Rural Bengal - a village scene

Watercolour and pen on paper

© Shubhankar  Adhikari

Just finished this work. Happy to share with you all. This is a typical scene of rural Bengal . The river Rupnarayan is flowing beside the village.The atmosphere is calm and cool. 

City Temple Sketch

© Shubhankar Adhikari

watercolour and pen on paper

Found this beautiful temple in the city of destiny (i.e, Visakhapatnam). Liked the design and architecture. Sketched it with the help of pen and watercolour . Happy to share with you all ...........Have a nice weekend ............:)

Chennai bound Super-fast express train leaving Visakhapatnam

Watercolour Painting on cartridge paper

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 

Train is always my favourite subject. I always do some fast sketching while waiting for the trains at the station. I love to watch the trains entering and leaving the station and also like to watch the different movements of the passengers,visitors and porters . 

Boats on Yarada Beach,Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Watercolour Painting on handmade paper (14" x 11")

©  Shubhankar Adhikari

Recenly I visted Visakhapatnam and Araku Valley for an art related project. The tour was unforgettable. Visakhapatnam is really a wonderful city. A perfect place for creative persons who love to enjoy the beauty of nature . Here I had visited Shimhachalam hill, Bheemlipatnam, Rushikonda, Ross Hill.Kailasgiri,VUDA Park,R.K.Beach,Yarada Beach ,Araku Valley and lots of other beautiful places in and around Vizag. 

I have gathered lots of experience from these places and unfolding those memories one by one through my paintings . Next time when I will visit Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Ooty, Munnar,Hyderabad, I will visit Visakhapatnam again. The Vizag city  is really beautiful . People are very humble,helpful and friendly .

A village scene from my sketch book

© Shubhankar  Adhikari

Recently came back from Visakhapatnam. Now very busy with new projects. My Vizag tour was unforgettable. The city is really suitable for open air painting. My own creative tank is fully loaded with lots of fresh thoughts. I will unfold one by one in the long run. So just stay tuned .........

Landscape - Distant Hills

Landscape painting (7" x 11")

Title - Distant Hills

© Shubhankar  Adhikari

After coming back from  Bolpur - Shantiniken tour ,lots of creative sparks are happening in my mind. Completed this work last night. Happy to share my first post for year 2014.

Wishing you all a Happy & Prosperous New Year 2014

Wishing all my friends ,fans,followers,students and well wishers a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2014. Thanks for your continuous appreciation and support.

Strolling through the hill-top market

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 

Watercolour painting on paper

Sharing  a very recently made cityscape  with you. This is the last post for 2013. I will share more works in the year 2014. Have a nice weekend.......... :)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014 ( in advance ).May this festival of joy bring peace,health,prosperity,creativity and happiness...........................:)

Cityscape - Old Structures

© Shubhankar  Adhikari  2013

watercolour and pen on handmade paper

Old structures and their architectural features always motivate me to sketch and paint. While visiting historical towns and cities I always search the old buildings  with special architectural brilliance. Here I have kept my palette limited into  two colours to give more emphasis on values. 

Winter in the hills

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 2013

watercolour on paper

size 8" x 14.5"

I have been fortunate enough to experience the beauty of Jhalong on a sunny day. I painted this composition yesterday.  My artworks most strongly reflect my love for nature and travelling.They serve as a constant source of motivation and a reminder of the places.I am happy here to express my interpretation of nature's beauty with the challenge of watercolour as a media.

Acrylic landscape painting on board -Wooden Bungalows

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 2013

Acrylic painting on board (size 11" x 14")

Acrylic is one of my favourite medium for painting. This is an acrylic  painting  which I have completed recently. Working with acrylic on board is always a nice experience .

Green Dream - Landscape in watercolour

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 2013

Watercolour painting on paper

Title - Green Dream (Size- 11" x 15" )

Here in this artwork I have used a big brush (no. 12 round brush ). I have used  sap green,viridian hue, payne's grey and hooker's green . While digging the memory of  Purulia tour, I have planned to work more on my "Bengal Landscape Series". Just stay tuned to view more of my works in future.

An old house sketch with ball point pen

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 

 Last week when I visited Taki, the heritage town of Bengal ,I noticed this beautiful  house . I have made this sketch work last week. In my previous blog post  I have alreadty mentioned about  Taki in short. In Taki I have found many old structures like this  . I have a plan to do a painting series later on.

An artful tour to Taki - a Heritage Town

© Shubhankar  Adhikari

watercolour painting  on paper ( 11" x 15")

Taki is an extremely peaceful place for plein air painting .Last week I visited Taki to do some plein air painting.
I boarded the Hasnabad Local Train from Sealdah Station,(Kolkata ) to reach Taki Road Station.From Taki Road station I took a cycle-van to arrive at the Zamindar Bari (Palatial building ) on the banks of River Ichamoti in 10 minutes. Two-third of the Zamindar Bari (Palatial building ) property has been engulfed by the river Ichamoti,still this ( Zamindar Bari -Palatial building ) is one of the main attraction here.These Zamindars ruled from the time of Mughals and served till the time of British rules. It is quite painful to see the Zamindar Baris(Palatial buildings ) are now in dilpidated state. This historical Zamindar Bari(Palatial building ) as a witness, has lot more to say, if we all are willing to listen it.

Taki is a heritage town and also the gateway to Sunderban ( Bay of Bengal ). It is situated by the bank of beautiful river Ichamoti. Bangladesh is on the other bank of the river Ichamoti. Taki Municipality is  one of the oldest municipalities in India established in1869. Taki Gov’t High School is more than 250 years old.

A boat ride on the waters of Ichamoti is an activity which I surely cannot miss for speed sketching. I sketched the house of the the fishermen, their boats ,trees near  the shore, boats dancing in the high tide. The murmuring sound of the water and a boatman singing some folk tune enchanted my creative spirit. I spent a lovely day observing, painting,sketching  a variety of birds, trees, sailing boats,motor boats etc.

After completion of my fine art related job wholeday long , I enjoyed rolls, ghugnis ,sweets and tea on the shores of Ichamoti in the evening . It was quite relaxing. As an avid fan of prawn I also tried some prawn items here. Taki is also well known for prawn.

While returning home ,I noticed this beautiful old structure near Taki Municipality. I decided that I will paint it very soon. Yesterday I have made it. In this painting I have applied scarlet lake, lemon yellow,prussian blue,burnt sienna,hooker’s green,and payne’s grey.

A Village scene from my sketch book

© Shubhankar  Adhikari 

pen on paper 

To develop your art sketching is very important .  If you want to improve your art ,then sketch a lot . Sketching on regular basis will improve your power to compose. Do lots of doodles also. 

Watercolour Landscape - near Chandil, Jharkhand

© Shubhankar  Adhikari (Artist ) 2013

watercolour painting on handmade paper (11" x 15")

Way to Mirik, Darjeeling, North Bengal

© Shubhankar  Adhikari (Artist )2013

Art of watercolour on paper

Happy to share my recent artwork on Darjeeling, India.  

Kolkata Cityscape - Victoria Memorial Hall

© Shubhankar  Adhikari (Artist )

Watercolour painting on paper ( 11" x 7" )

This is my recent painting on Kolkata cityscape. I always liked the architectural style of Victoria Memorial Hall. I am happy with the outcome of this artwork.In this work I have applied little bit of lemon yellow,sap green,payne's grey,prussian blue and olive green. 

Presently Victoria Memorial Hall is one of the most prominent building and also an art museum of Calcutta,under the Department of Culture ,Government of India.

How to develop your painting skills - Eleven tips

© Shubhankar  Adhikari (Artist )

watercolour painting on paper ( 11" x 7" )


How to develop your painting skills - Eleven tips

1.  Practice a lot.
2. Try to use the best tools you can afford for your artworks.
3. Try to visit the art fair and galleries regularly.
4. Mix with other fellow artists and exchange your views with them.
5. Draw or paint regularly.
6. Plan well before starting your art work.
7. Read good books on art.
8. Travel new places to increase your creative spirit.
9. Limit your palette to increase concentration.
10. Try to develop your own style
11. Listen soft instrumental music in the background while working.