Watercolour In London
In this feature of Hahnemühle's Artist's Corner, we sit down with watercolour artist Charlotte Jenkins to explore how the city of London continually shapes and inspires her work. Charlotte shares her creative process and tells us why the Hahnemühle A4 Portrait Watercolour Pad has become her paper of choice.
Tell us about your recent piece of the Churchill Arms. What drew you to that scene?
"I absolutely love illustrating buildings that are full of florals and foliage, so the Churchill Arms was a perfect subject to paint. I've visited the pub before on one of my trips to London, and it's definitely one of those places that really sticks in your mind because of how colourful and full of character it is. As soon as i saw it, I knew it was somewhere I'd love to paint one day."
"One of my favourite things is when clients ask me to add extra flowers, foliage or colour into their illustrations, so this was exactly the kind of piece i love to paint."
You created this piece in the Hahnemühle A4 Watercolour Portrait Book. How did the paper affect the way the piece came together?
"The paper was lovely to work on and felt really nice quality, with the colours staying vibrant throughout the painting process. The texture and appearance of the paper also suited my style perfectly."
"I'd actually never used an A4 watercolour book before. Usually, I stick to smaller watercolour books when travelling and individual sheets of watercolour paper for my larger pieces, which often means i end up with bits and bobs from different projects everywhere! I loved having the opportunity to test out some larger, more detailed watercolour pieces in a book format and having one place to keep them all together."
What is it about this particular paper that suits your watercolour style?
"I tend to prefer watercolour paper with a more subtle texture, as i find heavily textured papers can sometimes change the appearance of my illustrations, particularly when i photograph or scan them. This paper had just the right amount of texture for my style while still allowing me to capture the finer details that i like to include in my work."
How do you find creating art in the city? Does it shape your work or process?
"I'm actually based further north in the countryside, but I absolutely love visiting the city (especially at Christmas!). There's always something interesting to see and paint, whether it's a colourful pub covered in flowers like the Churchill Arms, a beautiful shopfront, or a collection of little details to fill my watercolour book"
"I think it's the combination of different architecture, colour and character that makes London so inspiring to me, especially as the city changes throughout the seasons."
To keep up to date with Charlotte's art journey, you can find her on instagram @charjen.illustrations
To find out more about Charlotte's choice of the versatile Hahnemühle A4 portrait watercolour book see the product here.
The watercolour book is the ideal companion for artists who love to capture their holiday memories without delay. The natural white 200gsm paper features a fine grained surface structure on both sides. Making it ideal for creating full width panoramic paintings.
With 60 pages / 30 sheets, the watercolour book is compact while offering an ample amount of pages to paint your memories on. With a durable cover and a rubber band to hold the cover together your art work is protected.
