Last month I was all enthused over the advantages of gouache I had not previously appreciated. Now it’s pen and wash!!!  Sally opened our eyes to the many varied techniques in combining inks, pens (a loose term including an unlikely assortment of instruments), brushes and washes, then we all had a go at experimenting, leading to some very varied and interesting results - as you will see below.  I feel this area opens up a lot of scope, both for those looking for free and loose work and for others who prefer more control.

Next week John is unfortunately not able to do his session, so we will have another free-for-all.  Please bring any projects you wish to work on.  There are always more exhibitions coming up which we can prepare for, or you may like to continue with pen and wash ... and don't forget the Chairman's Project due on 18 April!

I hope you have all had a look at the Patchwork Page under More (click here), kindly put together by Sally P and Hannah, and added to the website by Hannah.
​

Sally L reminded us that the theme next week is pen and ink - which could for example be pen and wash, so bring some colours too, also robust paper - not to mention coverings to protect table and floors.  Ink can be messy!  For full details see message from Sally.
Don't forget too to bring your entries for the next Wetland Centre exhibition:  pictures and entry forms plus hanging fee please.  See exhibitions.

Click on images to enlarge them.

An all-day session today, and with a nod to the cancelled workshop many brought gouache paints to use.  Lesley, along with others, kindly shared her knowledge of the medium and there were books on display to guide us further.  So we had quite a lot of interesting gouache results.
Who knew that if you painted an image in gouache, covered the whole page in black Indian ink, then poured water over it, the gouache image emerged leaving a black backgound?  A number tried it with varying results - it obviously needs practice! 
​Personally I had not been very impressed with gouache up to this time, but a few tips have inspired me to persist as it obviously has a number of unique advantages that I had not been using.  That is one of the great benefits of our Guild - we learn from each other and we experiment with different media and techniques.  
By the way, it was good to hear from Joan Henriques this week and her message can be read here.  

​Les himself posed for us, with multiple changes of dress.  He gave us three five-minute standing poses first, followed by a seated pose for about half an hour.  Another seated pose (in summer hat!) followed the coffee break for about an hour.  Like all our presenters, he put in a lot of work to prepare his session for us.  Thank you Les!