Archive
All videos
Laying the first gold on a small panel
How I cut the leaf, breathe on the size and lay gold onto a small painted panel without tearing it.
Mixing egg tempera from a yolk
Separating a yolk, mixing it with water and powder, and the first test stroke on a scrap of board.
Painting a hillside in thin layers
Four thin layers of green and ochre, and why the first one looks too pale.
My pigment shelf and what each one is
Every jar on the shelf: where the colour comes from, how it behaves and what I mix it with.
Sketching in the orchard before I paint
Drawing the village from the slope with a pencil, and how the sketch becomes the line on the panel.
Making gesso and sanding a panel
Warming the glue, stirring in the chalk, brushing on the coats and sanding until the surface feels like stone.
Making a colour chart from my pigments
Painting each pigment on its own and mixed with white, and printing the chart to keep on the table.
Painting a whitewashed wall in full sun
A white wall, a blue shadow and how I paint a village building in thin layers.
Underpainting in green earth
A first layer of green earth under the skin tones and the sky, and why it makes colour look calm.
Egg yolk, water and one pigment: first strokes
A small exercise for beginners: one pigment, one brush and ten strokes of thin colour.
The Panel Notes
A short letter every Saturday: one step from the studio, one tip and one thing to try on your own panel.