Learn – along with me – how to draw and paint watercolour like Beatrix Potter copying an illustration from The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher.

You can get the pencil sketch, copies of the two versions I painted and a copy of Beatrix Potter’s version from the book all in hi res scans when you support me on Patreon – You can also get an ebook copy of my book Everyone Can Draw!

I think this must be my longest video ever! I’ve not cut out a huge amount, maybe five minutes, so this is pretty much in real time.

My first attempt went very wrong, because I was using the wrong paper and the wrong brush. The second attempt was much better but I think the pencil is all wrong and I still haven’t got the right brush.

I think I’m going to have to go to the British Museum and get up close with some of her artwork to really understand her style.

Looking more closely I see she makes her backgrounds very pale and misty, but her foregrounds and shadows are made up of dark colour tints rather than dark overlays, like I instinctively do – which have a habit of going dirty. So I have learned something!

Now you can listen to my telling of the story of Mr Jeremy Fisher here: