we thought about how we were going to compose our pictures, in order that what we intended the viewer to notice, was made clear.
With these considerations in mind, everyone had a go at copying a work by Francis Towne (1739–1816). In fact, we looked for inspiration at the approaches taken by several different artists. Of these, contemporary artist, Melissa Scott- Miller was a favourite, admired both for her skilful handling of detail and her relatable subject matter.
Old Winchester Hill, Warnford.
A Big Summer Sky at Old Winchester Hill, Warnford (watercolour and gouache)Artists watercolour painting at Old Winchester Hill
Old Winchester Hill gave us lots of scope for painting. Looking down onto trees, trees seen from a distance, deciduous and evergreen trees, and trees in groups were all considered.
Overcast in the morning and bright in the afternoon, the changing weather meant that we had to work fast to record the different moods and also gave us that wonderful feeling of being in the moment.
The ever changing big sky at Old Winchester Hill made a good painting subject.
With sweeping views across the South Downs towards The New Forest, this made a lovely spot for meeting up with a few of my class members.
Watership Down, Kingsclere.
Meeting up with a few of my class members at Watership Down was a great success. Despite the threat of rain, we stayed dry and found a comfortable location from which to make individual trees the subject of our paintings. At the spot we chose, there were many characterful tree specimens to choose between.
Members of the watercolour painting group, meeting up at Watership DownMajestic Beech Trees on Watership Down (watercolour)
July in the UK
As we all knew Richards Adams book, Watership Down and it was fun reminiscing about the story while painting in the spectacular setting of the novel.
Ancient Woodland in Hampshire
A lovely walking area, once we had completed our painting session, I enjoyed a bit of a ramble with the dog.
Looking across Watership Down, near Newbury UK.
The group will share the pictures and sketches that they made on the spot, as well as photographs taken on the day, with group members who weren’t able to join us. We will use the material to inspire more finished indoor paintings, where careful washes and planned composition can be incorporated without interference by the wild outside!
All being well, we plan to continue these limited meet ups on a weekly basis. I’ll be organising painting sessions for bigger groups as soon as its safe to do so. Keep you posted!
* So, its June and life is still ‘different’! These are my June 2020 latest paintings for sale.
This watercolour about how June 2020 is for me. How is it for you?!
The Marrow of the Problem- Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 47.5 x 30cm)
The Marrow of the Problem – Kirstin White
The Marrow of the Problem - Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 47.5cm x 30cm). Unframed. Post and packing included. An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
£255.00
A Remembered Dance – Kirstin White (Image area of painting 48cm x 30cm)
A Remembered Dance – Kirstin White
A Remembered Dance - Kirstin White (Image area of painting 48cm x 30cm). A watercolour painting with dancing couple and flowers. Unframed. Post and packing included. An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
Paintings Made Since the PM Speech of 10th May 2020
* Paintings made since the PM Speech of 10th May 2020. Continuing to work from home, these watercolour paintings are reflection on the times.
If and But Lessons – Kirstin White (Image area of painting 48.5cm x 30cm)
If and But Lessons – Kirstin White
If and But Lessons - Kirstin White. (Image area of painting 48.5cm x 30cm). Unframed.
Post and packing included.
An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
£255.00
Stay Alert, Control the Virus – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 48cm x 30cm)
Stay Alert, Control the Virus – Kirstin White
Stay Alert, Control the Virus - Kirstin White (Image area of painting 48cm x 30cm). Unframed.
Post and packing included.
An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
£255.00
Cummings and Goings – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 49.5cm x 30cm)
Cummings and Goings – Kirstin White
Cummings and Goings - Kirstin White (Image area of painting 49.5cm x 30cm). Unframed.
Post and packing included.
An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
£255.00
The Amaryllis Being Sociable in May – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 48cm x 30cm)
The Amaryllis Being Sociable in May – Kirstin White
The Amaryllis Being Sociable in May - Kirstin White (Image area of painting 48cm x 30cm) Unframed.
Post and packing included.
An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
£255.00
Uncomfortable Divide – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 49 x 30.5cm)
Uncomfortable Divide – Kirstin White
Uncomfortable Divide - Kirstin White (Image area of painting 49cm x 30.5cm) Unframed.
Post and packing included.
An original watercolour, direct from the artist.
£255.00
If you need help with the checkout process, please email: kirstinww@gmail.com(I have been advised that, on some phones, the payment buttons are not working.)
These paintings are available direct to the public. Your purchase will be dispatched via Royal Mail.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the paintings in this section are supplied unframed. Original paintings at crisis prices! The dimensions given are for the image area of the painting. Once mounted, framed and on your wall, the painting will be larger.
Paintings made during Spring 2020 and available now, direct to the public, at crisis prices!
* The weddings and events where I would normally be painting are not happening, so, in keeping with the times, I am painting from home. The still lives that I have created recently are inspired by the combination of the beautiful Spring and the less beautiful, though thought-provoking, times. Original paintings at crisis prices!
April Lockdown – Kirstin White (Image area of painting 42cm x 31.5cm) SOLDLockdown Lilacs – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 44cm x 30cm)Lockdown Introspection – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 49cm x 37cm)White Lilac and Bluebells – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 48cm x 34cm)
Wild Rhododendron – Kirstin White (Image area of painting 46cm x 31.5cm) #artistssupportpledge
I am supporting the #artistssupportpledge initative. So that artists can help one another during this period of lockdown, I am creating affordable pieces available for £200 (not including shipping). When I have sold five paintings for £200, I will buy another artists work for £200.
Bluebells, blue bowl and Magnolia – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 47cm x 36cm)
Rhododendron in the Conservatory – Kirstin White
(Image area of painting 39cm x 32cm)
These paintings are available direct to the public. Your purchase will be dispatched via Royal Mail.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the paintings in this section are supplied unframed. Original paintings at crisis prices! The dimensions given are for the image area of the painting. Once mounted, framed and on your wall, the painting will be larger.
