Quick Animal Paintings

I am back in London and with that move I have not had much chance to post. Now's the opportunity to fill up some sketchbooks again...

Back in April and May I decided that some paints really needed to be used up before they crumbled so I decided to do some quick paintings with them (note, I was therefore quite limited for colours!) and make sure they weren't just a 'for the sake of it' rid. I started by finding some scrap sketch paper and painting random colours on each piece for a background which I would later paint whatever I felt like over. I don't paint enough as I should so I really used this mood to put some effort into each picture with thought into brush strokes for fur, etc. Well, some worked better than others. Here are a few; some are back at home and a few have yet to be photographed.

Thanks for looking.

Tyger, Tyger

Since I last posted I have made some advancements in both my traditional and digital work through some more experiments and just paying more attention to certain details really. I might post some other things I've been working on soon (although in a few days I will be back to London and will not have much computer access for a few weeks).

For now, I thought I'd post my tiger effort from a workshop I attended, hosted by another Frances - Frances Whitman - a very talented (recognised) traditional wildlife artist who fortunately lives quite locally. In this workshop we spent the equivalent of a working hour day, receiving helpful tips and guidance on creating realistic fur with particular Faber-Castell pencils on particular artists paper/card. Wow, getting shown how to properly make the art with proper materials was so invaluable; I was actually creating some art that for years I've wanted to, but never knew the best way, or had the right motivation, to start. Seriously, I will never attempt a decent arty picture on A4 printer paper again! (What was I ever thinking?) I am also working on a snow leopard and really hope to continue to make some more traditional realistic animals!

I fear I'm not articulating myself very well in this post as I've a lot to say, and have likely missed out a lot that I wanted, but to sum it up: workshop was well worth it, invaluable experience, enjoyable, I'm artistically on the right path at the moment.

Sorry; here's the tiger. It's not quite finished yet as there's a few pencils I'm lacking, but it's nearly there:

Fun With Inks

I've definitely felt more inspired to create art through traditional mediums than digital lately (obviously the bulk of any digital piece has been hand drawn first, anyway). It's a tricky time at the moment to know what is best to progress with in terms of anything creative...

Which reminds me, those who take a look at my blog, could you please vote in my poll on the right-hand side? I want to do a bit of everything really, but I'd like to know what others think. Thank you.

Also, I've joined LinkedIn now.

Once in a while I remember what sorts of arts and crafts materials I have. I do like these random spurts of inspiration to draw and be more experimental; now if only I could get them more often! I've drawn lots of novel/book illustration styled pieces lately that shall be posted soon here or on another portfolio.

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Right now, here's some, for fun, quick ink pictures, inspired from some of my photographs.

I had intended to use black ink, but in truth I could not actually unscrew the lid off the pot. I think brown has done quite nicely as an alternative. The first is loosely Clifford's Tower in York; the second is, also loosely, one of my cats who seems to be wearing an eye-patch.

Looking at some aquarium photos of mine I decided to bring out the other colours. But not red for some reason. Nor blue, but that's just because that lid would not unscrew, either. 

The very common I'm sure 'I have one more sheet left from this pile and I've ran out of photographs in this particular album and my interest is beginning to wane' dilemma. But I managed to get something down without it looking really obviously a product of the aforementioned. This alligator is unimpressed with something or other.
 

I hope you (quite) liked seeing more traditional experiments (; because there will be more).

Penultimate Life Drawing

For the current course, that is.

Oh look, I've been co.uk-ised.

<>

Week 7 - Watercolour

Three basic watercolours mixed to create tone, etc. A crayon was used to define certain parts. Rather enjoyable.

Week 8 - Pen and Conté

A simple blue pen used to draw the figure trying to draw only with straight lines.





Here I used Conté, possibly for the first time. Rather like charcoal but with more variation.

I'm Afraid So...

I joined a portfolio styled site as an add on so some of my work can be seen more easily than scrolling through the blog. As soon as I get more on that I will link it.

I've been trying to do some experimenting with Photoshop lately, including making a picture in a kind of 1930s Japanese Art Deco style (specific, I know), so if I am pleased enough with any of these attempts, I might plop some on here soon.

Anyway, along with the usual:

Week 5 - Inner Emotion

We had to shut our eyes and feel our face in order to create this drawing - tapping into our 'inner emotions'. I thought this image would go everywhere, considering I kept taking my charcoal off the paper, however it doesn't look too bad - albeit a bit scary.



I'm not so sure the idea of 'inner emotion' got past the first exercise, but it has something.



We drew a diddy version and split it into four to then draw these four sections separately, larger. We then pieced the parts together and I was pleased to see the sizing of each part wasn't awfully different.



Week 6 - Combined and Rubber

The first exercise was started a drawing, and then moving on to another easel to finish another. It was quite a fun exercise and interesting to draw over another person's art - and notice in a way, that it is easier to see errors when it is not your work. In this piece below I continued the one on the left and started the one on the left. So for these next few images I do not take all the credit!



This should be first; I started this one off.



I continued this one and found quite a bit I needed to change. So it does look quite scruffy, yet in a way it makes it quite alive.



Then we moved off that and made pictures by rubber on to charcoal. I probably didn't press well enough with the charcoal or rubber but the marks are quite interesting. Also it's hard not to notice an obvious cup ring came through on this easel from years gone by...



A section of the model, again with rubber on charcoal.

More Lifeus Drawingus

Week 3 - Ink

In my experience of using ink, I've always felt I become somewhat clumsy and confused (depending on the weapon with which to ink). So with the usual frustration was also added the holding of the 'weapon' by its tip. But here's my attempts from the class:

Okay, so this was actually charcoal on a long stick, holding at its tip. I keep making my drawings too big so the feet can't be seen - need to work on that.

I never truly 'got' how to hold a fountain pen properly. Add a sort of large version of one, set upon an easel, again holding the thing at the tip (and trembling), and frustration occurs. Unfortunately the ink decided to give up on me altogether on these!

Mercifully, the brush wasn't quite so difficult to go places with. But not hugely satisying either here.

Brush again, I actually quite like this one.

Week 4 - Pastels

I haven't used pastels in a long time. Like the week before, I feel I can get more messy then necessarily nice outcomes with the material. But it is good to try out and improve on these things!

Rather firey, I didn't realise I should probably have added more colours in.

However, I began to take this on board.

Still six weeks to go!

It's Snowing & Life Drawing

Quite a bit, but it's not settling on the grass at the moment.

So I booked up for a 10 week life drawing workshop. Started last week and discovered it was a proper taught one, harking back more to my Art Foundation and before days. I thought during it that actually this was exactly what I needed: a freshen up. My life drawings have not pleased me so much for a while so it's good to be getting ideas and techniques into my work again. Anyway, here's my stuff from the first two weeks. Taken photos as too big to scan.

Week One - Line:

Drawing with my left hand and then solely looking at the model, not the paper.

Using pen and pencil with both hands at the same time, aiming to make the closer [to me] a tad darker line.

Using two different pencils again, darker and the lighter line. The head went wrong here. The light pencil line for the leg was showing where it should have been going by actual distance and height between parts of the body.

Week Two - Tone:

Photographed not too clearly so some quick editing in Photoshop brought out the colour a bit better. Charcoal used only to show the darker tones of the body; not supposed to use lines.

Chalk is a lot of fun to work with - it really can give a pleasing effect. Chalk used to show the lighter parts of the body.

Chalk and charcoal used for light and dark.

I am also working on - and considering - other animation and illustration related things at the moment - maybe more on them soon.

The snow is beginning to settle more.

But It's Traditional

I have indeed uploaded more. Yay for traditional!

Most recent doodles of Puss in Boots, straight off with a black felt pen.

A little longer ago I felt I should get a feel of watercolours again. This is just a scruffy reintroduction (the fault partly being the watercolours are too faint), but I managed to edit it quite sweetly.

A young girl with her hamster.