Channel 4: Watercolour Challenge

I can't even draw, let alone paint, yet Watercolour Challenge (Channel 4 weekdays, 12.30pm) has made addictive viewing. For anyone who's not seen the programme, three members of the public are challenged to paint a scene somewhere in Britain or Ireland in the space of 4 hours. An art expert then judges which is the best, and that contestant progresses through to the regional final (broadcast on Fridays), and eventually the grand final at the end of the series. The show is presented by Hannah Gordon, actress of the dulcet Scottish tones and, as an aside, responsible for Victor Meldrew's death ... more

I used to watch "Watercolour Challenge" every afternoon and was constantly surprised by the amount of unknown talent there is in the country. Some of these artists creations are magnificent, others look like they might be a photograph (from a distance). What I also enjoy, are the places that the show is screened in. Most days it is a totally different town or area, and you get treated to a history /geography lesson inbetween the painting. They usually invite three artists to paint a scene - it is up to the artist how he or she perceives it - some try to paint the whole vista, others may choose ... more

I only manage to catch Watercolour Challenge now and again as I am usually writing during the day when the kiddies are at school, which is a pity because this program is really excellent and should be really shown in the evening to get a bigger audience. It certainly deserves to have one. The concept is that three artists vie with each other to paint the same scene in a given period - a few hours I think. What is great about them having to paint the same view, is it vividly illustrates (pardon pun) how different painters have different styles and it also shows to budding artists who are ... more

For all those used to skyving off work or students the water colour challenge has managed to stretch channel 4's golden hour of afternoon TV (fifteen to one and countdown) to an hour and a half. It is serenely peaceful to watch these jolly amateurs paint what are usually very good pictures. There is even a hint of audience participation in attempting to guess the winner (as sad as this sounds we all do it). However my favourite part of the show is watching the resident experts comment on the work, most seem to be quite jealous of the talent on show. They have obviously become disillusioned ... more

I really did like this programme when it was on, a few years back! It consisted of about 3 people batttling it out with their paintbrushes against the clock and on a particular location and then being judged by a famous ish artist on their skill, use of clour and overall perception of the subject material. As I have long had an interest in art I adore this and it made me book a painting holiday to the south of france where I learnt some specialised impressionism skills which I now use in my art work that i sell online! Not sure if channel 4 are bringing back this inspiring show, I do hope that ... more