I take a journal or sketchbook with me wherever I go. It is important to get the creative juices flowing right from the genesis of a painting, and the journal brings back all the excitement of the subject as it was seen for the first time. Photographs, although expedient, always seem to disappoint; the wonderful scene or colours that I remember often seem to have lost something when the photograph comes back from processing, but in the journal that initial impression
is captured.

I have several types of painting journal, all consisting of watercolour paper either stitched or perfect bound and with a hard-backed cover, as well as other books with drawing paper for pencil sketches.

In this section I have selected a number of journal entries that will illustrate what I would regard as the key techniques for the serious watercolour artist.