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The Hero In Your Abstract Painting

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The Hero In Your Abstract Painting

One of the questions I ask myself when I'm trying to nut out my paintings is "What is this painting all about - where are my heroes?"

When I get this figured out it's so much easier to know what needs to be done next. Sometimes the hero can get lost in the crowd - so once I've identified what are the heroes, I can clear away the distractions and make some space for the main players to shine.

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Free & Loose Botanical Drawing

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Free & Loose Botanical Drawing

Develop a loose and dynamic approach to drawing botanicals, using simple line and colour combinations, pen, pencil and paint.

Learn how to read the foliage and structure of the subject then create rich texture, form and detail in your drawings by making expressive marks with a brush, pen or pencil.

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How To Use Glazing In Your Painting

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How To Use Glazing In Your Painting

Do you know one of the best things you can do in your painting is GLAZE? I've spent quite some time figuring out Glazing and I did use to skumble - I think... So how about I show you how I Glaze? It's a wonderful way of adding richness and harmonizing colour.

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Finding Clarity and Finishing

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Finding Clarity and Finishing

Here’s the final installment of what has become a 5-part grueling Serial of the evolution of one of my latest paintings. If you were with me at the beginning you'll know we had quite the journey!! Watch the Vlog to see the birth of 'Sunday Sundae with Red Lips Rose'

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Knowing Where You Are

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Knowing Where You Are

In this week’s Vlog, you'll see me start to find a direction and I talk about how I'm never lost even when I don't know where I'm going. It's all about knowing the stages of a painting and trusting your process. Knowing where you are in that process.

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Learning From Your Work

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Learning From Your Work

When I don't like what I see in my work my go-to solution is - ROTATE. I rotate the painting, look at it with fresh eyes, go back a step, and add more of what I like. I also look at what I DO like in my other work. What can my more successful paintings tell me - what have they got that the Cupcake in this painting hasn't? Watch as I walk you through and discuss the process of what I did in this week's vlog.

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Finding Direction in Abstract Painting

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Finding Direction in Abstract Painting

Last week you would have watched about the breakthrough and moving ahead with my paintings. And suddenly, this painting is taking me on a very bumpy journey - and you're all coming along for the ride!

At the moment, what it means to me is that this painting will be rich in layers, have AMAZING texture, and is taking longer to reveal itself... that's all. I can't describe the process, I'll just leave you to watch me making some very dubious decisions.

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Building The Surface

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Building The Surface

In this week's Vlog, I continue with the progress of the painting which I started last week. I'm adding the layers and building the surface using different tools to apply paint and get a range of effects. Watch as I share with you the process of building my current work as it's starting to get exciting.

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The First Layers

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The First Layers

This video shows the process of creating the first few layers of one of my latest paintings. I collaged with fabric and then applied paint and dry drawing media. Watch as I show you the process of how I bring life to the surface.

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Preparing for Painting

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Preparing for Painting

In this vlog, I'll walk you through how I start a painting from the very beginning: preparing the canvas and the first layers, and what my focus is at this stage. Stay to the end to see how one painting evolved from beginning through to the final finished form.

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Is Your Painting WRONG?

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Is Your Painting WRONG?

A painting is created by a series of decisions. Some more successful than others. How we respond to these decisions, the good and the bad, ultimately results in the final painting. Watch as I talk about how to respond to the less successful decisions in the painting process.

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Taking A Painting Backwards

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Taking A Painting Backwards

We all want to finish our paintings, but sometimes we have to take them a few steps backward in order to finish them. This takes courage and big moves, but in my experience always results in a better outcome. In this short Vlog, I demonstrate the process of taking a painting backward to finish it.

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Choosing Colours

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Choosing Colours

When choosing the right colour in my paintings I use a simple process of asking questions to establish what type of colour will look best. Once I have established the colour type the options are narrowed and I know exactly what colour to mix in order to create harmony or contrast. This process takes away the guesswork when mixing colour.

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Starting A Painting

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Starting A Painting

How I start a series of paintings. Watch as Judy talks about her process, the materials she uses, and what her concerns are as she starts a series of abstract mixed-media paintings.

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The Beauty of Multiples

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The Beauty of Multiples

Working in multiples is a game-changer in producing work of higher quality, reducing anxiety during the process and maintaining consistency throughout your artwork. Watch as I talk you through my most recent series of paintings and how working on one informs the decisions made in the others.

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Do You Have A Hero?

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Do You Have A Hero?

I’m taking more time to mix colours that are ‘right’. Suddenly I hear a chorus of “What exactly is a ‘right’ colour?” Of course, there is no such one colour. A ‘right’ colour is one that looks absolutely gorgeous next to the colour around it. I’m not being haphazard and just seeing what appears – I’m thinking, what exactly do I want?

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A Painting's Journey

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A Painting's Journey

Deciding to rework a painting can often be seen as taking a backward step. But following your intuition and listening to your guiding inner voice is essential. Until you LOVE your paintings - they are not finished.

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SHOULD You Use A Sketchbook?

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SHOULD You Use A Sketchbook?

“How can you call yourself an Artist if you don’t have a sketchbook?” Well, I explore my ideas in the process of my paintings on the canvas. I love trying this and that right there on the canvas. And I love that these explorations become part of the painting and are embedded in the surface.

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Finishing Again

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Finishing Again

How do you know when you’re finished is one of THE most frequently asked questions, and probably the most difficult to answer. Well, you just know – you know? How do I go about deciding that perhaps… maybe it’s possibly… quite probably finished or…. almost done – nearly?

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From Start to Finish - in a nutshell

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From Start to Finish - in a nutshell

Someone asked me to explain my process. The clock was ticking, we were closing in on the hour and that’s a big question. So I summed it up by saying “I add, add, add and then I start seeing shapes, decide what the paintings going to be about and then edit.” If only it was that simple…