This week it’s something a little different we’re painting something that could be anywhere in the world really, two geraniums outside an ornate window with the sun beaming across them beautifully casting shadows. There are no people or facial features to worry about here just use your brush to create shape, shadow and light areas. This is something a little different to our ‘people paintings’ as it’s always good fun to do something a little different and see how our brush strokes create the overall effect. Enjoy…

What a view to paint... He looked a little lonely up there on his own so I've added mans best friend. You can add your own dog if you feel that way inclined or use the reference I created. Either way this is a really great intermediate piece for us all to do, if you're an expert you'll still find it challenging and our beginners can still give this a go, stretch yourself and see what happens...

What better way to spend the weekend fishing, or painting fishing... This is a beginner intermediate piece for all to enjoy and its about brush control with some small marks and some lots sweeping strokes to create the dark foreground. You'll have lots of fun with this one...Its a really fun quick one to do but pay attention to getting your background cool and foreground warmish yellow, that sets him off beautifully, don’t forget those little pavement marks too enjoy...

This is an interesting painting because we have one simple main figure, but, we have some hard shadows (using dry brush onto dry paper) for his trousers and some nice soft shadows around the shirt area where we’re using wet onto wet and adding further pigment to it. Its a really fun quick one to do but pay attention to getting your background cool and foreground warmish yellow, that sets him off beautifully, don’t forget those little pavement marks too enjoy...

This was taken in Oxford, England several years ago and it maybe “two go cycling” but we have five people in this one so it’s definitely in our advanced category. Everyone should give it a go but take your time and watch and rewatch areas of detail. Give some special attention to the wheels, they not round so draw it carefully. Remember above all, have fun and enjoy…

The perfect intermediate tutorial… We keep our colours really clean and vibrant here and using simple lines to create the bench you can see how Graham adds colours into wet paint to create the variations in tone and how he adjusts for light and dark areas. Not forgetting to add our our two people with their backs on the bench we also have a vibrant blue sky with some movement all created by loose simple brush actions during that wash. You’ll really enjoy this one…

This one is a great challenge to get that background pushed backwards and abstract without obsessing over every branch, which in turn distracts from your main subject, its a piece anyone can try but is around the intermediate/advanced level really as its over 2 hours. This is a photo of a family friend of Jemma and Bess and its a really lovely action shot. You’ll get great results if you tae your time here and plenty of breaks in between layers. Happy painting…

Happy new year !!! As a perfect cure for those with slight hangovers we thought you could do with a nice intermediate level painting, this one is called ‘couple on a wall’ and its ALL about preserving the whites on the two subjects. Happy painting…

This is a perfect Christmas painting, the Strictly Come Dancing final is this weekend (dancing with the stars in the USA) but it originated right here in my home town of Blackpool and I thought a “Last tango” would feel very Christmas spirited right now. Happy Christmas everyone, and see you in the new year for another great year of painting some fantastic subjects…

This is a photo that was given to me by one of our members, Nancy Gallagher, and I loved the relaxed nature of the photo so thought it would make a great tutorial for us all. This really is in the advanced category and is over 2 hours long so give yourself plenty of time, and take several breaks as you go along. You'll really enjoy the end result though. Happy painting.

This is a fun little project to try a few times to practice some of our core skills. It's a quirky photo of two ladies stuck in an unfamiliar city, looking at their maps, trying to figure out where they're going, and I think it's something that's just fun to do. Happy painting.

This is a fantastic painting for our advanced (or daring) students, this is "contemplation". We use a lot of wet into wet here and its a long one at 2 hours and 15 mins so get comfy maybe with a glass of wine or a beer and enjoy this fantastic tutorial. The result is well and truly worth it.

This week were painting a subject we’ve painted before, but from a different photo and using just two main washes to try and create a vibrant painting you’ll be proud of. This is a great piece for all levels and at just over an hour long its one you can practice a few times.

This is a great piece for all abilities. “Sunny girl” was taken near Kew Gardens in London a few years ago and is a great way to hone your watercolour skills, especially maintaining a lovely warm but bright highlight on our main subject as well as soft backgrounds that hint at the setting without doing every tiny detail. Enjoy…

This is a fantastic beginner/intermediate piece. Its based on a photograph from San Francisco a few years back that I caught sort of by accident, its a woman walking her dog and i immediately loved the pose she was in. Rather than being pulled along by the dog she was in compete control and mid stride which gives quite a serene feel. I’d love to see a few of your own dogs instead of the drawing for our more experienced painters. That’s if you’re up to the challenge?

Welcome to my 75th tutorial. This is a big one and has been requested by members many times, so here we go... This is "The yellow parasols", a bright and vibrant painting you'll be proud to hang in your home. We use all our normal techniques and the final result is incredible. It’s an advanced tutorial, over 2 hours long, so get comfy and break it down into manageable stages. You'll really enjoy this one.

This is great for beginners and above. It’s a common scene we see today; “Texting in the sun”. She’s sat reading her phone, as we all do, so I thought it was just an interesting shot of everyday modern life. This one’s nice and quick at just over an hour so you can try it a few times to see how much you can improve each time.

This week we are undertaking a more advanced tutorial, this is ‘Late Sunday afternoon’ and is just over 2 hours so its not for the feint of heart. But the result is an incredible painting with sharp chromes in our ice bucket and lovely soft sunlight on our main subject. You’ll really enjoy this…

Today we’re painting this charming scene of two boys fishing in the rock pools of Tenerife. It’s a lovely beginner tutorial for all levels to have go at and produces really fantastic results in just over an hour. I’m sure you’ll love this one…

This week we’re painting ‘Girls take a break’ a photo taken in sunny Tenerife. This is a nice intermediate piece that can be tried by all. We’re using a nice three colour wash to start and moving to six colours for our sharper detailed washes. It’s a great painting to really practice leaving those crisp brighter areas and then choosing which ones you want to soften. Give it a go and enjoy…

We have a real challenge this week, this is one of our more advanced pieces called 'The sleeping Cat'. It's a beautiful image and I've added a cat in the drawing as it just fits so well in the scene. Lots of wet onto dry and those highlights are all important here, a fantastic result and well worth the time, have fun...

Today we’re painting “San Francisco Lady” and this painting “has colours run like watercolour in the rain” as the great Al Stewart once sang in 'Year of the cat’. This is fantastic for creating fast paced soft blending using colours to create the effect her dress. We use the reflective tones to create a soft fabric feel in the bright sunlight. This is an intermediate piece and most of all its a fun one…

This piece is a great exercise in learning to add colour to a black and white photo. You don't have to stick to my colours here, have some fun with this fun painting. Try to stay loose and get nice and expressive here, I can't wait to see your submissions for this one.

Welcome to “Cattle Drive”, it’s one that people have asked for a lot and it looks even better in real life. We’ve lots of wet brush work to create a dusty feel and we keep this really loose, we’re not counting legs, we want more of a feel of movement and action. Give this one a go, you won’t regret it…

Today we’re painting something a little different, we don’t have any people in this one. We’re painting ‘Boat and Tractor’ and this is a challenge to keep the colours vibrant. Try to keep moving with your brush and grabbing colours, don’t get too hung up on following every colour I use, this is about blending colours on the paper to make the desired effect. If you want to take it a little slower you can play the video at half speed if you need.

We're back in New York and this time we're out for a walk painting "New York Walk". This is great for refining details on people. We use the normal six colours to create a soft background with some detail and then focus on our figure. It's great to hone your detail work on figures themselves. Happy painting.

Todays tutorial is this fantastic Hot Rod. This is an advanced piece and it's not for the feint hearted. We are going to use softening to create the shining chrome effect and I've changed the background to something that’s a little nicer on the eye. Feel free to change it to your own, maybe the desert or perhaps someone will put it on the famous route 66?

Today we’re painting something a little different and fun. My horses (Tutorial #56) were so popular we thought we'd give you another animal to try. This time its called “Swanning around”, a picture of a swan taken in the Lake District (UK) and there’s a reflection to deal with so its definitely an intermediate piece. But don’t be afraid to give it a go! Happy painting …

Welcome back everyone, I thought that now all the new year festivities are over we’d get back to painting something more down to earth and this one is a nice quick one to get the creative juices flowing and it’s only just over 1 hour. We are painting ‘Two in a Canoe’, a great exercise in reflections in water, keeping the shadow areas light enough, whilst staying clearly shadows and it’s and intermediate painting. It’s a really enjoyable one and you’ll love the finished effect.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! This weeks tutorial is based on this incredible photo of New York. It's the Statue of Liberty with a beautiful boat in the foreground.  I love the water in this and we use a new technique with our ruler to create a detailed rigging effect on our boat to draw the eye. I know you'll all love this one !

Merry Christmas everyone ! This week we're painting 'It's Snow Fun' a fantastic winter image. I've turned to the dark side and used some masking fluid (I know, I know) but its really the best way to create that fluffy snow texture as it gets thrown into the air. We then soften things down a little with a damp brush to create those lost edges. Enjoy this during some downtime over Christmas.

I'm home ! We're back in Blackpool, Britains most famous seaside town and we are painting this stunning tram scene which is a daily sight here. The iconic Blackpool tower fills the skyline behind and we will use lots of wet into wet adding some lovely detail in our tram lines. We will have lots of fun with this one.

This week we’re painting this fantastic 'street busker'. It’s a great painting to understand shadows, the hat he’s wearing creates a great shadow straight across the face and allows us to show the features of his face in both light and shadow using warm and cool shades to bring forward the subject matter where needed. You’ll love this one.

This fantastic picture of a girl riding a bike is todays tutorial. It has a great shadow cast onto the pavement where we will use some lovely darks to create a deep yet colourful shadow. There’s some lovely fine detail to do on the bike and we have to keep some areas sharp using our dry brush techniques and some softer using wet into wet. This is a gorgeous painting to hang on any wall, I know you’ll love doing this one.

Today we’re painting “Blue boat”, this is a boat with lovely reflections, sat on a bed of sand in a natural marina. It’s a great way to practice getting colours right for reflections and shadows along with a little bit of detail. Its great for all levels so grab your brushes and enjoy.

Today we’re painting “Just Looking”, I took this photo early morning and love how the man is just standing, gazing into the water. There’s a great opportunity here to use deep background shades to make the main subject ‘pop’ off the page. Grab your brushes and enjoy.

Today we’re painting “The Long Shadows”, this is one of my favourite things to do, big long shadows cast from direct sunlight, and two detailed figures walking with a soft out of focus pavement behind them. This is so much fun because you can hang this painting in any direction, you’ll see what I mean at the end, but before you sign it, decide which way up you are going to have it. Enjoy!

This week you’re painting one of grahams most requested paintings. We’re painting a horse and Carriage, mid ride in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. This is Grahams longest tutorial so make sure you’re comfy if you’re going to do this in one sitting. It’s a great way to use light and shadow to create shapes that jump off the paper. Colourful, beautiful and interesting, this is a great way to hone the skills we’ve learnt to create your very own masterpiece.

Today we’re in London with something that feels a little alien to us all right now. It’s a photo of a man sat outside a cafe relaxing. We’ve got some great use of lights and darks to create shadows around his bag and under the table as well as preserving all the highlights using the white of the paper where it's needed. Hopefully this will become the norm again so, enjoy…

Yeehaw, this week were painting one of my favourites. It’s a rodeo scene of a cowboy riding a bull. This is a really exciting subject as we have to create the effect of dust and movement in the foreground whilst keeping our focus on the bull and cowboy. Were using our pallet of three to start and moving on to all six colours for the detail, you’re gonna love this one…

Today we're in the world famous Liverpool. This is a photo of my own with great shadows to really show perspective in the painting. It’s two people ‘walking and talking’ in everyday life, a typical everyday scene that could be from anywhere in the world. We are going to use three colours for our initial wash, and then six colours for our detail. You’ll really enjoy this one!"

Today we’re back in the pub. This is a photo I took many years ago in Kew, London and is one I love painting because of the intense light coming through the windows and reflecting on the tables. We’ve got several people in the shot and they add some interest and detail, but were trying to catch the atmosphere and overall feeling of the traditional British Pub. Enjoy !"

We are going to Spain... This week we have a more in depth tutorial that focuses on two women sat on a wall looking out to sea. It's a great exercise in using wet in wet technique as we need a nice blurred background from which we can build detail into the main focus which is the two women discussing "Whats out there?"

This week we're having a little fun. This is a composition of my own with a woman, hands on hips, looking on with disdain at a little dog spraying her luggage. It's a light hearted but great beginner/intermediate tutorial for you all to have some fun with. The reference image doesn't have a dog in it but I thought adding it made it a better composition, plus you get the chance to choose your own dog, search for one on google, or use the one in the reference drawing. I'd love to see a few different types of dogs in the gallery so go crazy and indulge yourself.

Welcome to Tenerife, This week we're painting from a photo I took of three men going out on a boat for a days fishing. It's a scene you see a lot in the small fishing ports and is great fun for all levels of artist. We use the three base colours for our under wash and move to all six for our more detailed work. This is a great painting and I hope you really enjoy it.

Bonjour, we're in France. A typical small cafe, to be specific, with a couple sitting enjoying a drink. This is a great painting for all levels and we've had some long tutorials recently so this is nice change of pace running a little shorter at just over an hour. It's a great use of colours in the shadows and washes then using precision to create the pavement and the shutter effects. I hope you really enjoy it.

We're in Charleston, South Carolina, and we're outside the famous Poogans Smokehouse. This is a challenging and in depth painting that creates a wonderful finished painting worthy of anyones wall. I've broken it down in to several sections and we will work through it logically, Don't worry about counting those bricks in the background, I'll show you a great way to create the brick effect. It's a really fun painting that you'll really enjoy.

This week we're in France. This is a photo of my wife Pauline gardening on a trip to France a couple of years ago. This presents some challenges, it has some fantastic colours throughout, but we have to keep the painting balanced to create realism. It's a really fun painting to follow along with. We will use three colours initially and then progress to using all six to add details throughout, there's no blurred backgrounds, which means lots of detail, but I know you'll really enjoy this one.

This could be anywhere in the world, it's a painting of a couple holding hands walking down a promenade next to a beautiful blue and green sea. We use lots of colours in our shadows, whilst retaining the highlights using the white of the paper. Our background wash creates a grounding for our subjects feet, through the use of the sunlight casting shadows, and the lovely blurred background is created using wet in wet technique. It's a really fun painting that you'll really enjoy.

This painting is a little different. We have two people, two trees, two pigeons, it's two in Tenerife. An advanced tutorial for those who really want to get stuck into using multiple washes using our base three colours and then using all six colours to create a deeper more detailed tone for our subjects. We break this down into multiple sections to create a methodical approach to the painting. Enjoy.