Cotton Reels

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There’s something wonderfully tactile and nostalgic about old wooden cotton reels, and in this tutorial we’ll use them to explore wood grain, reflected light, thread texture and th ose lovely bands of shine. We’ll begin by mixing beautiful warm buff and brown wood colours from our primary palette, along with fresh greens and other thread colours. I’ll show you how to work wet in wet, dropping darker colour into a pale glaze and lifting areas back out to create light and texture. We’ll also look at those all-important elliptical shapes, then use delicate marks to suggest the strands of cotton without trying to paint every single thread. Finally, we can add a few playful loose ends of colour to bring the whole study to life. You can begin with just one reel as a simple practice piece before building up to the full arrangement. It’s a charming project packed with useful techniques – and a lovely reminder that even the most ordinary objects can make beautiful paintings. Show more