Over 20 years of painting, my watercolour method has evolved. Attending courses with tutors such as Mike Chaplin, Trevor Lingard, Steve Hall, Soraya French and more I have gleaned ideas and techniques that I now use in my own paintings to achieve the effect that I like and to develop my own personal style.

Generally, I paint loosely and admire the semi abstract approach in modern day artists such as Joseph Zbukvic, David Parfitt and Alvaro Castagnet. Watercolour is a quick medium and the best paintings are achieved with careful but confident marks and resisting the ‘overworked’ look.

The first stage of any painting is a light, quick drawing. Doing a tonal study in a sketchbook beforehand is always a good idea to become acquainted with the subject. It is very important to find out where the darks and lights are – and everything in between.

Once I am happy with the composition, I will decide on a limited palette, look for the light in the painting and apply broad washes which are connected and blended together. This under painting will immediately give it a coordinated feel.

When this is dry it is time to build the painting – from light to dark. Some washes can be left as the lightest areas. I am essentially creating background, middleground and foreground which will add depth to the painting and hopefully make you feel that you are walking into it. Warm and cool colours play a part here.

As I work on a painting, I want to create a balance of resolved and unresolved areas. Too much detail makes it look stiff and photographic and too little renders it unreadable. The finer details always come at the end and bring the painting together.

Very important in any painting is the light. Adding strong shadows or reflections will make any painting ‘sing’. Watercolour is often badly painted in mid tones so it is important to create strong pigments which play against the lighter areas. Always leave a small area of white paper as a focal point.

My favourite subjects in watercolour are landscapes, street scenes and our beautiful coastline.