It's magic!

So Christmas fast approaches, and although for some it can trigger painful memories for most of us this time of anticipation does feel magical. This year has been like no other, and if like us you are contemplating a slimmed down Christmas, I do hope that it can also be a happy one. 

Gosh we need to feel some joy , and more than anything else some hope. We owe it to ourselves to enjoy a bit of magic. 

I like to get outside as much as I can , it can be uplifting to see the sun, see the leaves in all their colours, and enjoy the fresh air, but even I struggle on days like yesterday when it just wouldn't stop raining. However on good days I am treated to views like this in the afternoon as the sun disappears

 

.

 

As well as finding magic outside, I also think ( you won't be surprised to hear) that watercolours are magic. I often wish I could frame my palette when it does things like this.

 

Or I could freeze a perfect sphere of water on my paper.

But today I thought I would show you again how to make magic with Indigo and salt.

I dragged an old painting of a hare that had been consigned to the reject pile to show you what I mean.

Well it was this painting's time to shine.

So first I found my painting 

Then I used some masking tape to tape it to my board and crop the image a bit.

 

Next I used some masking fluid to define the whiskers on the right of the face.

Then I got  5p piece and drew around it on some masking tape.

To be my Christmas moon. 

Now the fun can begin, I get plenty of indigo mixed up. and slosh it all around the hare.

You can see I have removed his left ear....and now sprinkle liberally with table salt from a height

.

Pretend you are a top chef! But really you are a  magician as when you leave it just look what happens...you can't say watercolours aren't magic now can you?

Sometimes it works better than others , it depends on how wet the paint is and how much salt you use, less can be more.

 

Have fun, 

Now I add some finishing touches, I do up his eye, add some more splashes, take some away with my spray bottle 

Maybe add to the moon and add some white acrylic for more movement.

Keep standing back and seeing what it needs

Finally when you let it dry and rub off all the salt, you can wonder at the magic of it all.

I had a bit of fun with filters on the Blog image just because it's Christmas.

I do hope your preparations are going well, that you can decide what is best for you and your loved ones and that most of all we can be kind to each other.

This has been a tough year , we all need a bit of magic now and again x