Welcome

t’s always uplifting to see the first signs of spring in the garden, woods and hedgerow. It feels early this year, but my garden is awash with daffodils as well as crocuses and are already finding their way into posy vases for the house. So, it’s a great pleasure for me to include spring flower projects in this issue, the first of which is produced by watercolourist and flower painter, Julie King (pages 14-19). In part one of her two-part painting project from a photograph, Julie is generous with the wide range of approaches, ideas and techniques she offers for painting one of her favourite flowers. This gives you the choice of how you may want to tackle your interpretation of the photograph and, although she will be producing the finished painting in watercolour in next month’s issue, you are encouraged to draw and paint this in your preferred medium and style. We love to see – and show on PaintersOnline – your finished paintings from the projects so please don’t forget to send a jpg image to along with a few lines on how you found painting from the photograph of the camellia. Let’s see those lovely spring colours back in action! And, of course, don’t forget to send your finished paintings from Andy Walker’s evocative Spanish landscape project, too (pages 21-23).