Anastasia Mily
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Hi! I am Anastasia Mily, a watercolour artist based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

My Landscape Paintings

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See My Latest Work on Instagram: 

anastasiamilyart

A quiet ode to my favourite season 🍁 #watercolour A quiet ode to my favourite season 🍁 #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolourlandscape #watercolor_daily
I have a complicated relationship with masking flu I have a complicated relationship with masking fluid, but I have been drawn to it more and more lately. I love the freedom it offers. Finally found one that is easy to apply (Schmincke’s 50730, that squeezy bottle makes my watercolour life so much easier). This loose landscape is my latest YouTube demo, and it was a joy to paint. I like the strong tonal value contrast, and the colours are playing together very nicely too ✨ #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolourlandscape #watercolorartist
Gum trees, autumn, Blue Mountains. I have finally Gum trees, autumn, Blue Mountains. I have finally finished this one after a couple of weeks of staring at it… You might have seen it in the unfinished stage on my recent YouTube vlog. Quite happy with the way it has turned out 😊✨ #watercolour #watercolourlandscape #watercolor #gumtree #australianwatercolour
Painting tranquility in watercolour ✨ #watercolour Painting tranquility in watercolour ✨ #watercolourlandscape #watercolor #watercolorist #australianwatercolour #watercolourpaint
Silver linings ✨ #watercolour #watercolor #aquarel Silver linings ✨ #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #bestwatercolor #watercolorlandscape
Gum trees 💚#watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #au Gum trees 💚#watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #australianwatercolour #gumtrees
often get asked if I have a plan for my paintings often get asked if I have a plan for my paintings when I start. Sometimes I do (especially when I paint real places, like my recent Milford Sound series), but most of the time I have absolutely no idea what to paint when I pick up my brush. And then I just... paint, and see what imagined place my watercolours take me to. In my latest YouTube video, I explain that process of developing a scene from an abstract wash, you can find the link to my channel in my bio 🎨 #watercolor #watercolour #watercolourpainting #aquarelle #watercolorartist
I don’t think l’ll ever run out of inspiration for I don’t think l’ll ever run out of inspiration for painting Milford Sound in watercolour💚🏔️. “Mitre Peak”, 26x36 cm
Wouldn’t it be so lovely to run through that field Wouldn’t it be so lovely to run through that field, towards the tree, and sit in its cool shade to listen to the wind playing through the leaves and the birds singing? A dream… 🌳 Watercolour on cold press cotton paper, 26x36cm #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolorlandscape #watercolourart
This place has such a strong emotional pull. I am This place has such a strong emotional pull. I am not sure I can ever do it justice in my attempts to capture its magic in watercolour, but I will keep trying, because painting it brings me back to the moments spent surrounded by some of the most majestic vistas I have seen in my life. “Stirling Falls, Milford Sound”, watercolour on cold press paper, 26x36cm. #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #milfordsound #watercolouring
Inspired by a winter sunrise we watched once, year Inspired by a winter sunrise we watched once, years ago, above Dove Lake. Cradle Mountain was glowing, bright red, illuminated by the warm rays of the rising sun. It was a fleeting and a very lucky moment though, because minutes later the clouds rolled in, enveloped the mountains in their thick blankets, and it rained for the rest of our stay there. Tasmania is one of my absolute favourite places, and my memories and photos I took there have been a constant source of inspiration ✨ #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #australianartists
This treescape was inspired by the lush temperate This treescape was inspired by the lush temperate rainforests of Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania - the moss-covered myrtles and sassafras, the soft textures of the forest floor, those rich, deep, soothing greens, and the silence.
 
You might have seen a similar landscape in my latest sketchbook flip-though video on my YouTube channel. That scene is actually my favourite spread in that whole book, and painting it again, but in a much larger size, was so lovely. I used a lot of Sap Green and Green Gold here, also Potter’s Pink for rich textures, and Perylene Violet to create a quiet but powerful colour contrast against the greens. The misty background was painted almost exclusively in Daniel Smith’s Rare Green Earth - it is a soft, cool, heavily granulating green that lends itself perfectly to the task. I love combining and getting lost in all kinds of warm and cool greens in my landscapes. Painting in these earthy colours is so calming, and it carries me right back to the precious hours of bushwalking through what felt like a fairy tale.

“Enchanted Walk”, 31x41 cm (12x16 in), 100% cotton cold press paper.
#watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolourlandscape #watercolourart
“Trusting the process” sometimes means staring at “Trusting the process” sometimes means staring at an unfinished painting for six weeks 😁. It took me five minutes to paint that sky, which I immediately fell in love with, which then immediately led to me feeling completely frozen and unable to move forward, as I was afraid I would ruin the pretty sky.
Then came the point (around those six weeks later) when I became incredibly annoyed with this piece of paper and my indecision, which is always a powerful catalyst for moving forward. Suddenly everything clicked, my brush was flying, and this scene appeared. 
So it took six weeks and around an hour to finish this 😁. But throughout those weeks, I never lost confidence that I would be able to finish the painting, I knew it just needed more time to percolate.
So if you have half-complete paintings sitting in your studio, you are not alone. I have counted, and there are at least five unfinished pieces like this (the initial wash looks too nice, and I am kind of scared of covering it up with something ugly) piled up on my desk. Their time will come too, I know. Even if it means something ugly is, indeed, added on top of those pretty, soft washes, and the painting ends up in the scrap paper drawer. All part of the process.
I love finding inspiration for new work in my sket I love finding inspiration for new work in my sketchbooks, and this playful, colourful landscape was developed from a tiny sketch (which you might have seen, as it was part of my
January daily sketch videos). 

And I keep finding hints of New Zealand in my landscapes ever since I came back from our road trip through our favourite places on the South Island back in October. I can definitely feel some Queenstown, Wanaka, and Te Anau vibes here...

You can watch the painting process for this fun landscape on my YouTube channel ✨ #watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle
The darks are what make the light glow in a waterc The darks are what make the light glow in a watercolour painting. I love experimenting with rich, interesting darks in my landscapes, and this one was pure joy to create - the soft, peachy pastel tones and the complex darks created such a peaceful atmosphere. Also, I often find that my favourite paintings are the ones that feel almost effortless to create,the ones that emerge in a few short moments, when I am not overthinking or overworking anything. It is such a beautiful feeling, and that I will forever keep chasing in my painting practice - I think it’s the watercolours’ way of drawing me to my desk and to play with them.

This quiet, meditative landscape was painted as a demonstration for my YouTube channel - you can watch the full process there.

Have a creative day everyone ✨☀️

#watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolorpaintingart #watercolouring
I love it when a painting takes me somewhere unpla I love it when a painting takes me somewhere unplanned and unexpected. It only happens when I stop overthinking and simply respond to what the paint is doing, instead of trying to force it into something I envisioned. This landscape is a great example, as the final result was very different to how I thought it would be.

It's such a fun way to paint - watercolour is a very free-spirited medium, and I don't like telling it what to do. I just throw some paint on the paper and watch what happens. And as I'm writing this, I’m having an epiphany: it's no wonder I'm so in love with watercolour - we are perfect for each other, as I have always hated being told what to do either! 😁

The rainbow of colours that appeared here (it wasn't planned, as I started with just three primaries) makes me smile every time I look at this piece. I recorded the painting process for my YouTube channel, so you can watch how it all unfolded there 🎨 

#watercolour #watercolor #watercolourart #watercolourpainting #watercolours #watercolor
Being a beginner artist is brave. I know that many Being a beginner artist is brave. I know that many of you, my beautiful followers, are beginner artists, and I would like to share a few thoughts on the tender early stages of finding your way in your art and putting it on online for the world to see.

I have been sharing my watercolour journey on social media for over six years now, and I receive such incredibly kind and generous comments, but occasionally these slip through:

- Unsolicited critique, that I smile at, because if I was looking for critique, I would go to an artist I know and respect, and not someone in the far corner of the Internet who has probably never held a brush in their life. Also, unsolicited critique is never ok - remember that when someone tries to “offer” it to you.
- And condescending comments telling me that my art is no good as it is not realistic enough, nor is it abstract enough, that it is too messy, too colourful, etc…

I am unbothered by these because they are not a reflection of who I am as an artist. These comments show who these commenters are as people. But I know how easily a beginner artist can be discouraged by negative feedback…

So here is what I deeply believe: your inner child is the true artist in you. My inner artist is the eleven-year-old girl with braided pigtails who dreamt of being an artist when she grew up, but whose dreams had to be pushed into the background for many reasons. Finally, in my middle age, I get to live those dreams and to fiercely protect that eleven-year-old in me. Your inner artist deserves the same protection. Be gentle with your inner child, give them a brush, and let them be free, while shielding them from those people who have no business telling you your art is no good. Your inner child is the only one who needs to be happy with what you have created. And your art doesn’t have to be highly realistic, or fully abstract, or to be painted on a proper large canvas, or follow any “art rules” to be valid. Your art is valid because it came from you, because you picked up the brush/pencil/camera/sculpting tool and made it. (Continued in comments…)
I think watercolour is simply perfect for painting I think watercolour is simply perfect for painting water scenes. So much of the light and reflection is already there - the pure white of the paper. All I need to do is to carefully paint “around” that white to create a scene that is filled with atmosphere. Less is definitely more when it comes to painting still water: every brush mark covers up that light, so I need to calculate my moves very carefully. It is actually the perfect way to slow down and be fully present, and that is why I consider my watercolour painting practice my meditation. This quiet, simple scene is inspired by my home on the coast, and you can watch how it came to life on my YouTube channel, where I explain my thought process on water control and contrast. I used four colours only, and three of them were variations of blue, so technically it can be painted with a dark blue like Indigo and a soft orange or a warm brown colour. As much as I love lots of colour in my work, coming back to the limited palette in this scene made me feel like I could breathe deeper and relax into the softness of this peaceful landscape.
#watercolour #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolours #watercolorartist
I believe that watercolour is the most joyful, pla I believe that watercolour is the most joyful, playful medium to create with, and watching the paint dance on the wet paper will never fail to lift my spirits. And creating this happy, expressive landscape was no exception ✨ I painted it mostly wet-on-wet, and used a few different techniques to create texture and depth (playing with watercolours to create fun textures is one of my most favourite parts of the painting process! I also relied on the basics of colour theory to bring a lot of energy into this scene. It was a demonstration painting for my YouTube channel, and you can watch the process there. Happy painting! Hope your 2026 is full of fresh creative energy ✨
Sometimes all you need to escape into a quiet, pea Sometimes all you need to escape into a quiet, peaceful place is twenty minutes. This is how long it took me to create this little scene. Sketches like this one are what watercolour is all about - you can say so much in just a handful of brushstrokes. You can stay creative even when life feels like a whirlwind. And I have never, ever regretted dragging myself to my desk and making myself pick up my brushes even if I am not feeling creative at all. You can watch me paint this on my YouTube channel ✨ #watercolour #watercolours #watercolor #aquarelle #watercolorlandscape
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