"Boxing Hares" Original Watercolour 55cm x 35cm Donated to Somerset Wildlife Trust art auction www.kayeparmenter.co.uk Somerset (including the levels) is the most beautiful county, ok so maybe I might be a bit biased :).  We are blessed with animals and birds such as herons, owls, badgers, hares to name a few and that's not including the smaller birds, bees, butterflies that we can all attract to our gardens and spaces around our homes. The Somerset Wildlife Trust has an amazing website which offers events and some fabulous information as to how we can support nature within our beautiful county. One of the jobs on my to-do list is to create a plan for the garden - so far this year we have hung a teapot for birds nesting and dotted lots of feeders around the garden.  I also have a small bee hive/hotel that will be placed amongst lots of pollinating plants that I hope to spread around in pots and containers.   The bird feeders have been hugely successful and so far the mo

How to paint beautiful wild primroses loosely in watercolour Online Tuition £10 www.kayeparmenter.co.uk The beautiful wild primrose with their clusters of pale yellow flowers are perfect to capture in watercolour.   I tend to see them and visualise them from above, as a posy of flowers surrounded by warm green leaves. With the purchase of my online tuition you will learn via two online videos: Learn how to mix leafy greens Play with texture in the leaves Practice with small flowers and shapes Obtain the effect of light on the petals Increase the contrast Bring all the techniques together into one painting Bring a little spring to your day and have a go!  

  Painting is fun and absorbing and, if there is ever a time that we need a little distraction, it is definitely now!  Do you paint already or are you a beginner?  Whatever your skill level, I welcome you to join in with my competition with the winning prize being a year's membership to Supporting All Artists. (SAA) **Competition** Follow my online tuition and paint a fabulous robin.  Supporting all Artists will judge the paintings and the winning artist will receive the amazing prize of a year standard membership. This includes a bi-monthly newsletter, access video on demand, exclusive offers and free postage on orders. I love my membership with them and the society is for anyone with a passion for painting and drawing. To enter - purchase this robin tuition, please click here ,  and then email me your robin painting by 20th January 2021.

I really enjoy painting small garden birds and, although we do have a small garden, I have been really delighted to see quite a large variety of species visiting. Next year, it would be amazing to attract some birds to nest and I have been doing a little research.  Their needs are basic; food, water, nesting - ideally they would like to feel welcome and comfortable, but most importantly they will probably start their new house search in the winter months, so it's worth starting to make your property desirable now :) I am really keen to hang some "upside-down" teapots along the fence, away from any passing cats and buy some bird food, create a clean water source, maybe get a bird bath and lay some nesting in the pots.   With our busy lives, personally we have tried to make our outside space to be minimal maintenance so have probably reduced the environment attractive for wildlife.  I am now trying to put some back - I have lavenders (both French and English) in pots for th

 Hand on heart I love all birds but for me, penguins are my favourite.  They have a lovely way of nurturing their young and their quirky antics always bring a smile.  Painting-wise, it can be tricky to capture them.  If you're not careful, the black can look flat, and trying to paint yellow against black can be tricky. Each month, I create a tips and techniques email that is sent free to anyone who has purchased my online tuition. I think, for December, I will give some info on painting penguins as a basis to how to paint with "black" in your watercolours. If you would like to see all the online tuition available via my website, please click the link below: www.kayeparmenter.co.uk

My all time favourite :) This is a post that I have been meaning to write for ages.  With Christmas coming up, I thought it might be nice to share with you my favourite watercolour book and, following a quick check on Amazon, I see that it is still available in hardcover (in the uk).  So if you have space on your Christmas list, I hope that you won't be disappointed with this gem of a book. William Lawrence (Skip), in my opinion, is a master in watercolour.  He has changed his style in recent years to work of a more abstract quality but it is wonderful that he as written a book to share his art journey with watercolour. He is particularly good at explaining how he captures light in his work though the use of tone.  He is also very keen on exploring shapes and linking shapes within his work, it is all very inspirational.  I do have other favourites which I will share soon.  In recent times it's fantastic that we have online access learning resources but don't forget books to