Back to the Paintbox

If you followed my recent posts about the 30x30 Challenge during June, you may recall me mentioning that I developed tendonitis in my wrist and shoulder with about 10 days to go. Up until yesterday I didn’t even try painting anything. My wrist feels quite a lot better, although my shoulder and neck don’t seem to be getting much better att all. Maybe it’s my arthritis spreading. Since diagnosis about 13 years ago it’s only really affected the upper joint of the index finger on my right hand. The tip of the finger has developed a pronounced and slightly alarming lean to the left. It rarely hurts and hardly inconveniences me at all. But I do have to face the fact that it could spread sooner or later.

Okay, that’s the excuses done. Now, last year I was so pleased with the way my direct watercolours had improved by the time that I got to the end of the challenge that I started painting exclusively watercolours until I went away to Spain. Those were paintings where I lightly drew the design in pencil before starting. Well, this year I have been pleased again, this time with the overall quality of the whole set of 30. Yes, there are a couple that I don’t think are up to the standard of the rest, but as a whole set I think they’re a noticeable improvement on 2022. So when I picked up my brushes again yesterday, it was to do another direct watercolour.

The subject which is based on an old black and white postcard printed in the 1930’s. I’d earmarked it as a potential subject for one of the 30, but since I’d already painted the old Morris Minor post van I didn’t do it as part of the set. Yesterday though, the time was ripe. All of the 30x30 pictures are A4 sized. This is purely a commercial thing – it’s easier and cheaper to post A4 pictures and prints than A3 – a LOT cheaper. But I only had A3 available yesterday. The benefits of using A3 are that it’s a lot easier to paint in detail and features on a larger figure than a smaller one.

I’m pretty pleased with it. I think pillar box and postie are nicely done in the foreground, and the background to the left of the postie is nice too. I went for almost a sepia tone quality to it, which seems to have worked. I did some research on the ne, but couldn’t find which city the photograph was taken in. I’d like to think this is London, but in all honesty I just don’t know.