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Watercolour

Watercolor is a painting technique where artists use water-based pigments to create translucent and fluid artworks on paper, typically emphasising delicate washes, blending, and the use of white paper for highlights. This medium is valued for its subtlety, luminosity, and the ability to capture a wide range of subjects, from landscapes to illustrations, with a focus on transparency and spontaneity.

Brian Millard

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Brian Millard, who has been successfully exhibiting paintings since he was in his early twenties, won a scholarship to art school when he was eleven years old but left for a job in advertising at the age of sixteen. Since then he has successfully combined being both artist and writer.

He has been a graphic designer, an illustrator, a cartoonist, an advertising art director, a copywriter, a writer for television and radio, a TV producer, a journalist and the editor in chief of two magazines - one a sports magazine in the States. For a decade he and his partner Marilyn Palmer, also a respected watercolourist, ran their own gallery near Queenstown. They now live and paint in Auckland.

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Mehrdad Tahan

Mehrdad Tahan - aotearoa artist

KNOW YOURSELF

From an early age Mehrdad Tahan had an interest in drawing and studied techniques used by the Old Masters. By the age of twenty, he had established his first studio where he taught drawing and calligraphy as well as exhibiting his own works.

In 1990 Mehrdad left Iran for New Zealand, which resulted in a pause in art while he improved his English and learnt about our culture. Family reasons dictated a move to Sweden, and a new culture and language to learn. 1999 saw Mehrdad return to New Zealand and settle in Christchurch.

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David Foley

David Foley - aotearoa artist

A LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

For much of his life David Foley worked in commercial interior design and only took up serious watercolour painting on retiring, attending various workshops in New Zealand, Italy and Australia.

“While I took an interest in drawing from a very early age I did not have any formal art training at all,” he says. He did however attend the Brixton School of Building and Architecture in the UK from 1949 - 1952 and completed a five year apprenticeship in Display and Signwriting in Hamilton.

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Tonal Values

GETTING YOUR TONAL VALUES RIGHT

“Tonal values are critical. The lights and darks contribute more to the success of a painting’s composition than any other factor, including colour. In fact your painting will really only be as good as the tonal values.”

By Greg Albert, The Simple Secret to Better Panting

A painting with only mid-tones risks being flat and dull. Value or tonal contrast creates visual interest in a painting. A high-key painting is one in which the contrasts in value or tone are extreme, from black right through the range of mid-tones down to white. A low-key painting is one in which the tonal range is narrower.

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Jan Thomson

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BREAKING THE RULES

Recollecting how she first picked up a brush in her mid-forties after recovering from an encounter with the big ‘C’, Jan Thomson says “My journey into the world of painting began late. It was then that I decided that life is far too short to delay doing what you love, so I gave up my house painting job of 17 years and took up slightly smaller brushes.”

With a number of artists in the family, Jan says art was always in her blood. Why she avoided it for 47 years she didn’t say but once she started she was instantly and totally hooked. “I started with watercolours and then moved onto oils,” she reveals. “I learnt to paint by going out to Wellington’s (sometimes wild) south coast, wrestling with the elements and trying to put down on paper what was in front of me.”

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Stretching Watercolour Paper

STEP BY STEP - STRETCHING WATERCOLOUR PAPER

If you have ever painted on a sheet of well-stretched watercolour paper, you will know why it is worth the time and effort to do this relatively simple task before starting your next painting.

Many artists are put off by the thought of stretching their paper, thinking it is difficult. But it is like anything – practice makes perfect. The first question many ask is: Why stretch paper in the first place? By pre-stretching watercolour paper you will prevent the paper from cockling when you wet it in the painting process. The second question many ask is: Does all paper need to be stretched? The easy answer is no. The better answer is – it depends on the weight of the paper. The general rule of thumb is that thinner paper needs to be stretched to prevent it from buckling when it gets wet as you paint on it. There is no hard and fast rule. If you are doing a small painting, about postcard size, you could probably get away without stretching, even on a fairly light weight paper. But if you love your washes and dowse your paper with successive layers of colour you probably need to keep reading.

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Amanda Brett

Amanda Brett - aotearia artist

THE COLOURS OF WATER

“All my life I had always wanted to be an artist,” Amanda says, “but it got lost amongst a business career, and that of being a wife and mother.” Continuing she adds that High School was a big waste of time for her.

“I had many ideas for my future but I am sad to say my school would not support any of them. I wanted to become an architect, but I wasn’t allowed to study any of the foundation courses. I was even told by the school career counsellor “not to worry about art or music school as I was just going to get pregnant, so why bother?”

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Geoff Popham - Aotearoa Artist

Geoff Popham

Geoff Popham - aotearoa artist

EXPLORING NEW DIRECTIONS

Born in Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, art has always been a part of Geoff Popham’s life. From when he was a child growing up in the Far North, he was surrounded by what he describes as 'amazing artwork'.

“Spending time at our whanau marae, and being taught by my elders about the carvings, paintings and weaving was my first education in art,” he reveals. “Seeing the intricacies of the skilled work and the meaning and pride associated with them, inspired me to want to do the same.”

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Watercolour Paper

CHOOSING YOUR WATERCOLOUR PAPER

By Charlene McGill

Choosing your watercolour paper is more important than you think, and can definitely affect the outcome of your painting. It is important to acquire the best watercolour paper your budget will allow. This being said, what is the best for you? When you work with fine detail, a rough paper can be very frustrating, and if you are looking for interesting water effects, a smooth paper will do your head in. We discover the in’s and out’s of watercolour paper, in an attempt to assist you in making the best choice.

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Jacky Pearson - Aotearoa Artist

Jacky Pearson

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ABSORBING WATERCOLOUR

“I have gradually become absorbed by the need to paint and draw all the time. It is really what I have always done from a very young age.” 

You might have come across this talented lady’s work in a book or magazine or even a calendar. Although no one in Jacky Pearson’s family painted, she was encouraged to do so because she was so passionate about drawing and painting which she took to A level standard in high school.

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