Just released and only two double spots left!

TOUR 2012

"Portrait of Europe  -

An Artist's Mediterranean Odyssey 2012"

~~~ A spectacular 29 day sight-seeing, painting, photography, wine appreciation and European cuisine tour! ~~~

Join Susan and Richard for a superb tour of their favourite haunts of Europe. A unique tour focused on sight-seeing, painting, photography, wine appreciation and European Cuisine.

Have you always wanted to visit Europe or return to some of the most incredible destinations Europe has to offer in a leisurely paced taylor-made tour?

But don't want to travel on your own?

Would you like to travel with a small group of like-minded people and in the security of a very  experienced tour guides who can take care of everything for you?

(Click on the image of the brochure to read the full itinerary. The brochure may take a short while to download as the beautiful image file is large.)

Join Susan and Richard with their small group for a magical, leisurely-paced tour to magnificent destinations. This is a tour with a difference. Specializing in unique tours, Susan and Richard have personally created an itinerary offering a trip of a life-time. Focussed on sight-seeing, there are also many opportunities if you have always wanted to try your hand at painting. Imagine sitting painting in an ancient European village cobbled street, or amongst the wild-flowers and summer grasses in a meadow below the Swiss Alps - cows with bells and snow capped mountains and chalets hugging the hillside. With waterfalls and the aroma of summer/autumn captured in every stroke - this is a tour that will take your breath away with the spectacular experiences we have in store for you. You may be an experienced artist - Susan will be there for you all - guiding you every step of the way.

Your passion may be photography. Where better than on a unique European tour to learn how to get the most out of your digital camera! Richard will be there to offer you his expertise as well as two workshops on how to take magnificent shots of the stunning scenery, markets, people, birds and all nature has to offer.

Richard will also conduct two wine appreciation evenings where he will share his vast knowledge and many magnificent European wines for you to explore.

While in Bellagio, Lake Como we will visit star chef Luigi Gandola's famous restaurant. We have a cook school booked for you which begins with a visit to Luigi's Mamma's vegetable and herb garden. Then it is back to the restaurant to try our hand at Italian cooking with Luigi's expert guidance. How idyllic! The icing on the cake of course is that evening we get to eat the foods in a banquet of fine food and wine! This evening will be the second of Richard's wine appreciation evenings.

Have you longed to cruise in a five star cruise liner along the French and Italian Rivieras? The quality of the cruise we have chosen and the fantastic destinations are outstanding and allow us to visit numerous places including Portofino, Cinque Terre, Florence, Amalfi, Sorrento, Capri, Taormina, Rome - amongst others in a leisurely cruise where there is time to soak up the flavour of each destination.

This is only a very small sample of the long list of magical destinations and excursions we have planned for this unique land and cruise tour - our 2012 "Portrait of Europe Tour'

Click on the image for the full itinerary. The brochure may take a short while to download as the beautiful image file is large. Feel free to contact Susan and Richard using their contact form if you have any queries.

This tour has only just been released. Already we see the tour is almost full. We hope you can join us for this trip of a life-time!

'South Island Tomtit' Watercolor on 300 gsm Arches Hot Pressed paper size: 16" x 10", 410 mm x 255 mm © Susan Harrison-Tustain		'Stewart Island Robin' Watercolor on 300 gsm Arches Hot Pressed paper size: 12" x 7 1/2", 300 mm x 190 mm © Susan Harrison-Tustain

Stewart Island, New Zealand has a well deserved pristine, clean, green reputation. Stunningly beautiful this land feels almost prehistoric and it is not hard to imagine this is what most of New Zealand must have been like before man arrived. Almost predator-free this place has a mystical atmosphere. The bird song and wild-life as well as the native forest, Manuka scrub and wilderness is awe inspiring. An artist's mecca. It is here that I studied many of our native species including the South Island Tomtit and the Stewart Island Robin that will feature in my 2011 Recollection exhibition.

The South Island Tomtit flittered from branch to branch in a native forest area that was covered by a dense canopy of tree tops - shading the undergrowth from sunlight. A stream trickled beside the track and the almost luminous green moss covered everything in sight. Quite beautiful and almost surreal - this place was a heaven for bird-life.

Preview of the framed paintings:

We were also befriended by a gregarious Stewart Island Robin. He was our 'shadow' for about one kilometre of our tramping day. When we stopped - he stopped. He would sit nearby as I sketched - daring to draw closer and closer. My shoe lace was his ultimate target and as he tugged at it and then darted back into his perceived 'safe zone' - I was able to make quick sketches and notes for the study you see here.

My painting technique for feathers begins with underwashes of local color. I then use a dry- brush watercolor method. This is ideal for capturing the texture of feathers in watercolor. Layers of watercolor drybrush emulate the natural layering - and careful color selection and mixing help to create the feeling the viewer can reach into the painting and touch the feathers.

When painting bird studies I like to observe closely the pattern on the feathers, how they lay - one on top of the other as they protect and also repel rain. They way the texture of the feathers differs between the ruffled soft downy feathers in one area and the stronger more stiff feathers in another is always fun to observe and portray. I also note the amazing color patterns on each feather. The challenge is not to simply depict the bird - but it is to portray it's character within the paint layers. I hope you can feel something of the nature of each of these beautiful creatures.

Feel free to contact me via my contact form if you have any queries.

~~~~~

Learn about my Watercolor Painting Technique in my Watercolor DVDs.

Learn about how to paint in my Free Art Lessons.

"Kaitiaki"
Mixed Media on Flax Paper
350 mm x 440 m
13 1/4" x 17 1/4"
© Susan Harrison-Tustain

A chance meeting lead me to create this painting. I met Wallace Aramoana while I was visiting Ohiwa Harbour, near Ohope Beach, New Zealand. This is a man whose impact on his community, land and the youth of the area is legendary in that corner of NZ. My painting of Wallace was created on flax paper. I wanted it to capture his connection to the land. I wanted this to be a tribute to this man of the land and a man of his people. The New Zealander. Wallace believes this land is for everyone. Meeting this Maori elder was a life-changing experience for me. I wanted to title the painting "The Orator", but his reply was "No - that would be about me - I would like it to be about all of my people - 'Kaitiaki ' (translates to Caretakers of the land. )

How perfect that title is. It also relays the respect and admiration I have for this man. To paint him is an honor for me.

Click here to visit my painting exhibition page where you can find details on the exhibition including a sneak preview of some of my exhibition oil and watercolor paintings.

Feel free to contact me via my contact form if you have any queries.

~~~~~

Learn about my Watercolor Painting Technique in my Watercolor DVDs.

Learn about how to paint in my Free Art Lessons.

Part II of my Colour Lesson about creating a glowing red  is posted here.

I had so much fun creating this Red Parrot Tulip and while developing these glowing red washes, it occurred to me that I should share this information with you all. Red is a notoriously difficult color to portray – unless you know what I am about to tell you.

This is not a step by step guide of how to paint this subject. What I want to highlight are a number of points relating to painting a glorious glowing red using this study as an example.

For those who missed it - here is the link to Part I or go directly to this link for Part II

In these lessons you will find info about warm and cool colours, shadow color, color temperature, creating glowing reds, yellow underwash ...

This Parrot Tulip study will be an ongoing tutorial where I will teach you many of the invaluable lessons that will help you create form with red – no matter which medium you choose.

In my Art Lessons section you will find more helpful articles.

If you want to learn more about Watercolor Painting and Watercolor Technique check out my Watercolor DVDs.

Happy Painting

Susan

Pear on wood - watercolor painting
© Susan Harrison-Tustain

Demystifying Warm and Cool (Color Temperature)

Warm and cool is a vast subject but I have a great, simple way of teaching it:

Anything with red or yellow is basically warm. Anything with blue is basically cool.

But within the red  spectrum there are warmer or cooler reds. Just as there are warmer and cooler yellows within the yellow spectrum and it is the same for blue.

Take a look at a colour wheel. Look at a tomato red - this is a red that is leaning toward the yellow section. This is the warmest of reds. Then compare that to a red such as Alizarin Crimson. Alizarin Crimson is leaning toward the blue section. Purples are even more cool because they have more blue in them of course. You can see these 'reds' are more blue than the tomatoe red. So naturally Alizarin Crimson is a cooler red.  So now you can understand what I mean when I say "we have warm and cool within each colour section."

So naturally you can determine where - within each colour section - they fall by taking note how warm or cool they are in relation to the others either side of them.

That is what it is all about. Determining how warm or cool a color is, is about looking at it "In relation" to what else is around it. It is the same for all colour groups. Blue is thought of as being cold. Yes - it is cold when it is put up against red. But within the blue section there are warm and cool blues. The warm blues would be leaning toward red. A good example of a warm blue is Ultramarine Blue Finest.

Naturally the cool blues will be furthermost away from red. So use your colour wheel to help you determine where your colours are and whether they are warm or cool in relation to the colours you are using in your painting as well as on the colors on the color wheel.

The colour temperature of each colour you use on your painting
will be compared to the colour next to it.

Take yellow for instance: Aureolin is a cool yellow because it has a touch of blue in it. This cools it down. Compare that yellow to Indian Yellow which has some red in it. Indian Yellow is a warm yellow. So you could create a painting that is totally yellow. There will be warm and cool passages within it if you use a variation of yellows or mixes of yellows. But you can still create the impression of form because you can use warm and cool yellows to help you mould shape and substance.

The overall feeling/mood/colour temperature of the painting will be warm because you are using yellow (which gives the impression of warmth when we look at it). But you would describe your shapes and also focal planes by placing warm and cool yellows next to each other. Or if you need to give the impression of a gradual roll on a ball or petal for example - you would graduate the colours beginning with warm or cool and then as the subject rolls away into the background for instance, you would then gradually introduce a yellow of the opposite color temperature.

This is how you create form. Naturally you could also mix a tiny touch of blue or red with your yellows to alter them - but still allow the yellow colour to be dominant. This will also alter the colour temperature as you would expect. Warm your Indian yellow even further by adding a tiny touch of red. Cool another yellow down by adding a tiny touch of blue. You will see what I mean when you experiment.

It is generally true to say 'shadows are warm and sunlight is cool' when affected by natural (outside) light.  Generally when painting something affected by the natural light (outside or inside) - you would use warm colours to describe shadows. Make the shadows dance with warm transparent darks and throw in a little splash of red or orange - it makes the shadow look alive.

Conversely anything that is affected by the sky (which is generally blue - or a cool colour) - these things are cool. So the sunlit highlights are cool and the shadows are warm when outside or affected by natural light.

Inside lighting often creates a warm highlight and a cool shadow.

A good exercise is to paint a ball using warm and cool yellows. You will see how it automatically gives you form.

I hope that helps.

It is not an easy subject to grasp - but I find that once my workshop students understand there are warm and cool colours within each main colour - they can then see what I mean by looking at a colour wheel. It is a great idea to make a colour wheel of your own palette.

Learn more about my Watercolor Painting Technique in my Watercolor DVDs.

Learn more about how to paint in my Free Art Lessons.

'Innocence'
Watercolor Rose Painting
© Susan Harrison-Tustain

Watercolor is a fantastic medium because it can be used to create any subject at all. I love that is immediate, clean to use and my brushes wash in water. But most of all I love the expressiveness of watercolor.

So how to paint with watercolor? Where to begin? I begin using my Priming Method to create a yellow underwash. This is like a map of my painting. Imagine a black and white photograph but instead of black white and grey - I use yellow.

Yellow gives me substance and glowing hues.

I then use my other colors and color mixes to create luminous transparent hues with the methods and painting techniques described in my previous post: my Priming Method, wet in wet, wet on dry and drybrush. I also use a new method I have recently created which I call blushing. Once again you can see these methods in action in my DVDs and you can also read about them in the free watercolor lessons on my website.

Fine tuning is always left to very last. This is the icing on the cake. This is where I pull a painting together, soften edges, adjust hues, saturation, tonal value and describe my finest details. I love this stage and it is this final stage that gives a painting life.

Take a look at my Rose painting 'Innocence'. This watercolor painting was created using all of the methods I have mentioned above but it also has a great deal of fine tuning which gives a true sense of reality.

Painting in watercolor is no where near as difficult as we first imagine. Once you have given it some time and learned my methods and painting technique you will find painting in watercolor is very fulfilling and rewarding.

Learn more about my Watercolor Painting Techniques and How to paint with watercolors in my Watercolor DVDs.

"New Zealand Takahe"
Size: 12"x14" - 305 mm x 355 mm
Watercolor on Arches hot pressed 140 lbs (300 gsm) watercolor paper
© Susan Harrison-Tustain

Our son Glen is a scientist with Dept of Conservation in Te Anau. He is in charge of the Burwood Bush breeding unit which is used to hatch and rear this very endangered native New Zealand species of  bird - the Takahe.

This bird was once thought to be extinct but in 1948 there was a small number discovered in the Murcheson Mountains near Te Anau, South Island New Zealand. Since then DOC have managed to increase the population to around 280 birds. This is the entire population of these birds so Glen and his team are dedicated to increasing the number of this bird which has the most incredibly beautiful blue and green plumage. It was a privilege to be able to sit and paint, study and sketch these amazing creatures that were on the brink of extinction.

Please click to visit the Exhibiton page and see more
sneak previews of Susan's latest work

Article in "The Weekend Sun"

There is a new article displayed on my Publications/Press page. Please click on the image to go the Publications Page.

Learn more about my Watercolor Painting Technique.

"The Lighthouse"
420 mm x 600 mm - 16 1/2" x 23 1/2"
Oil on Museum grade Marine Ply
© Susan Harrison-Tustain

Richard and I were mesmerized by Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon USA. It is a hotel for book lovers.

Each room has a theme based on an author. I think our room was the Tennessee Williams room. It overlooked the quiet and expansive beach.

But most excitingly it looked out to the lighthouse in the far distance. Sitting on the edge of the bed as the sun came up and I knew I had to capture the feeling of looking out through the half opened window. The condensation and slightly torn lace curtains created an up close and personal feeling while the beach and faraway land spit with the light house on the point, really beckoned me and pulled my attention out of the room and across the water. I want the viewers of this piece to feel as if they are there in that room, feeling compelled and awed by the magnetism of looking out to that beautiful and serene view.

Please click to visit the Exhibiton page and see more
sneak previews of Susan's latest work