This scene is taken from Pensarn /Llandullas beach which is just about a mile up the road from where I live in North Wales,in mid summer the poppies go absolutely wild and this painting was done earlier this year (2018).

I know that when I started off painting in watercolor over 30 years ago one of my biggest problems was knowing what subjects to paint and that is why I have made this series of tutorials for the beginner watercolor artist.

Not only do you have this scene ready for you to paint but I also take you step by step right from the beginning and explain in real time videos exactly how to do it,if you have any questions during this tutorial you can ask me via the Q and A.

There is a free preview video which tells you what equipment you will need,I make lots of use of a brush called a Hake brush,this fantastic brush is not expensive and there is also a free half hour preview video of this brush which you can watch so you will be up to scratch on it when you go to buy one. The Hake brush I use is a 1 inch size and the average price is about $5 US dollars so as you see it is more than affordable,you will not be disappointed with it I can assure you.

We will start off doing a simple sky and background then I will walk you through the middle ground before we come to the subject of the painting which of course is the poppies at the front,I know you are really going to enjoy painting the poppies,everyone does.

If you are worried about your drawing ability and think you will not be able to do the little bit of drawing at the start,dont you worry because I have drawn a template and all you need to do is print off the template and I will show you how to use "tracedown paper" which is an artists version of copy paper,this is available at all art supplies shops these days,of course if you enjoy doing freehand drawings you can do your own sketch. But I know from experience that lots of budding watercolor artists are put off because of their lack of drawing skill.

By the way,by using the trace down method you will be surprised at how your drawing skills improve.

I think I have covered most things here so ,what are you waiting for? sign up and lets get going,you will soon have another of my beautiful watercolor paintings on either you wall of you can give it as a superb gift to friends or family,see you soon,

David

Art is such a beautiful way to express yourself and as a watercolor artist for over 30 years I can not urge you enough to give painting in watercolors a try,I never get bored with the effects of the colors on my paper,I still learn new techniques in my work every time I paint something,it is such a free and easy medium and it is well worth the time and effort you may invest.

To paint a watercolor picture is to escape into your own little world where nothing else matters and all your problems and worries can be forgotten, at least for a little while.

To give your own watercolor painting as a gift could not be more rewarding,I never get bored with the expression on the face of a friend or family member when I present them with an original watercolor painting which I have painted specially for them.

The medium of watercolor, for me, is the ultimate medium because even as a complete beginner you can achieve many effects using techniques which sometimes you are taught and sometimes you learn by complete accident which we call "happy accidents",such as when one color runs into another color and creates water marks or bleached paper,this is why sometimes I sit and watch the painting paint itself in front of my very eyes.

Of course now and then it does not work out as I wanted it to but all I have lost is a little bit of paint pigment,a piece of watercolor paper and a little time so I put that piece of paper to one side and start again!

Too many people have a go at painting with watercolors and think that they have to produce a perfect painting every time and they overwork the piece,desperate to get a finished painting to hang on their wall and of course they end up with a mess,get dispirited and give up announcing that they will never be an artist and so never paint again.

I would like to show these people the hundreds of watercolor paintings that didn't work out for me because without making mistakes you can't improve.I keep all my paintings good and bad and I look at the failures quite often,in these failed paintings there is quite often a part of the painting that I really like and I try to remember which technique,which colors I used,which brush made a particular mark on the paper so I can use these same techniques in my future watercolor paintings.

If I was stranded on a desert island,my watercolor kit would be the first thing I would wish for.