Posted: Jan 25, 2012
In: Fine Art
The connotations of pet portraiture and its potential for ‘cheesiness’ loomed large as I embarked upon this painting.
Here’s how it happened…
I had a beautiful gilded frame that was languishing, unused, in a cupboard; I wanted to work on something where I could use larger bristle brushes to block-in quickly and bring to a finish within a limited number of layers; I was interested in representing textures such as fur and material, while adding weight and form; I’d always promised myself that one day I would immortalise Sophie in paint.
The element that was the biggest priority for me was portraying the psychology within the subjects – both Sophie and the toy pig. I think I have achieved this, and moreover, I have captured exactly my dog. Not any spaniel, but my spaniel. The glint in the eye is hers, and the shock and helplessness of the pig perfectly highlights the kind of Anthropomorphism I easily apply to anything with a face. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Jan 17, 2012
In: Fine Art, iPad Drawing
I’ve recently been working on a small (8″ x 10″) portrait in oil. I’ve been struggling with a few aspects of it, and so I used the iPad to paint on top of a photo of the early oil block-in. It’s helped me to work a few things out and I enjoy the digital results in their own right.
Posted: Jan 06, 2012
In: Fine Art
A drawing from this week’s still life class. It’s only one morning per week, but it will be interesting to see what evolves.
As of yet I’m not entirely sure what my objectives are in joining this new group. I am certain however that it’s incredibly valuable to get out and meet like minded artists, and to simply get on with the practical tasks of observing and doing.
Week one – a string puppet, charcoal on Canson paper
Posted: Jan 06, 2012
In: iPad Drawing
It’s taken a while, but I finally bought an iPad2 at the end of last year. One of my favourite Apps for drawing and painting is Procreate. I’m still pretty new to it and am finding using a stylus a bit like drawing with boxing gloves on. The features are very intuitive and easy to use however, so it’s just practise that is needed in order to produce more fluid results.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Nov 28, 2011
In: Fine Art
Erin. Oil on canvas 40cm x 40cm
Here’s a recent portrait in oils that marks a great step on for me in terms of speed and basic technique.
Unfortunately I had to work from photographs instead of life, however I spent a couple of hours with Erin during our photo session which I feel gave me a degree of insight that anonymous reference material would not have presented. I didn’t work strictly sight-size, but I set up my easel and photo next to each other, at a distance from where I stood, and I tried to work as closely as possible to how I would if I were working from life. For example, I used comparative measuring; I squinted to look for the big shapes, simplified tonal values and areas of focus; and most importantly I tried to overcome the inherent danger of photography where you get bogged down in detail. Read the rest of this entry »
