Illustration

An illustration for a children's book - awaiting approval by the author.  There have been a few changes already so I doubt this will be the final version.  These are the little creatures that live underground and come out at night to tidy up the parks and woodlands.

Flowing again

Further experiments with connection of shapes and lines in the landscape.

A study for a painting I started some months ago and got stuck.  I thought I might try to apply my current thinking about big shapes, flow and 'active' passages of paint.  I'm basing it on a scene from a trip to the Isle of Wight last year, when I went sketching at Brook Bay.

   

Brook Bay, IoW
Acrylic on box canvas 50x50cm

Half Tree Panorama
Acrylic on paper 45x18cm approx.

Flow

Here are some more 50cm canvases where I'm aiming to emphasise the continuity and connection of shapes and lines in the landscape.

 Thornberry Tree
Acrylic on box canvas 50x50cm

 Wild Vine Journey
Acrylic on box canvas 50x50cm

I decided to try something more close-up.  I was remembering a sight that I came across on a painting course in the Isle of Wight last year.  In a lovely walled garden, there was a tree with green apples, possibly Bramleys, with the sun shining through the leaves.  I liked the green-blue colours, contrasting the transparent, warm yellow-greens with the more opaque, cool blues.  I also wanted to get some idea of the movement of the leaves.
Here's my photo of it

These are the plans - I changed the shapes further down the line, because I felt I was too fixated on the circles.  In fact the photo shows that although the apples are spheres, you rarely see a whole circle shape.  Most shapes are interrupted by overlapping leaves or branches.

Another massive struggle to get this to how I wanted it.

I realised half way through that my plans weren't simple or clear enough.  I also found that I was getting stuck on certain shapes and it was only when I painted them out, I was able to move the painting forward.  

Apple Tree
Acrylic on box canvas 50x50cm

Flow in the landscape

This was inspired by a photo shared by Rosalind Amorin. 

Here's the planning sketches, with some colour tests.

It took me quite a while to do this, I kept adjusting here and there and changed it quite a lot.  I re-drew the first plan a couple of times because it didn't seem to be working too well, and the plan at bottom left is the one I was working to in the end.

Wild Valley
Acrylic 50cm square

Inspired by Barbara Rae

My first attempt at a landscape à la Barbara Rae. I spent a few days on this.  It seemed to me that her paintings are made up of a few large, well-composed shapes, made exciting by the use of lively and complex strokes and textures, variations of hue, tone and intensity.  She uses oils and silk screen.  I tried to get the effect in acrylics.

Plans for the painting, which I based on a landscape photo by Craig Johnson (shared with permission)...

                              

Acrylic on box canvas 50cm square...

The Path Home

More Viral Art Club

Further exploits from Sarah Holliday's Viral Art Club.

  

       

The Viral Art Club

I have started following an Instagram project called Viral Art Club.

It's a daily art exercise, being set by my art mentor Sarah Holliday.  She is a member of the prestigious Royal Watercolour Society.  Wonderful artist and teacher.  Anyway, if you use Instagram and feel like taking part, it's open to all ages and levels of experience and is completely free.  Look for @viralartclub

1. Line drawing of a daffodil 4B pencil (no shading).       2. Contour drawing of lily in pen.

       

3. Using line weight to describe the fall of light.  4. Shading to describe the fall of light.
         

Working dark to light  with charcoal.
Cover the paper with charcoal and lift out the light with a putty eraser.  If needed, put back some dark with the edge of the charcoal.  Then, negative shape lilies.
    

Backlight

Portraits

Decided to go with a few quick portrait sketches.