Brushstrokes of Bordeaux in watercolour

Demo held: Monday, 18 May, 2026

Ian McManus, a talented watercolour artist from East Anglia, gave an inspiring demonstration that captivated members with his skill and insight. Using a Bordeaux street scene, he showed how washes, colour mixing, shadows, and highlights can bring light, depth, and movement to life in watercolour.

For his demo, Ian began with a prepared pencil sketch of a street scene in Bordeaux. He worked on this sketch using a series of washes on a dry cotton canvas sheet, applying the paint with a 2” squirrel mop brush.

For the sky, he used a grey-blue-mauve mix, while the mid-ground buildings were painted with a blend of India Yellow and Burnt Sienna. Light brown was used for the tiled roofs and window edges, which were softened with broken architectural lines.

After cleaning his palette, Ian moved on to apply a large shadow area on the canvas, softening it and adding a tree on the left-hand side using a turquoise and Brown Madder mix. He flicked the brush over this area after applying a loose form. Next, he sharpened and darkened the building lines on the right-hand side while shaping the shadows there. To keep the painted areas moist, Ian used an orchid mister spray.

In the mid/foreground, Ian introduced people and tables in the shadow, marking them to bring them out of the grey. Birds were added in the sky as spatial markers for depth. The people's faces were painted with a mix of Cadmium Orange and Burnt Sienna, with brighter tones in the focal area and darker shades in the background. He emphasised the importance of keeping head heights consistent throughout the scene. Shadows of the people and the right-hand-side tree in the alley were then applied, with darker areas given a translucent quality to create depth and finished with highlights in Titanium White Gouache.

Throughout his demonstration, Ian provided detailed insights into his techniques, sharing ideas that were both new and exciting.

What the audience witnessed was the work of a master watercolour artist, who created an evocative picture of light, shadow, and movement in just over an hour. Many attendees remarked that they would admire such a piece daily if they owned it.

The Artist

Ian is a professional watercolour artist and a full member of the IEA whose atmospheric work captures moments from everyday life. He is especially known for vibrant street scenes, while also painting a wide variety of subjects, including coastal, pastoral, interior, and landscape settings. His style emphasises direct brushwork and expressive energy, creating watercolours with transparency and freedom rather than traditional layered washes.

Visit Ian's website here.