Artist Interview: Cindy Wider

 

We talked to Cindy Wider, a celebrated Australian artist and author, about her exciting new children's book. Known for her dedication to fostering creativity, Cindy is now sharing her artistic vision with young readers through an enchanting tale filled with whimsical characters and colourful illustrations. Cindy shares her inspiration, creative process, and why she loves Saunders Waterford®. 

Cindy, tell us about your art practice and your journey to get to where you are now.

I was born in Brisbane Australia and grew up on the island of Papua New Guinea. I’ve been a full-time artist, illustrator, author and online drawing mentor for over 32 years (since the age of 23.) I’m the founder of DrawPj.com and Cindy’s Drawing Club where I present my ‘learn-to-draw and colour’ videos, books and mentoring online. 

I teach mostly retired women around my age; 55 and over, from a selection of 7 different mediums and 5 art styles (depending on their own unique areas of gifting, interests and needs.) Just over 7 years ago I began to transition from the world of fine art (where I was award-winning and gallery-represented) into the wonderful world of children’s picture book writing and illustrating. It’s been a huge transition and nothing at all like I first expected. I surrounded myself with some amazing experts in the industry who have helped me along the way. My first children’s book has just been published!

What was the inspiration for your children’s book? 

My husband and I, along with our two young daughters moved to England in 2013 to live nearer to his parents and family. It was so different to the endless blue skies, bright, tropical foliage and white sandy beaches of the great Australian beach lifestyle that had inspired my subject matter as a fine artist. At first, I struggled to make a connection to place in England.

After a short while, however, I soon became fascinated with the tiny details, textures and patterns like the rows of stone walls neatly dividing the hillsides. They looked just like giant patchwork quilts. Then there were the cute stone cottages with their snow-capped chimneys and warm glowing lights shining out from the windows. I was in awe of seeing real Holly and Ivy growing in the streets. I felt like I was stepping into a real-life children’s picture book that I’d read and enjoyed so much as a child.

Then, when we visited the Lake District, I experienced this deep nostalgic feeling of mystery and wonder. My imagination from my childhood suddenly awakened and came alive! I began thinking of all the little animals that might be living there and the exciting adventures they might go on. 

The very first characters I created were soft, fluffy little clothed anthropomorphic kittens. I always had a cat growing up, so it made sense to begin there. I called them the ‘Cuddleecats’. The rest is history. I was smitten by the world of children’s picture book illustration. 

Here I am today with my first Children’s book just published 7 years after leaving England. This book is the first in a series of Cuddleecats books that I intend will follow, and it’s titled ‘Mummy’s  Biggest, Best Birthday Surprise Ever!’ 

The setting of the book is an imaginary place called ‘Cuddleton Village.’ It’s a very special place deep in the English Woodlands. A place where no human has ever been. The stylisation is inspired by the golden age of illustration with a vintage feel and a touch of modern times sprinkled in.

Do you have any tips for other artists looking to be self-published?

I’ve published my own book because I had a very specific artistic vision that I wanted to accomplish. My biggest tip (if you choose to self-publish) is to be prepared to surround yourself with experienced professionals if possible. For example, you’ll need an editor, a book designer, a reliable and quality printing company. It’s a great idea to be a member of various organisations to support you with things such as learning resources, networking opportunities, community support, information on how to price your illustrations etc. I highly recommend SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writes and Illustrators) and ASA (Australian Society of Authors), which is for illustrators as well. 

What is your go-to paper for illustration, and what qualities in paper are important for your work? 

My absolute favourite paper is Saunders Waterford Hot Pressed High White 425gsm (200lb). I have very carefully chosen this specific paper after many experimentations because I need a paper that is robust, reliable and smooth enough to allow a beautiful even spread of colour. My chosen paper also needs to have enough texture to hold several layers of colour; first inks and then once dried coloured pencil on top. My favourite thing about Saunders Waterford is that there are no surprises in the texture; I can rely on it to perform for me time and time again. 

Cindy Wider’s Cuddleecats book ‘Mummy’s Biggest, Best Birthday Surprise Ever!' is available for purchase on her website www.cindywider.com.

For more information about Cindy’s Classes and mentoring: 

drawpj.com

Links

www.youtube.com/@CindyWiderArtist 

www.instagram.com/cindywider

www.facebook.com/DrawPj

www.facebook.com/CindyWiderArtist

To learn about our Saunders Waterford range, visit our website.

Artist Interview: Julie Collins

 

Award winning artist Julie Collins, author of ‘The Colour Mixing Companion, ‘The Colour Mixing Guide, Watercolour Botanicals’ and ‘Colour Demystified’ and a member of the Society of Women Artists talks through the art of glazing in watercolours.

Glazing is the most important technique that I use in my painting. It is a wonderful way to create depth and interest in your watercolour paintings. If you look at the painting ‘Invisible Moon’ the foreground is created by painting multiple layers of paint which adds a depth and mystery to the painting.

Invisible Moon by Julie Collins 
on CP 638gsm Saunders Waterford 

The transparency of the paint is crucial for this method to work well. Each layer, or glaze, must be allowed to dry thoroughly before the next layer of paint is applied. The glazes must be very transparent so that the underlayers shine through. It is possible to use opaque paint which is thinly mixed, but transparent and semi-transparent watercolour works best. The result is that the colours are mixed by the eye, and an element of mystery and atmosphere can be created in your paintings. A simple example is if you paint a layer of yellow, allow it to dry and paint a red glaze on top it will appear as an orange – but a much more interesting orange than if you had simply painted an orange layer of paint.

Hestia by Julie Collins

In ‘Hestia’ I painted various red, pink and orange glazes to give an interesting background for the figure to stand in. Similarly, in ‘Sister Mary’ I painted at least 5 glazes of colour until I was satisfied with the depth of the red and blue areas in the painting. You will notice that when you paint the colour will seem much brighter when the paint is wet. This is another example of where glazing is useful as when it is dry you can paint another layer of paint to strengthen the colour.

Beach Huts by Julie Collins
on Saunders Waterford CP 638gsm

Glazing is useful in so many ways. If like me, you often feel intimidated by a sheet of pure white paper, you can over this by painting a light glaze as a background over the entire surface. This underlayer then has the effect of unifying the whole painting. When I started ‘Beach Huts’, I painted the entire surface with one colour which gives a unity to the picture and gave a good background to begin working with.

Solent Summer by Julie Collins
on Saunders Waterford CP 638gsm

The glazing technique is often used for landscapes and skies, see the example ‘Solent Summer’ where I have used glazing to add depth and luminosity to this landscape. Glazing will create luminosity in a way that can’t be achieved in other watercolour techniques.

Calm Before the Storm
by Julie Collins
on Saunders Waterford CP 638gsm

Several glazes or layers of paint will give depth and creates an illusion of space in a painting. In the painting ‘Calm before the storm’ I have used more complex glazing to give depth to the picture. Here I have painted large and small areas of glazes, and I gave myself plenty of time in between to consider how the painting was working out.

Saunders Waterford is robust enough to take many glazes. This paper produces a wonderful texture with each layer of paint, and the watercolour glides nicely across the surface, making it an ideal paper for glazing. My favourite paper is the Saunders Waterford CP (NOT) surface 638gsm(300lb) as I love working on heavy paper.

To find out more about Julie Collins visit:

www.juliecollins.co.uk

www.instagram.com/juliecollinsart 

‘The Colour Mixing Companion, ‘The Colour Mixing Guide, Watercolour Botanicals’ and ‘Colour Demystified’ books by Julie Collins are available through Search Press. 
 

About Julie Collins

Julie studied BA Hons Painting at the University of Reading 1980-84. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the ING Discerning Eye, three awards from the Royal Watercolour Society and has twice received the prestigious 1st prize for watercolour at the Royal West of England Academy. During 2021 Julie was elected a member of the Society of Women Artists, a Member of the SWA Council and RWA Network Member.  Julie has written seven art books to date, ‘Colour Demystified’ was published by Search Press in August. Her latest book, ‘The Colour Mixing Companion’ was published May 2023 and can be seen for sale at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Kew Gardens. Julie is currently working on three new watercolour books to be published 2025-2026.

To learn about our Saunders Waterford range, visit our website.

Artist Interview: Bronwyn Royce

 

Miniature watercolour artist, Bronwyn Royce, tells us about her journey as an artist, and what led her to create her enchanting miniature paintings. Bronwyn shares useful tips for aspiring miniature watercolour artists and about her favourite paper, Bockingford® Cold Pressed.

Bronwyn Royce is an ambassador for Princeton Brush and posts regularly on Instagram where she has a large following.

By Bronwyn Royce on Bockingford

Tell us about your art practice and your journey to get to where you are now.

My art journey started in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999 when a friend invited me to join her for a watercolour art class. I doubted I was capable of creating anything worthwhile, especially with only 10% vision in my left eye, but I was instantly hooked.

When I immigrated to the UK in 2007, I set my paints aside for almost 10 years to take up full-time employment in order to get my British Passport. A combination of a massive life-changing curveball thrown at my family in 2012 when my oldest son was very seriously injured in Afghanistan, together with unexpectedly being made redundant at the end of 2016, forced me to ponder life and the importance of doing what I love. I took a year off to write a book ‘One step in a poppy field’, sharing the tragic details of how life can be changed in an instant.

By then it was time to follow my heart, and in 2018 I launched my business, Pigments Art. My art has become my therapy!

By Bronwyn Royce on Bockingford

What initially drew you to the medium of watercolour miniatures?

I have tried painting with most other mediums, but watercolours will always be my preference. When I started going to art classes, it soon became apparent that I loved to add as much detail as possible.

Encouraged by my younger son, in 2018 I joined Instagram and challenged myself to complete a painting a day over the next year. Some days I was pressed to get a large piece done in time so, looking for what I assumed to be a less labour intensive option, I ventured into the fascinating world of miniature painting. My compulsion to fit as much detail into my work has meant that sometimes these tiny paintings take me longer to complete than a large painting, but the response I have had to my little artworks has been unexpected and very humbling.

By Bronwyn Royce on Bockingford

Can you describe your typical process for creating a watercolour miniature, from initial sketch to finished piece?

I constantly look for inspiration for my miniatures, whether it’s during my daily walks, or from a photograph I see. I do a lot of research online to get ideas and will often take elements from a few images, combine them, adding my own touch. Once I have decided what to paint, I will choose the shape to paint, be it a circle, a square, a rectangle, or my favourite, which I call breaking boundaries, which is when part of the painting escapes from the border. I then do a very basic pencil sketch just to give some idea of placement of shapes but, with miniatures, the area is so small that in fact pencil lines are too thick to be able to draw much. My finer details are only achievable because of the miniature paintbrushes I use, which vary in size, but the smallest I currently use is an 18/0 Velvetouch from Princeton Brush.

By Bronwyn Royce on Bockingford

How do you approach capturing detail and realism in such a small format?

It is important to recognise that often not every detail can be included, especially in a more detailed piece, so choosing the best bits is sometimes enough to give the full impression.

What qualities were you looking for in paper when you chose Bockingford?

Bockingford CP was first introduced to me by my art teacher in 1999, as she felt it was the most forgiving paper for her students. I started on 190gsm paper, but soon progressed to 300gsm when I became more competent in my work, and I have continued to use it ever since. 

When I started painting miniatures, I was encouraged by other miniature artists to try smoother papers, but I never got on with them and I always revert to Bockingford.

By Bronwyn Royce on Bockingford

What advice would you give to aspiring artists interested in creating watercolour miniatures?

Perseverance is key. Initially the tiny details seem almost impossible to create but with practice, hand and eye become coordinated. A steady hand is essential though, as well as a magnifier of sorts for the very tiny details. I sometimes use a free-standing 2X magnifying glass in order to touch up the finer sections.


Links 

To learn more about Bronwyn Royce visit:

www.instagram.com/pigmentsart/

pigments-art.myshopify.com/

 
To explore more about the range of Bockingford paper visit our website.

Saunders Waterford High White

 

Saunders Waterford High White is a premium watercolour paper renowned for its exceptional quality and brilliant whiteness.

Artists love how its bright white surface enhances the vibrancy of watercolour pigments and shows highlights on a subject.

Whether you're a seasoned artist or a beginner, Saunders Waterford High White offers the ideal canvas for your creations. The shade is meticulously created by our papermakers, with it being a demanding shade for them to achieve, as no OBA’s (optical brightening agents) are used to make this archival grade white.

The shade is fade resistant so artists can be confident leaving portions of the paper left unpainted, without the colour of these areas changing over time.

Find out from professional artists, who use Saunders Waterford High White, what they enjoy about the paper.

David Bellamy 

David Bellamy is a renowned British watercolourist celebrated for his expressive landscapes and seascapes, often capturing the dramatic beauty of the British Isles.

“Portraying the light is the most paramount ingredient in a painting, and for watercolourists Saunders Waterford High White provides that essential vitality I need in a watercolour paper.”

Soraya French

Soraya French is a contemporary artist known for her bold and expressive paintings, often exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition.

“As a colourist I love working on high white paper which helps me to get the most vibrancy from my mediums be it inks, watercolour or acrylics.”

Joris Munier

Joris Munier is a talented illustrator and St Cuthberts Mill ambassador, known for his whimsical and detailed illustrations often inspired by people and nature.

“As watercolour is all about transparency, the Saunders Waterford High White paper allow me to have the brightest results on my paintings.”

Emma Tildesley

St Cuthberts Mill Ambassador, Emma Tildesley is a talented botanical and nature artist, known for her meticulous watercolour and coloured pencil illustrations that capture the intricate details of the natural world.

“As a botanical artist I don’t use white paints and pigments, I use the white of my paper to show highlights on a subject. Saunders Waterford High White is the perfect choice for this as the paper is a true bright white that gives me clean, brilliant highlights every time.”

Links

To find out more about the Saunders Waterford range, please visit our website.

View more of the artists' work by following these links:

www.davidbellamy.co.uk 

www.sorayafrench.com 

www.joris-munier.com

emmatildesley.com

Reduction Linocut Printing with Martin Truefitt-Baker

 

Fine art printmaker and painter, Martin Truefitt-Baker, a fan of Somerset® Satin, shares with us his special techniques of reduction linocut printing.

Martin is a renowned artist working in Wales celebrated for his exquisite lino-cut prints. His work, deeply rooted in the stunning landscapes of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, captures the essence of the Welsh countryside with remarkable detail and sensitivity.


Martin’s prints, often featuring local wildlife including owls, foxes, and badgers, are renowned for their intricate lines, rich textures, and evocative use of colour.

'Kingfisher, Evening Rain'

His dedication to traditional printmaking techniques, including the meticulous process of reduction linocut, combined with a keen eye for nature's beauty, has earned him a dedicated following among art enthusiasts and collectors alike.

The process of reduction lino printing involves rounds of cutting and overprinting onto paper.  The surface of the same piece of lino is progressively carved away for each layer of printing.

Martin typically uses 5 or 6 layers of cutting and printing, after that he feels the image starts to lose the interesting graphic look, that he likes. He starts with the lightest tones and works through to the darkest, often blending colours on the lino block itself. The entire process, from design to final edition of prints, can take several weeks.

‘Magpies’ process from painting to print

'Magpie Silver'

Unusually for Martin, this design actually started out as a painting in its own right. He started by carefully observing the magpies in their natural habitat, noting their behavior and distinctive features. Despite the challenges of capturing their quick movements, he sketched the birds, paying close attention to the iridescence of their feathers. He developed a formal composition, featuring five magpies as the central focus, set against a backdrop of a hedge with ivy berries and a distant hill. The final painting, executed in acrylics on linen, aimed to capture the beauty and complexity of the birds and their natural setting. This work was subsequently selected for the prestigious Natural Eye Exhibition.

This is the final painted design for the linocut print. 

Reduction linocut steps 

There are many ways of designing for linocutting. Martin has developed a method that works for him and his style and subject matter. The design is worked out mainly in a range of tones of blue and painted in blue acrylic. Each of these tones, from light to dark, corresponds to a round of cutting the lino and overprinting.

'Bluebell Fox'

“Why do I design my linocuts in blue?”

“The main reason is, I just find it works for me! I'm sure others may have their own preferences. It seems easier for me to mix a consistent range of blue tones. Think of those tricky greenish tones you can wander in to when you darken yellows, reds go to pink when you lighten them!”

Martin uses graphite paper to transfer the image of the areas to be cut away, from the design, to the lino for each layer of cutting and printing to the lino. 

The lino is cut with different sizes and shapes of gouges or a craft knife. The white areas are cut away and the lightest colours are printed for the first layer. For each subsequent layer more lino is cut away and the colours used become darker.  At the end of printing all that is left of the lino are the parts that print the (near) black parts of the design. 

Rollers are used to apply a very thin layer of ink to the surface of the lino each time it is printed. It’s important not to apply too thick a layer of ink, otherwise the fine carved details can become filled.

It is very important to make sure that the lino prints in exactly the same place on each piece of paper, so that the layers line up properly. 

Martin now uses an etching/multiprint press to produce his prints.  “You can just use a metal spoon or other smooth object to make a simple print, rubbing/burnishing the back of the paper to press the ink onto the paper, so expensive equipment isn’t always necessary.”

On completing the print, he says, “I had planned for the print to take five layers of cutting and printing, but it ended up with six. The darker areas of the foreground needed more subtlety.

I always find greens difficult to get right in my prints. Ivy leaves are quite bluish, but it was a struggle to get them right in comparison to the blue greys in the rest of the image. I hope I've got somewhere near to the sheen on the tail of a magpie in the final print.” 

Cutting the lino

Brighter colours for the tail

Third layer

Layer one

Layer two

Layer three

Layer four

Layer five

This is a one-minute video of some of the techniques and processes involved in making the Magpie Silver print.

Printmaking Paper

When it comes to choosing paper for his prints, Martin shares, “I use Somerset® Satin White 300gsm for my editions. It suits the way I work perfectly and gives consistently great results. The texture and sizing take the ink smoothly with no bleeding. The clean white colour, with no optical brightener and archival quality, gives a professional finish to  my work. The absorbency is just right allowing for multiple layers of printing. The surface is strong, but the paper is also very flexible.”

'Blustery Day Badger'

'Red Kite Over Snow'

Links

To see more of Martin Truefitt-Baker’s artwork, visit:

www.truefitt-baker.co.uk/

www.instagram.com/truefittbakerart/

www.facebook.com/martin.truefittbakerart 

To learn more about Somerset printmaking papers visit our website.

(For advice on choosing rollers see Martin’s blog www.truefitt-baker.co.uk/post/printing-rollers-choosing-use)

Martin Truefitt-Baker calendar for the RSPB

Artist Interview: Sasha Compton

 

Artist and designer Sasha Compton speaks about the interconnectivity between her ceramics, printmaking and drawing, and her love for St Cuthberts Mill Somerset paper.

Sasha Compton is a British artist who creates a variety of hand-built and painted ceramics, giclée prints, tiles, lino prints, lampshades, and original art. Her work has been featured in lifestyle magazines including Country Life, Homes & Gardens, and Tatler.

Prints on Somerset by Sasha Compton

Sasha - tell us about your practice and your journey to get to where you are now.

I have always been creative from a young age and have wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. I was brought up in a creative family in the countryside, if I wasn’t outdoors, I was always making something in my mum’s studio. At a young age I felt I could express myself better through visuals than words (I later found out I was dyslexic). At school, art, textiles and ceramics were my best subjects and I was awarded an art scholarship at the age of 15.

I went on to Central St Martins (UAL) for an Art foundation where I learnt about conceptual art and the importance of ideas, beforehand traditional skills and research had played a huge part in my creative journey. I specialised in illustration at CSM. I then went on to Chelsea College of Art (UAL) to study a BA in Graphic Design Communication, where again I focussed on branding and illustration, I always had more of a physical approach to briefs than my peers who were very digitally focused. This worried me at the time but now I am grateful to be able to do both.

After completing my degree, I did a year of London-based internships in the creative industry ranging from advertising, graphics, textiles, and fashion. I worked as a Graphic Designer for 7 years and settled at a fashion company in Amsterdam working my way up to a Senior level. I got to a point where I wanted to do my own thing and create / design for something I fully believed in. I always kept my art going and as interest grew, I decided to focus on being a self-employed Artist / Designer in 2020. I now take on a number of design commissions a year as well as creating art full-time and love having a mixture of art and design in my creative practise and life. I feel it is the best of both worlds and I try to use my skills and experience to my best ability; straddling the role of an Artist / Designer.

Can you describe your creative process and where you find inspiration for your work?

For my personal art I am inspired by what I know best; nature, classical art and colour. I am particularly engaged in the idea of mixing old with new in a joyful way, so I love traditional topics that are recreated with a fresh colourful perspective. The beauty of nature always amazes me, as does the power of colour and positivity. I am very inspired by hand made, crafted objects – seeing a human mark or imperfection on something makes the item so much more special and unique in my eyes and I try to bring this into my art by working freehand or using unpredictable materials or techniques.

Do your artistic practices in ceramics, printmaking, and drawing influence and interconnect with one another, or do you treat each medium as separate and independent from the rest?

They do interconnect yes! I sketch a lot. Before making a ceramic artwork, I will always sketch my designs and these freehand illustrations often end up as prints (or recently tiles for my Ca Pietra collaboration). I see my work as one voice in different mediums, and enjoy exploring the different wags of showing an idea. Sometimes I prefer the sketches to the ceramic work, and sometimes what I paint on a plate might work really well transformed into a lino print. Of course, not everything works out but that playful exploration is a significant part of my process. I have to play around a lot to get to end result and that makes my journey more exciting for me. 

With your printmaking and drawing, what are your go-to papers to use and why?

Being a lover of imperfections and character, I use a textured paper with deckled edges (or hand deckle the paper myself). St Cuthberts Mill Somerset range is my ‘go to’ range. The 500g radiant white textured paper is great for drawing and painting, I love the deckled edges. And 175g soft white book is a great paper for printing where I can get print easily with the thinner weight of paper.

You have done a lot of collaborations with various companies and artists – what has been your most exciting project to date?

I feel so lucky, I am proud of all my collaborations! So grateful for all the support I have had so far. Collaborations have helped me push my boundaries and I love working with other creatives, it’s a nice change from being a one-woman business. Recently I painted an egg for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations which was on show in Chelsea via the Elephant Family. The egg was inspired by a Faberge egg and Faberge saw it on show and requested it for a Faberge exhibition, this was so special to me. I have also been commissioned by some incredible interior designers such as Martin Brudnizki for a couple of hand-painted projects which I loved every second of, it was so inspiring and an amazing opportunity!

If you could collaborate with any artist, living or deceased, on a project, who would it be, and what kind of project would you want to work on together?

Wow, that’s a tricky question. Some of my favourite artists ever are Grayson Perry, David Hockney, Picasso (his ceramics in particular) and Venessa Bell. So, a messy studio day with any of them would be dreamy. I would love to do a silk scarf collaboration or something textile based as I always feel my work would translate well onto fabrics, or perhaps paint a huge mural somewhere unusual! I loved doing the light installation at Frameless Gallery, a new challenge is always appealing to me.

Prints on Somerset by Sasha Compton

Links

www.sashacompton.com

www.instagram.com/sashacompton_design

To learn more about Somerset printmaking papers visit our website.

Article originated by The Gallery at Green & Stone, as part of their 'Works on Paper' exhibition. Our thanks to them for allowing us to replicate the piece.

Prints on Somerset by Sasha Compton