Written by I would like to thank Charlie O’Shields, for inviting me to be featured on his website! My name is Niklas Granqvist and I’m a 27 year old man. I’m from a little town called Porvoo in Finland.
As a child, I always liked to draw. I got interested in digital painting as a teen and I used to draw using my mouse. At my 18 year birthday, I got a Wacom tablet and it got a bit easier.
At the age of 20, I started to paint with oils, and about a month ago I tried my children’s watercolors and I found it to be quite challenging. I’m self taught and have been painting as a hobby. I’m currently unemployed so I have lots of time to focus on painting.
When I started painting with watercolors, I quickly learned that it’s a very unforgiving medium. So I started to search the internet for tips on how to get the best results. On YouTube, I found videos of Joseph Zbukvic and Tim Wilmot and watching how they painted helped me immensely. I’m still very much a beginner, but I enjoy watercolors very much and I aim to get better at it.
In my landscape paintings, I usually start with finding a picture or scene that I enjoy in some way, using Google streetview or looking through my photos. Then I make a drawing of the subject, checking proportions.
The mood of the painting happens on the first wash of color. I start the painting process by quickly laying in the sky and basic wash of colors I see in the light. After that, I fill in the shadows, always checking I have the right value and temperature color. And lastly, I paint the details and try to bring some interest to the painting.
I also use a palette knife to do straight thin lines and some textures. I mostly paint from photographs and Google streetview, but sometimes from my imagination. Finding the subject or scene to paint often takes much longer than painting it. I like to paint with watercolors because it doesn’t take so long to finish a painting. I get bored of subjects quickly and I don’t like to spend too much time on one painting.
The materials I use are quite cheap. I currently use White Nights pigments, 210 g/sm paper (A4 and A3), a couple of cheap brushes (cheap pony hair mop brush), a 3H pencil, a palette knife and a spray bottle.
Thanks for reading, and check my blog for almost daily paintings.
Niklas Granqvist
Website
These are beautiful!
Thank you JodI! I appreciate it.
Your brush strokes have such a delicate touch…wonderful. (K)
Thanks allot memadtwo!
Very nice style!
Thank you travelingmommy!
Your paintings are beautiful! Did you find that using oils before watercolours was a help when you were learning watercolour techniques?
Thanks. No, they are two completely different mediums in terms of how you paint, but in color mixing and getting a sense of the pigments i think it helped allot. I think learning to draw good is important.
I really like the lighting and shadows.
Thanks Mike.
Niklas, as I view your paintings, I’m moved by the serene beauty that you paint with subtle colors and a light hand.
Thank you very much Sharon.
I love the one with the telegraph pole on the left – beautiful!
Thanks Jofox2108
Well wow!!! How wonderful- your tones are perfect! I posted some tips recently in my blog called watercolour landscapes if you’d like to see. Great work, I can see Joseph in your style
Thanks allot onyajay. I’ll be sure to check it out!
These are really amazing. I love your work, Niklas!
Thanks alot Nancy!
oh my i love these so much! you’re very talented and keep on painting! 🙂
I love your paintings, feeling happy when I got see your paintings. Happy to get connected with us. Hope you would also like pur blog – do stop by ours, sure will be worth of your precious time.
Your work is lovely, Niklas. Proof that you don’t need expensive tools to create beautiful art!
Very nice work Niklas! You are very talented! I was in Porvoo and many other places in Finland in June of this year. I have family there. One of my cousins is teaching grade school there this year. I love Finland. My 4th time visiting. My grandparents and mother were born in Karvala and Pori.