Sunil Art Studio, Larnaca (2026)

04/09/2026

Part three of the large painting with kids project.
We did not quite finish before school started. That was the plan — it did not work out. And that is fine. The painting is teaching us the same thing it always does. You make a plan, things shift, you carry on anyway.

Four steps. Every painting, every subject, every size. Drawing, first wash, second wash, highlights. It does not matter if it is a postcard or one and a half metres of paper we cut on a kitchen table. The process stays the same.

First wash is done. Now I am working on the roof, building the second wash, and starting to think about where the shadows want to sit.
There may be a part four. Maybe part five. We will finish it — just not quite on the schedule we planned.

The kids are back at school. Their signatures are still waiting at the bottom of the painting.

If you have been watching this series and you are not on my newsletter yet, come and join. Every week I share tips, tutorials, and what is going on in the studio. Link in bio.

And my Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course is live now. Both links in bio.

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04/09/2026

🎨Exciting news for local artists!

I’m thrilled to be leading a brand-new 10-week Watercolor Course at Cambridge Art Makers in Linton, starting Monday, September 23rd!
Whether you're looking to build confidence with the fundamentals or elevate your painting skills, this course is designed to take you step-by-step through:

✨ Essential techniques, materials, and avoiding common mistakes
✨ Capturing dynamic landscapes, skies, and outdoor elements
✨ Mastering water, reflections, and boats
✨ Painting vibrant, atmospheric cityscapes

Every 3-hour session (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM) will be tailored to the group's strengths so you get personal guidance and practical tips every week.
📍 Where: Cambridge Art Makers, Linton
🗓️ When: Starts September 23rd (Mondays, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
⏳ Duration: 10 Weeks
A few spots are still available! If you're in or around Cambridge, I’d love to have you in class.

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03/09/2026

A sheep is just two spheres and a tapered rectangle with oval nostrils.

Once you see it that way, everything falls into place.

Start with the head — a simple tapered rectangle. The nostrils are two small ovals, and from there the upper lip and lower lip follow naturally. Tilt the rectangle and you change the whole mood of the animal. Four different head positions, four completely different sheep.

Then the body. Two spheres, one behind the other. Shift the back sphere to the left or right and you get a different view every time — straight on, three quarter, side profile. That is all it takes.

For the painting I kept it to three tones. Single tone first across the whole body, light source coming from the left. Second tone builds the form. Third tone — the darkest — goes right into the nostrils and lips where the shadow is deepest.

Then the background. A deep dark green pushed right up against the sheep. That contrast is what makes the white fleece glow. You are not painting the white — you are painting everything around it.
Give it a try and drop your sheep in the comments.
If you want more tutorials like this straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter — link in bio.

And if you want to take your watercolour further, my Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course is live now. Link in bio.

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02/09/2026

Part two of the summer project - large painting with kids.
Last time we got the paper ready — cut, flattened, sorted. This time we stuck it onto a makeshift foldable table and actually started painting.
First thing I showed the boys was the horizon line and the vanishing point. The two ideas that make a flat drawing feel like a real place. Simple concepts but once you see them you cannot unsee them. That is the kind of thing I want them to carry with them — not just for painting, for how they look at the world.

I paint every painting in four steps. Drawing, first wash, second wash, highlights. We are on step two. The first wash is on and the painting is already starting to say something.

Part three is coming — that is where it all comes together.

If you haven't already sign up for my newsletter where I share my week and you will hear first about any new tutorials — link in bio.

And if this kind of structured approach to watercolour is something you want to learn properly, my Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course is live now. Also in bio.

31/08/2026

Six brush strokes. That is all a rose takes.

Not petal by petal. Not careful and complicated. Just six marks, placed in the right spots, and the eye does the rest.

The whole thing works in three tones. Light in the centre — and that is where you lift the colour, not add it. Then the mid tones build the shape. Then the darks push the petals forward.

Once you have the blueprint, you have every rose. Change the angle of the strokes and you get a different flower every time. Change the colours and it becomes something else entirely. Same six marks, infinite variations.

Give it a try. You will be surprised how good it looks.
Drop your rose in the comments — I want to see what you paint.
My Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course is live now. Link in bio.

30/08/2026

I am a watercolour artist.
But before that, I am a dad.
And being a dad is the one thing I would never trade. Not for any painting, not for any course, not for anything.
So just before we went on holiday, we cut three large sheets of watercolour paper and rolled them out on the kitchen table.
Then we slid them under the carpet.

Not sure if there is a better way( comment if you have a better idea) You let the weight of the floor do the work while you are away.
We left them there for three weeks. Four countries. An amazing holiday.

And when we came back, the paper was flat and ready.
Now school starts in a few days. So we have one last push to finish what we started. All of us, together, at the kitchen table.

I spend a lot of time trying to give my kids a bigger perspective. Not to be afraid of big things. Not to be afraid of failing. To try anyway, even when you do not know how it ends.

The whole point of this project was never the painting. It was getting them to feel like artists. Not worried about making a mess, not worried about doing it wrong. Just big paper, big brushes, big ideas.

Kids have no fear about scale. They will paint straight across a metre of paper without hesitating. That is something most adults have to relearn.

Painting is a good teacher, you don't get what you expected but you do it anyway and the lesson is to complete it and do more of it.

And you know what they are most excited about?
Signing the painting when it is finished.
Their name. Next to mine.
That is it. That is all they want.
And honestly — that might be the best thing anyone has ever wanted from one of my paintings.

29/08/2026

A duck beak is a wedge. Wider at the base, tapering to a point. Once you see that, you can draw it.

Here is something you might not expect — a duck beak and a human foot follow almost exactly the same shape. Learn one and you are halfway to understanding the other. That is the kind of connection that makes drawing click.

In this reel I walk through the whole thing. How to construct the beak, where the eye sits, how the placement of those two things alone tells you what kind of bird you are looking at. Get those right and the duck reads instantly.

For the painting I kept it simple. Light source on the right, a sliver of white saved on the beak and head. Then the background goes dark to make that white sing. Watercolour does that better than any other medium — you do not paint the light, you protect it.

Give it a try and show me what you paint in the comments.

And if you want to take your watercolour painting further — my Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course is live now. Link in bio.

27/08/2026

Why I prefer calligraphy brushes over Western watercolor brushes 👇
In my opinion, calligraphy brushes offer the best of both worlds — water capacity + incredible control.

Many have a combination of soft, absorbent hairs and firmer hairs, giving you everything from broad washes and fine lines to expressive dry-brush textures.

With one brush, you can create different marks simply by changing the pressure, angle and moisture. Fewer brushes, more possibilities — and a much more expressive way to paint.

🎨 My Beginner Cityscape Course is now LIVE!
If you want to learn how to paint cityscapes step-by-step, check out the link in my bio.

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26/08/2026

Haji Lane, Singapore. A short stop, but it got under my skin.
The colours, the light, the pace of the place — everything moves fast but somehow still feels considered. Spotless streets, warm air, buildings that look like someone actually thought about how they'd sit next to each other. As a painter you're standing there trying to decide where to even start.

I only had a brief time there and managed a couple of sketches around Haji Street. Not nearly enough. This is a place I need to come back to with more time and a full sketchbook.

If places like this are what draw you to painting cities, my Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course is live now. Link in bio.

25/08/2026

Back in the UK after an amazing holiday, still plenty of sketchbooks will be shared in the coming days.

I wanted to get back to my mini tutorial which is getting a good response.

How do you draw and paint the easiest 3/4th car??

Three reference lines(adjust and play to get totally different cars). Lets
Draw it first, then paint it. That is the whole idea behind this reel — if you can hold a pencil, you can do this.

Three lines, a three-quarter view, nothing complicated. The kind of thing you could sketch on a napkin. The second half is the watercolour going on top — loose, fast, the paint doing what watercolour does best.

This is exactly how I teach in my Watercolour Cityscapes for Beginners course. Start with the logic, then let the medium breathe. Full course link in bio.

Sunil Art Studio

04/09/2026

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