Walker round
Britain
An occasional rant,with some tech thrown in.
18/12/2018
I was unpacking some stuff.....
......and I came across these 4 paintings of four Golf clubs around Stockport,I had completely forgotten about them and they have never been seen,so here they are,
11/12/2018
From the bottom lock below Marple....
....We would follow the towpath all the way past Brabyns park below us, to the road which goes down into Marple Bridge.
We don't give a thought to how these feats of engineering were carried out when we are taking a leisurely stroll,watching as someone opens one of the lock gates,it is though they are part of the countryside,as though they have always been there.
Look at the work that went into just this one lock,notice how aesthetic the whole scene is.I don't suppose we could afford to pay for that kind of craftsmanship these days.Having said that,the waterboard or whoever looks after our canals does do a brilliant job of maintaining them.
Over the main road and past the old mill we eventually arrive at the main road in Marple and as promised,Murrillos onion soup for dinner,and maybe a pint or two of lager and lime which always tastes so much better after a good walk.
9/12/2018
We had walked to Fogg Brook and over the green bridge.....
....The walk took us then past the farm and the dog kennels to Otterspool ,I used to love looking over the bridge there, thinking how lucky the people who lived in those houses backing onto the river were,but these days I suppose it's a bit risky being so close.
Up the hill and we would turn right and past the trading estate,then on towards Chadkirk Chapel.
After a look at the Chapel we would prepare for the steep climb up through the woods to the canal.
This was when Jasmin would come alive,she is a Lhasa and usually she does very little but sleep and walk beside us calmly.When she caught scent of a squirrel though, she would be off like a rocket,up the steepest bankings in a flash,she never did manage to catch one.
When we reached the canal we had a decision to make,should we go left to Romiley and a pub lunch at the Spread Eagle or right and follow the canal to Marple and onion soup at Murillos?
Turning right, the canal soon disappeared into the tunnel and we would walk on past the tea rooms, rejoin the canal, then on towards the Aquaduct.
Some people say that they are scared of heights,I am one of them ,but in my case( to the huge amusement of my wife and my son who used to come with us walking,oh and anyone else who might happen to be on the bridge at the time),as soon as my feet touched the floor of the aquaduct,I swear it would turn into soft rubber and my knees would buckle and I would not be able to walk in a straight line,I would also have a strange urge to walk into the canal and would have to keep my hand on the side wall to stop myself doing this!
I believe this is called vertigo.
Massive trauma over the next landmark would be the bottom lock and I will continue our favourite walk next time,see you soon,David
8/12/2018
I drove through Otterspool recently....
.....and it reminded me of our favourite walk when we lived in Stockport.
Starting out in Vernon Park we would go down to the river in Woodbank and head towards the green bridge and Fogg Brook .
When I was at school close by we used to call that area fossil creek because you could pull layered pieces of the clay bank away and find all kinds of fossils.
Virtually every dinnertime was spent down the woods.
Of course this was against the rules but can you imagine it,telling a bunch of eleven,twelve and thirteen year old boys not to go into the woods?
How we survived these excursions is any ones guess,for instance, two of my mates and I had the bright idea of "borrowing" a mallet and chisel from the woodwork shop and we spent every dinnertime for about 3 weeks chiseling away at the base of a huge half dead Elm tree,please don't ask me why,I haven't got a clue why!
We made a pact to keep it secret between us three but when we decided to go "industrial" that is,we aquired two more hammers and chisels and all three of us would be chipping away.
It was just a matter of time until we had an audience watching,just one or two to start with and then, after a few days it was like a daily procession with people begging to have the first go.
Everybody knows that when you chop down a tree,you chop away towards the middle in a "v" shape and when you get through to near the other side you shout timber and the tree falls in the direction in which you push it,right?
That was the co operative plan that we three and the twenty-odd others gathered had decided upon but...
....we were about two thirds of the way through the tree trunk and there was kind of a rumbling,creaking sound.The whole tree started to shake as though a giant hand had grabbed the trunk and was shaking it like a rattle,of course everyone was standing in safety on the opposite side to where it was going to fall.I looked up and the top third of the tree had started to lean backwards over us and meanwhile,there was a massive crunching and cracking and about four huge branches fell straight down missing schoolboys by fractions,bouncing and shattering before rolling off down the bank .
Luckily the tree then decided to act as we predicted and fell with a frightening crash taking the tree next to it .If you know the area, (you can see where we were in the top painting opposite),you will know just how steep the bank is.The two trees broke into parts and rolled off at an alarming rate ,it was absolutely spectacular to watch and how the lady on horseback riding on the bottom path was missed,Heaven knows.
Surprisingly,I don't remember any repercussions from this adventure and I even think we went on to try it again,hard to believe but that's boys for you I suppose.
Wow,I digressed a bit there,I will get back to our favourite walk next time.
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6/12/2018
I was just talking to my cousin on FB......
....and you know how something nags in the back of your mind and then when you remember you can't wait to show it to them,well, my cousin lived on Grenville street, Edgeley in Stockport which is in the North of England. This was as early as I can remember so around about 1963/5.
We used to play in the back alleys and streets and on Hollywood park, my lasting impression of this was thinking how hilly it was and how many steps you had to run up and down to get anywhere.
People were always asking me.......
......Why do you paint steps so much?
I hope my paintings bring back some memories .
5/12/2018
My latest course has just been released....
.....overnight on Udemy and my first 4 students have enrolled,2 from USA,one from Germany and one from Vietnam!
This is an amazing feeling,tons of work goes into making these courses,this one is over four and a half hours long and it is not just the painting of the pictures that takes time,producing,editing,uploading and marketing takes ages but knowing that when I am lying in bed,people from all over the planet are deciding which of my courses to take,is priceless.
I have 20 discount vouchers for my loyal students and page followers,Udemy list this course at $34.99,
I have decided that my next project will be a set of 3 sessions showing the beginner how to paint relaxing watercolours.
I will keep the paintings as easy as I can, (the trickiest thing is putting myself in the shoes of an absolute beginner so I don't lose them early on but I also want to have info for the more advanced artist),and I will again use the Hake brush and just 4 or 5 colours in my pallette.
Thinking of the new year.
When Christmas and New year are over with ,I am thinking what can be my next course content be? and I thought,why not ask you?
Suggestions would be much appreciated,
what have you often thought you would like to see in a tutorial?
Post your suggestions on my page or PM me and maybe I can include your ideas in my next course,
see you soon,David
3/12/2018
I have just sent my latest course to Udemy for publication.
It is always hectic,finalising my courses and getting them ready for publication but I have just hit the button with my latest course.
The new course is the second compilation of my Live Face Book sessions and in it we paint 3 more watercolors aimed at the beginner.
I am feeling a lot more relaxed in these videos and I am starting to get the hang of painting live on FB,there is so much to do as well as paint my picture,I have to watch my monitor to see if I have any questions,answer the question,keep an eye on the volume levels,etc.etc.
I have just got an early Christmas present from my wife,a brand new top of the range webcam which is specially designed for live streaming so I have re filmed all the presenting parts with it and the quality looks much better.
I am really looking forward to doing the next 3 FB sessions using the new equipment.
Having looked at the better quality I will probably re film all my promotional videos in the new year.
When I decided to start making on line tutorials,I did it not believing that I could make good enough productions with the kit that I have and so I did it in a kind of half hearted "lets see what happens" sort of way.
Well, after much heartache and many headaches I managed to produce my watercolor foundation course and I was so happy with the feedback I got that,obviously, it has motivated me to make more and also to strive to improve the courses as I go.
I may not have studio quality sound,lighting,direction and editing,but what I do have is pure gold teaching techniques which,I am convinced,will take the beginner to the next level and enable them to enjoy their chosen art form to the fullest.
The Town will remain nameless.25/11/2018
Around 10 am I checked the parking rules and for my 30 pence I was secure for 2 hours.The car park of the public house was as good a starting point as any seeing as it was right at one end of the towns main street.It was quite chilly and I was glad of my scarf as I set off with about 30 samples and my demo book under my arm (unframed of course,time was when I would carry up to five 20 x 16 inch fully glazed framed samples)!
I remembered the Barber shop opposite from last year,Manchester United fan so over I went,
"Morning mate,David Walker artist,any footy fans in your house who might appreciate one of my paintings for Christmas?"
All in one breath so they don't have time to butt in,
"No thanks,the one I got him last year is still behind the the sofa!"
"Oh! oh ok no probs,see you later,all the best"
"and you mate see ya!"
Not a good start. I made my way down the street past the bookies and the charity shops,to the cafe which was bursting at the seams,which of course meant that they would be too busy to have a look.Maybe a quick bacon butty and a coffee.
"Do you do self portraits of real people?"
Experience tells me what she means,
"I do yes, but of course the cost of an original portrait is quite a lot more than these sample limited edition prints"
I had gone into the estate agents next door to the cafe and this nice young lady with a full sleeve tat, who had no intention of ordering any of my prints of which I was in the process of showing to 4 or 5 of her colleagues, was insisting on getting me to tell her how much a self portrait of her and her boyfriend and their 2 dogs would be.
While trying to keep an ear on what the other people were saying about my prints ,I explained that it was difficult to give an exact price but going off what she was asking for i.e. full watercolour at the biggest size and using her photos as reference material ( I was short of work so willing to do a bargain price),I could do something for around £250.00
You could have heard a pin drop.
If I had dropped an eggy one they couldn't have got me out of there any faster.
Now, not only is it freezing cold and I have 30 samples under my arm and my toenail has started throbbing,I also have that little voice in my head,telling me, "no point going in there Dave,who's gonna buy one of these Dave?might as well go home Dave, you need to pee Dave".
Slapped firmly away to the back of my mind I ignore the advice of my other half and press on down the street,and back up the other side,not one sale,not one order,time to get out of this place.
The pub where I had parked had opened it's doors,perfect.
I will get in there,say my piece and when no one is interested in my pics I can ask to use their loo,never fails.
Taking a deep breath as I went through the door,
"Morning all,David Walker artist,any footy fans in the house who might appreciate one of my paintings for Christmas presents?"
A middle aged man sat on a stool by the bar,reading the Daily Mirror looked over his glasses at me,
"What you got mate?"
"Paintings mate.I paint them myself,United,City,Liverpool,Man City"
"Let's have a look a your Man City ones,"
I sort out the City pics and pass them to him,meanwhile 2 guys come through from the vault to look at my Everton pics and the young lady behind the bar wants to see my Liverpool ones,I leave them to it and go to relieve my bladder.
When I get back the first man,who turns out to be the landlord asks me how much they are and how much could he have five for (they have just decorated their sons bedroom).He doesn't baulk at the price but,he wants to see one that is in my demo book and the sample is in the car,
"I will just go and get the sample,I'm in the car park,won't be long".
"ok ,I will get him down here to choose which ones he wants"
I still have plenty of time on my parking ticket so no rush,
"Nice one Dave"
"You can piss off,it was only 10 minutes ago you were telling me it was all a waste of time"
"Yeah but if he buys 5 and one to the girl behind the bar and say,one each to the other guys we are laughing,"
"ok. so I will offer a good discount to get em all,magic,it's great doing this int it Dave?
"it sure is, Dave."
As I go back into the pub I notice there is a young fellow of about 11 years of age sat with the landlord looking at my prints and shaking his head.
"sorry mate,he does'nt like em"
"what,none of them?"
"Nope"
As I watched the boy sneak away upstairs,the 2 regulars who had been looking at the Everton pics made their way back into the vault and the girl behind the bar handed me the Liverpool pic she was interested in.......
"Do you do self portraits of real people?"
True story.
I have started a list of my suppliers here with links
This is where I have sourced the best prices online,it will be updated from time to time when I get new information.if you know of a better supplier,please let me know.
1/12/2018
Bockingford A3 watercolor paper.140 pound or 300gsm
I have always used this paper to work on and because of this I can predict how it will behave under differing punishments and procedures.
The link here shows 20 sheets from Curtis Ward a reliable supplier of mine.
Paynes grey 8 ml tubes.
Ultramarine 8ml tubes.
Alizarin crimson 8ml tubes.
Raw sienna 8ml tubes.
Light red 8ml tubes.
Raw umber 8 ml tubes
The Hake brush.
Over many years I have standardised my tools and materials which means I always use A3 size paper, so a 30mm or 1 and 1/4 inch hake is a perfect size for my paper,as you can see in my demos the size of my hake is neither too big or too small to tackle the biggest sky washes and the smallest foreground grasses.
The hake is a Japanese brush originally,made from goats hair held in between 2 pieces of wood,used on a regular basis the hairs become super soft and pliable,we are able to mould it to different shapes which means we can paint a tree trunk in a couple of strokes and create foliage in just a few dots and dabs.
You will learn to love your hake if you practice regularly with it,and by practice I mean paint a full picture as your practice,this is what you see me doing in all of my demos,live ones or recorded,it is just that as you gain more experience your practice pieces work out more often.
I have searched Amazon to find links to each piece of kit,which will be supplied by the same company which I use,(tried and tested).