A watercolour from the months before my ordination;
it was ideal for the ordination cards.
A gouache using cheap materials from the Works;
my first attempt with gouache is not my worst.
When I was younger, I used to do lots of little drawings. Above is one of those. I was especially fond of drawing people, of getting their proportions right and achieving the facial resemblance that is key to a decent portrait. I did some landscapes in the beginning, but landscapes are rather boundless (compared to the human figure) and I got lost in the detail. Now, drawing is one thing and painting quite another. I have tried painting, but usually in watercolour, which is more manageable than oils. But it's time for an adventure, and for a recent birthday, my brother found me a treatise on landscape painting in watercolour and gouache (a species of opaque watercolour) by one of my favourite contemporary artists, the American Nathan Fowkes. I'm not ready for the oils yet, but I think I can give the watercolours another shot, with some instruction from Mr. Fowkes. Here is a video featuring him and his landscape work.
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