Welcome to Louise De Masi’s Journal, where you’ll find personal reflections, behind-the-scenes stories, and the inspirations that fuel her creative journey. Discover the life of a professional watercolour artist through candid posts that share the highs and lows of the artistic process.
Louise’s journal offers a glimpse into her daily routines, upcoming projects, and the experiences that shape her art. Perfect for art enthusiasts and fellow artists, these entries provide an intimate look at the passion and dedication behind each piece.
Stay connected and inspired by following Louise’s artistic adventures.
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My first painting in the sketchbook is of two blue-faced honeyeaters. We have a flock of these beautiful birds living in our garden, and the two I’ve painted are juveniles who had just enjoyed a bath in the birdbath before flying up into the weeping cherry tree outside my studio.
I heard them calling, so I grabbed my camera and managed to get a few photos before they flew away. I thought they’d make a nice subject for the opening double - page spread of my sketchbook.
Read MoreRead More“Watercolor Wisdom offers a fresh and accessible way to learn botanical illustration through painting. It’s thoughtfully laid out, with plenty of room for hands-on practice and exploration… If you’re after a guided, project-based approach to painting flowers in watercolour, this is a lovely book to add to your collection.”
While I’m incredibly thankful it wasn’t worse, the recovery process has been a struggle. Wearing a cast in the middle of summer is uncomfortable enough, but I didn’t anticipate just how much it would affect my daily life - even though it’s on my non-painting hand. Simple tasks have become challenging, and I’ve felt disconnected from my usual routines, including painting.
Read MoreI chose tube paints over pan paints because I find it easier to mix with freshly squeezed paint, which gives me more control over the consistency and vibrancy of my colours. My 12-colour palette strikes the perfect balance between being compact and versatile. With just these 12 colours, you can tackle a wide variety of subjects and techniques, from detailed botanicals to African wildlife. Each colour has been carefully selected not only for its individual beauty but also for its ability to mix effortlessly with the others, allowing you to create an almost infinite range of hues.
Read MoreIn June, our daughter celebrated her wedding, and she had a special request for me: to create a watercolour floral design for her invitations and menus. She envisioned a simple yet elegant bouquet of white roses accented with eucalyptus leaves for her special day. Excited by the challenge, I dove into my collection of reference photos, seeking the perfect white rose to bring her vision to life.
Read More"Following Louise’s videos on YouTube made me feel I was painting. After a long time, I wrote Louise on Facebook and unexpectedly got an answer! She invited me to enjoy Discord, where I met beautiful, enthusiastic painters. At some point, it clicked! My heart was full of joy! Now, Susi, paint! So, I followed a tutorial, painting for the first time in my painting life!" - Susi
Read MoreOur session began in the studio, where Julia worked magic with lighting and angles. The atmosphere was relaxed, and Julia’s expertise put me at ease, making the whole process feel natural and enjoyable. A personal branding photographer like Julia excels in creating imagery that captures the essence and experience of an individual's brand, reflecting their personality and story in a personalised and authentic way.
Read MoreThis dream led me to university, where I completed a Bachelor of Education with first-class honours and a university medal. Not that my success at uni helped me secure a full-time teaching job, though. It was difficult to get full-time work as a teacher after I had finished. I did a lot of casual teaching work, where you put your name down at schools and wait for them to call you. During that time of waiting for the phone to ring- I taught myself to paint in watercolour. Then I got a few full-time temporary teaching positions, and I no longer had time to paint. Teaching in schools is really hard work, and eventually I had lost my passion for it.
Read MoreHave you ever woken up with a sense of dread, feeling as though the weight of the world rests on your shoulders, anticipating a mountain of problems awaiting your attention? That was my reality every morning. Opening my email, I was greeted not with the promise of a new day, but with a heavy sense of foreboding.
Read MoreI'll be honest, those early days were filled with frustration. Watercolour, with its own set of rules and techniques, was a tough teacher and progress was slow. The lessons of light to dark, the permanence of each stroke, and the acceptance of "happy accidents" were hard-learned. I found myself creating pieces that, well, let's just say they wouldn't have made it to the fridge door.
Read MoreCreating a successful painting by following a tutorial is one thing, but being able to replicate that success independently, drawing upon the skills and knowledge acquired from those tutorials is another.
I'm happy to share that a significant number of my students are able to achieve precisely that. In fact, I am consistently impressed and extremely proud of the artwork they produce on their own. They, too, take great pride in their achievements, and rightfully so.
Read MoreTo save you from these pitfalls and help you achieve better results, I've compiled a guide that focuses on the five most common mistakes that I have come across when painting in watercolour. The guide is completely free when you subscribe to my newsletter.
Read MoreI spent two days painting some cows in a paddock. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the cows but the landscape part of the reference photo……..meh.
As a result, I ended up with 5 overworked, muddy and poorly composed paintings. The only part of each painting that I liked was the area around the cows.
Read MoreI was very happy to receive an email from The Art of Watercolour Magazine’s editorial staff saying they wanted to feature my work in their upcoming issue.
The editor sent me a list of questions to answer, which would be featured in the magazine alongside my artwork. Answering the questions was a great opportunity for me to reflect on my journey as an artist and share my insights with the readers of the magazine.
Read MoreWe’ve moved back home! After four years of living in Sydney, Dom and I have come back to our house in the country. I am amazed I lasted that long in the city.
Read MoreOf all the subjects I love to paint in watercolours, my favourite is flowers. I started painting them in 2015 and one of the reasons I love to paint them is that it's easy for me to gather reference material.
Read MoreAs an artist, I'm always on the look out for good reference material. I often visit zoos, wildlife sanctuaries and botanic gardens with my camera in hand hoping to catch as much useable material as I can.
Read MoreThe one thing that keeps me going every day, and it brings tears to my eyes to talk about it, are my watercolours. Being able to paint with watercolour every day is an absolute joy. Whenever my brush is in my hand, my paints are beside me and that velvety textured watercolour paper is in front of me I am in my happy place. When I paint, I forget about my problems and I forget about the way the world is now. I escape into a beautiful world of water, colour and shapes.
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