I’ve left it so long that I’ve forgotten how to paint; my neglected paintbrushes stare accusingly at me and I fear my paints will putrefy.

To remedy this I searched for a simple painting exercise and Google did not disappoint.  I chose a negative painting technique to try and capture something of the beautiful autumnal leaves before they disappear.

It was a surprise to find how much I enjoyed this technique, pushing the paint around without caring about the end result…it’s purely an exercise  It is one that I’ll use in future.

A bonus was that it also gave my brain an unexpected (much needed) workout.

My talented friend Carol King did some much softer, prettier versions, which I wish I’d found before I started mine.

• Select three transparent colours and paint a light background wash using one or all.
• It is important to allow each layer to dry completely.
• When dry, draw some outline shapes of leaves (or whatever).  Then, in the negative spaces only, paint another wash, preferably in a darker tone.
• Allow to dry completely.  The idea is to suggest shapes by painting around them.
• Into these darker negative spaces, draw in additional shapes and continue with another wash into the negative spaces.
• Continue building up these layers until you ae satisfied with the picture.
• Try not to overwork it by losing some edges, softening with a water spray and facing towards the edges of the paper.
• For better definition I refined the shapes with pastels and ink.

You are very welcome.