30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge *12 Old London Bus (Unfinished)

 

In 2025, being as I was off work with a broken shoulder, I never really had to face what can be a real issue when I’m trying to do the challenge properly. When I’m doing it properly I’m trying to make the best paintings that I can make, but that takes time. Some days, I just don’t have enough of that particular commodity.

Like yesterday. After work there was my car to pick up from the garage where it had undergone the annual MOT test. Then it was my job last night to finish making the meal. Then there was eating it. All of which meant that I didn’t actually start painting until after 7pm. That’s an issue. Why? Well, in the room in which I paint, even at this time of year when the longest day of the year is only a couple of weeks away, once you get much past 7pm you need the lights on, and I much prefer painting in daylight to painting in artificial light.

I whacked on for two hours and got as far as you can see in the picture. But you know, I’m an older feller now, and I was knackered. When I’m knackered, I have to think about how it will affect me in work the next day. So I stopped at this point. The plan is to finish it tonight. Watch this space.

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30x30 Watercolour Challenge 2026 *11 SRN4 Cross Channel Hovercraft

 

Well I did say that I was going to move on from the beach theme of the majority of my first 10 paintings this year, but this is a kind of segue into what I plan to be a few transport based themes.

This is Pegwell Bay in Margate and the huge thing with the propellors is the SRN4 hovercraft that could carry 200+ passengers and 30 cars across the English Channel. It ran from 1968 - 2000, and to my shame I never had the chance to rise it. Unlikely to happen now. Only one of them still survives and it's a static display in the Hovercraft Museum. 

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30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge 2026 *9 DOnkeys and *10 Ice cream by the pier, and first third done!

Yes, dearly beloved, I am a week into the 30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge 2026, and I’ve already made 10 paintings which means I’m one third of the way towards completion.

To put this into perspective, I completed 7 paintings in the first week in 2025. When you consider that I was off work with a broken left shoulder so I had all day to paint if I wanted in 2025, then that makes what I’ve managed in the last week even more impressive.

Ah, but you may say, yes, that’s all very well and good, but considering you’ve completed the challenge in 2018,19,21,22,23 and 25, 6 times in 8 years, then why would there be any question of you not completing it? Well, if you look at the list of years again, the two really interesting things are the omissions. In 2020 I just never got round to starting it. In 2024 though I started in very high hopes and just blew it. It wasn’t because I didn’t have enough time for it. I did no preparation for it and made he first couple of paintings on pretty poor paper. It didn’t help, but then again my heart really wasn’t in it, I lost enthusiasm because however hard I tried, the paintings weren’t getting any better and to me seemed nowhere near the standard of the best paintings I made in 2023. It became a daily chore just to get something, anything down on paper and after 8 paintings I gave up.

In 2025 I got off to a good start, and that made all the difference.

So, how have I done in 2026 so far? I decided to make at least my first few paintings on a nostalgic beach theme and 8 of my 10 paintings so far have been just that. Click on the pictures to see them full size

1)   1) Whitley Bay

I love Northeast England and the coast of Northumberland is wonderful.

    

2) Swinging London -  not as good as picture 1, but I enjoyed making it.

3)  3) Grandpas on beach duty. I’m a grandpa myself.

 4) Gone fishin’ – Not quite there – competent but uninspired

 5) Paddling – I love the idea of wearing your Sunday best clothing when you go for a paddle. The white blouse of the old lady works well

6)   6) The Wreck – I found a reference photo showing this flying boat and I knew that I was going to want to paint it

7) The Toy Yacht – I think this is the best painting showing reflections in the water that I’ve ever managed

8)   The sandcastle builders – I had the guts to go a bit stronger with the colours here

9)Okay - so here's the two most recent that I hadn't posted yet.

9) Beach Donkeys - I thought that I hadn’t yet shown any donkeys on a beach yet. Deliberately didn’t show them giving any kids rides as I don’t really like that sort of thing.

10)                   Ice cream on the prom –

I haven’t yet decided the theme for the next 10 – if any. Watch this space. As a set I’m delighted with the first 10, though. I think they’re the best first 10 I’ve made in any year of the challenge.

30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge *8 Sandcastle Builders

 I shall finish with the seaside theme in a few days, but in the meantime it is still yielding some good things. 

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30x30 Direct Watercolour CHallenge *7 The Toy Yacht

 I'm really enjoying these beach themed paintings for this year's challenge, but I do think that I will change tack shortly. One more painting and I'm more than 1/4 of the way through the challenge.

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30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge 2026 *6 The Wreck

 

The things you can find on a beach some days. So, still on a beach theme, but with a bit of a twist. This is obviously a 1940s/50s Flying Boat. It's not a Short Sunderland since that had a gun turret in its nose. It looks like the civilian Short Empire flying boat, but I don' really know where the beach is.

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30x30 Direct Watercolour Challenge *5 Paddling

 

Yes, it's another nostalgic beach picture. Back in my grandparents' time people of a certain age would keep their normal street clothes on the beach, and the furthest they would go was paddling in the sea. Myself, I've always enjoyed a nice paddle. 

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