A text from Texas

Fab news, I've recently received a message from the directors of Nitram Charcoal that my mixed media black and white paintings on exhibition on their stand in Huston, Texas are drawing in the crowds and delighting the audiences.

Using the full range of Nitram top quality charcoal plus drawing tools (to include their wonderful 'Baton' charcoal holder and innovative sharpening bloc), the mixed media seascape painting featured here quickly developed in lots of exciting multiple layers to create the expressive painting you see here.

Here are just some of the amazing charcoal sticks, blocks, and tools I used. Once you pick up Nitram charcoal you just cannot put it down!

The versatile Nitram Baton and Mignonette charcoal - perfect for the holder and to draw with precision at arms length inspiring more fluid and accurate drawing too

Nitram sharpening bloc perfect for sharpening all your top quality Nitram charcoal sticks and very useful for sharpening other drawing drawing tools such as graphite sticks, pencils and pastel pencils that notoriously break so easily with blades and conventional pencil sharpeners.

Art holidays using Nitram Charcoal

The black and white seascape is one from a series of ever popular paintings and drawings I'm doing on an ongoing basis. They are a real favourite too with my students at Cober Hill near Scarborough on the East Coast of Yorkshire where I teach art holidays at least twice a year. 

The next art holiday mixing seascapes and moorland painting experiences in the wonderful North York Moors National park is in October '16. 

Here's a link to that superb art holiday at Cober Hill near Scarborough
http://rdcreative.co.uk/art-holidays/october-2016-east-coast-seascape-and-landscape-painting-holiday

There are only 5 places left now, so you'll have to be quick to book your place!

See you there - Nitram Charcoal in hand!

From Matlock to the moors

What an absolute honour and privilege I've had recently teaching over 30 students in a full day workshop at Matlock. 

This amazing group of talented and friendly group of artists were really receptive to lots of new and exciting techniques I was thrilled to pass on during our wonderful day together.  

The theme was moorland painting with watercolour and pastel and many of the group followed my lead to paint on Canson Moulin du Roy 100% cotton rag 300gsm (140lb) watercolour paper in both rough and not textures creating colourful, atmospheric and visually eye catching paintings.

It was great to watch the paintings take shape on this superb and responsive paper. Everyone just loved how versatile Canson Moulin du Roy paper was and the smiles and results from everyone just speak for themselves.

The demonstration painting I created for everyone started vertically and with lots of wet in wet watercolour and gouache washes running one into the other down the sheet. Great fun showing the group just how, by painting and drawing with the brush at the same time and being free and expressive with the marks you make in the early stages, allows plenty of exciting possibilities and directions for a paintings expressive development.

The day went really quickly with a lot of superb paintings being achieved by everyone. Right at the end we had a mini exhibition of everyones paintings and they looked superb! 

Meanwhile the moorland painting I started as a demo for Matlock Art Society I took back into the Pennines above Holmfirth with me at the first opportunity of a break in the weather for the next stage of the paintings completion. 

Accompanying me was my very good friend and professional photographer Richard Littlewood. We are presently creating a film of my painting so I can pass on my expressive art techniques to a wider audience in the future once completed. Keep you posted about that!

Thanks again to Matlock Art Society. A really positive day and I look forward to coming back to teach again ASAP!

Do look out for that film too 'Robert Dutton, painting in The Pennines' soon to be released on u-tube and elsewhere! Lots for everyone to enjoy once its rolling.