DAVID BELLAMY: PAINTING ICESCAPES

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After five days of gloomy weather in the mountains of Snowdonia last month I decided I just had to go for the subject that was my prime target this time, whatever the last day threw at me. I aimed to climb up Cwm Tryfan to a spot where I could sketch Bristly Ridge, and hope the view was clear when I arrived. The light started well, but deteriorated to the murky mich-mash it had been all week. Plastered in thick ice, the east face of Tryfan gave me hope that my target scene would be likewise, but just being on the mountain gave me such joy, and fired me to do several sketches on the way up.

When Bristly Ridge eventually hove into view it took my breath away. Although I was familiar with the face and had climbed it in ice-rimed conditions, it presents an awesome spectacle, especially after many days of icy easterly blasts. I moved to a position where an attractive cascade and brook offered a superb lead-in and then sat on a friendly nearby rock to sketch in an A4 book. Unfortunately my position was rather exposed to that useful but hostile easterly that still blasted away, but initially the effort of getting up there kept me warm.

The poor light made observation of much of the rock architecture almost impossible to make out, but the ridge outline stood out well, as did the main gullies. I began with a grey pen, quickly drawing in the main features, well aware that I needed to work fast. As the temperature hovered around the freezing point the washes of French ultramarine with a touch of lunar black worked well without freezing up. I inserted the more prominent features first, working right across the composition, then applying a more impressionist style to suggest the lesser important crags and gullies.

A cuppa revivied me but the cold really began to penetrate so I dotted in a couple of climbers some two-thirds of the way up the left-hand slope but could not see the third one at the time. Then I hurriedly included the cascade and rocks, though did not have enough paper left to do a proper job. This is just a basic rendering of the scene, but in a painting I would bring it to life with creative lighting, and not include quite so much detail, losing some with cloud or shadow.

This was something of a nostalgic return as I have had many wild adventures here, some of them extremely life-threatening, a fact that intensifies my love for this magical spot, one of the most impressive in the British mountains.

David Bellamy – Painting massed trees in a landscape

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 Most of the time I find there is too much action happening and not enough talking – it’s great fun, but leaves little time for communicating, and there is not enough room in this blog to cover everything. I’ll have to leave my sketching adventures in Snowdonia of last week for the next blog.    

On Sunday in Aberedw we had an event to raise money for the Ukrainian refugees. We are only a tiny village but we raised over £1,000 and will be trying to get another event organised soon in which I hope to be able to sell paintings in support of these unfortunate people. It’s hardly believable that this is happening in Europe in the 21st century, and sadly we have a pretty poor political representative locally, so I’ve been active in ruffling some political feathers as well.

As with Covid, it is amazing how art, like nature, can help us in wartime, whether to take our mind off the dangers of war, or  perhaps cooling our anger at the appalling and brutal actions of dictators like Putin. With spring about to burst upon us it’s a good time to get out into the landscape. One of the things that causes many students problems is when trees are massed together. Trying to make sense of it all can seem unsurmountable at times.

 In this section of a painting you will see the varying tones on the four blocks of conifers, the strength of tones suggesting a sense of depth in the scene, aided by a feeling of a misty day. It’s usually a good idea to include a bright colour amongst duller ones as you can see in the bottom centre. The light is coming from the left so the edges on the right-hand side of the trees have been kept soft, while those to the left are harder-edged where they are caught in the sunshine. The bright yellow foliage does not appear in the centre of the full painting as that would not be compositionally helpful.

 My watercolour course in Builth Wells from 3rd to 8th April still has a few vacancies, and anyone who would like to join us on a non-residential basis will be welcome. The Caer Beris Manor Hotel will charge a modest fee for refreshments and hotel facilities, plus a tuition fee of £215. You can check the course information on my website and book the course with the hotel on 01982 552601  We shall be using the hotel ballroom as a studio this time, so there is plenty of room for us all to work and keep apart.

David Bellamy – Capturing colour and texture on tree-trunks

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Trees are some of the loveliest subjects to paint, whether they are part of your composition or the subject itself. Often, the villagers where I live, seeing me setting forth with knapsack will enquire where I am going.

“I’m off to find a tree,” I reply. They tended at first to look in puzzlement as several hundred trees would be visible from where we stood. Now they know I am scouting for good specimens of trees to sketch, for it’s always reassuring to know that your sketchbooks contain many examples that can be placed into a composition that needs just a little extra. Trees that are close by and reveal fascinating trunk detail make exciting subjects.

I loved the way the branches twisted snake-like in all directions on this oak, but it was the colours and textures of the lower trunk that excited me most. Seek out colour in the bark of trees and exaggerate this if need be to accentuate the character of the tree. Find good examples – not all oaks display a handsome profile – and take the outstanding textures of one tree to enhance another, perhaps more shapely specimen to combine them in one within your composition.

This illustration is taken from my new book Landscapes Through the Seasons, just published by Search Press. It includes a great many examples of trees in their various states. Many artists find summer is the most difficult time for painting trees and there are many tips and techniques for tackling all that greenery and making your trees look so much more authentic. Signed copies of the book are available on the website at www.davidbellamy.co.uk

 In the current issue of Leisure Painter magazine there is a competition to win one of my original watercolours, so do check it out.

With England once more in lockdown these are not easy times, but through our painting we can escape into other worlds. With thousands of sketches from many parts of the world I find it a great solace to be able to paint scenes from far-flung places while working in my studio, bringing back memories of exciting times amidst some remarkable people and places. So many of the sketches are linked to stories. I hope you are also able to conjure up these times through sketches, photos, diaries or even books about places where you’ve been. Sometimes all we need is a little spark to set us off on an inspirational painting, and these are some way in which to light that spark.

David Bellamy – Making Still Life more interesting

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The weather continues to be glorious sunshine every day, as though mocking us in our state of lockdown, though even a brief sojourn into the garden can lift our spirits immensely. One genre of painting that is so pertinent in our current situation is, of course, still life. Did I hear a groan? Yes, I’m afraid the thought of painting apples and oranges in a bowl doesn’t exactly set me alight, so when I had to include still life in my Complete Guide to Watercolour Painting many years ago, I really had to rack my brains. My answer was to look for still life subjects based on my hobbies and interests. Ice climbing was one of my interests and when I came across an ancient ice axe and snow shoes in a French refuge I made a sketch of them hanging on a wall.

    As you can see, I’ve lost parts of the snow-shoe rims in order to emphasise other parts. For the book I’d painted a snowy mountain background, but here I wanted to show up the ice-axe much larger. When doing the original sketch I didn’t have much control over the lighting, but if you have the object before you then you can adjust the lighting to create highlights in the right places. If you are a gardener you may like to depict a spade or trowel, or maybe a wheelbarrow. Balls of wool make colourful subjects, perhaps accompanied by knitting apparatus, while fishing reels, old worn-out boots, favourite hats, model ships and the like, and so much more can make challenging objects to paint or draw.

    Many thanks for all your best wishes and comments. Try to keep painting and being creative. Check out the online community of The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines at www.painters-online.co.uk where you’ll get a host of help and ideas. Please note that if you order anything from our shop at the moment there might be a slight delay owing to the current situation. The next blog will feature my painting of the subject I set on the previous blog. Stay safe!

DAVID BELLAMY Tonal Sketching a Landscape

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Welcome to my first blog of 2025 and I wish you all a rather belated Happy New Year. May you have much success with your paintings!

As you may know, I am very keen on sketching, both for the sheer enjoyment of sketching a scene amidst nature, and for recording a composition to work up as a painting back in the studio. On expeditions, holidays and trips they are also marvellous ways of retaining memories of activities, people and places.

This time I’d like to highlight the benefits of tonal sketching in pencil, that is, where you include a lot of tonal areas rather than simply rely on a linear approach. This canal scene illustrates how the dark areas bring out the shape and character of the bridge, the trees and boats, while the medium tones both link the light and dark features and suggest detail and minor shapes. These medium tones become very important in an atmospheric sketch where you may be depicting mist, cloud, sunshine and other less strident features. I used a 4B pencil on a page of A4 size cartridge paper.

As you can see, in this case I have liberally noted down colours and at the top right drawn a larger version of the prow of the narrow-boat so that certain small details become clearer. This is useful if I will be working up a large painting later. Apart from the fact that you are recording the scene in detail and gaining an understanding of it, some details of which might become lost in a photograph of the place, you are laying out a ready-made composition and will probably not need to do a studio sketch from the photograph to ensure that everything is as you wish for in the finished painting.

You may have already seen the new merged Leisure Painter and The Artist magazine, which is packed with great information and illustrations. With so many publications now turning to digital versions I feel it’s so good to support the paper versions – I’m not so happy messing about on small screens! I have an article in the current issue on sketching during my trip to Transylvania last summer. Don’t forget to keep warm when you are out sketching!

DAVID BELLAMY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

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I don’t know about you, but I find December is always a mad and chaotic rush around trying to keep normal life and business functioning while coping with the extra tasks of Christmas. I’ve just returned from town whtere I found the toy shop far more interesting for buying presents than the adult ones!

This scene I came across while stumbling through the snow-bound woods near the Bachhowy River a short distance from home. That was a long time ago and the cottage was abandoned, but to give it a sense of life I added rising smoke. The sky is mainly quinacridone Sienna and moonglow, with some touches of French ultramarine. I used masking fluid to reserve the snow-laden branches. The scene was more or less as I have created it, complete with puddle in the foreground, although I have changed the sky considerably.

I shall be enjoying a far from relaxing Christmas in the company of my rather energetic little grand-daughters in Pembrokeshire, but I’m sure we’ll have a great time, and I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and good health and much success with your creative activities in the New Year.

DAVID BELLAMY USING ATMOSPHERE TO LOSE THE BACKGROUND

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Have you experienced the frustration of seeing a stunning focal point set against a ghastly background, and wondered what on earth to do with the composition? You can, of course alter the background by bringing in new features that are not present, or turning it into a complete abstract, but my favourite is to use atmosphere to lose unwanted features, and occasionally this has to be quite drastic.

In this view of a trawler at sea off the Scottish coast I should point out that the background in this instance was certainly not ghastly: I just wanted to create the atmosphere and lose nearly all background detail. Suggesting a misty peak on the right with the wet-in-wet method implied the proximity of mountain scenery without elaboration, otherwise there is hardly any detail other than the shaft of light which illuminates the water ahead of the craft. You can apply this method for land-based subjects in much the same way, bringing in one or two suggestions of topographical features in a simple manner as I have done with the misty peak, or alternatively just losing part of the background in this way. It doesn’t have to be a foggy day, either, as low, intense backlighting can have a similar effect. This is also a useful ploy when you enjoy painting the same main feature but wish to alter the background to avoid too much repetition. Give it a go – it’s a great exercise.

I shall be demonstrating painting a waterfall at Erwood Station Gallery & Craft Centre at 2pm on Tuesday 10th December, and all are welcome. There will be a small charge, the proceeds going to Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and booking is essential. Please ring 01982 560555 to book a place and get any further information. The venue is in a delightful rural location beside the River Wye about 6 miles south of Builth Wells, just off the A470 north of Erwood village where they have the most wonderful cakes and teas.

The watercolour demonstration will show how to paint cascading water, summer trees, rocks, reflections in dark pools, and much more, using a variety of techniques that include some innovative approaches to applying paint. Bring along a notebook and camera, and any questions you might have, and if you bring along your sketchbook and make a day of it so much the better! It will last about two hours and I look forward to seeing you.

David Bellamy: The value of drawing

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Many of us are so eager to start painting that we tend to gloss over the need to get the drawing right before our brush touches the paper, and then we wonder why the composition doesn’t work too well. I love drawing, and drawing and doodling are a wonderful therapeutic activity, ideal for calming one after the stresses of modern living. I take my sketching in the field very seriously, even when I may have no need for any more sketches to add to the thousands already done.

This is a sketch of the attractive old Doctor’s Bridge in Eskdale. Although not completely finished, it illustrates several vital points for landscape artists:

  • By carrying out a sketch you are already arranging the composition for a subsequent painting and working out everything you need for the finished result;
  • Sketching is the ideal time to assess the major tonal values in a scene- how dark? how light? do any features benefit from an adjustment of tones?
  • More than anything else you are learning to observe, learning how to draw and seeing how different aspects of the scene relate to each other;
  • Note the cursory manner in which the background has been rendered. If you need to work quickly this kind of treatment is useful for the less important parts of a composition.

Getting the drawing right is especially vital with watercolour painting, so do try to practice this as often as you can. It will have a great impact on your painting.

This summer has been especially hectic, culminating disastrously when I experienced a heart attack at the beginning of September. Luckily in just over an hour after ringing for an ambulance I was on the operating table witnessing the whole operation as they cleared the blockage in an artery. The NHS staff were brilliant and deserve the highest praise. Please be aware that if you get chest pain that runs down into your arms and perhaps up to your jaw you need to get help quickly – don’t delay! And don’t forget, the power of art is quite amazing. Sketching is a wonderful way to de-stress and relax you. I can’t recommend it highly enough.