A WATERCOLOUR and ink demonstration was given by Jennifer Johnson at the March meeting of Newton St Cyres Art Group.

Jennifer, who lives in Modbury, is a successful artist with many years’ experience. She brought some of her work with her and also several sketchbooks, which we thoroughly enjoyed looking at.

Her choice of subjects was interesting – a row of mailboxes, a group of umbrellas, a shed, as well as some lovely landscapes.

In preparation, she had done a detailed pencil sketch (she loves drawing) of a street scene in Crete.

She started with loose washes and gradually built up tone in a balanced way over the whole painting, creating a charming scene full of hot, bright sunlight on white buildings, and cool shadows, with a variety of details (flowers, a grapevine, a washing line, electric cables) which lent character and interest.

She added acrylic ink to darken shadows, highlight details and strengthen lines, but never drew an unbroken line, which would be too hard and intrusive.

An alternative method she uses is to sketch in ink and then add watercolour, to produce a very different effect.

Although she claimed the painting wasn’t finished, we would all have been quite content with it as it was if we had produced it ourselves!

Jenny Hallam