11"x7" Pen & Wash. A quickie done at the art-club. REALLY don't like it, but I'm posting the good, the bad and the downright ugly :-)
29 March, 2014
88 of 86
THE WISE ONE
11"x7" Pen & Wash. A quickie done at the art-club. REALLY don't like it, but I'm posting the good, the bad and the downright ugly :-)
11"x7" Pen & Wash. A quickie done at the art-club. REALLY don't like it, but I'm posting the good, the bad and the downright ugly :-)
11 March, 2014
86 of 86
JAMES NAUGHTON
16"x12" OILS. Well, whatd'ya know? I reached 86 paintings at last! Okay, so my original intention was to rattle off 86 8"x6" oil-paintings in quick succession and I failed, but nevertheless, I got through the numbers one way or another. And recently I have become a little more comfortable with oils, so I'll carry on and before I know it, I'll have completed the original goal.
Last Saturday I went to Bolton Art Gallery to view James Naughton's latest exhibition. He spent some time in the USA following in the footsteps of the great Thomas Moran and witnessed everything his 19th century hero had - and more. The exhibition was amazing and needless to say, there were some of Moran's pieces on display too.
Of all the Naughton pieces, my favourite was one entitled "Green River III". It was a tiny painting compared to some of the HUGE pieces on display, but for some reason it really shouted out to me, so I took a sneaky photo of it on my mobile phone. When I got home I had a quick go at it using the techniques Rob Miller had showed me the previous night. Again, it was pretty poor and I ended up cropping it severely, but I'm till gonna post it here and hope that at some point in the not too distant future, I'll be able to do a better job.
16"x12" OILS. Well, whatd'ya know? I reached 86 paintings at last! Okay, so my original intention was to rattle off 86 8"x6" oil-paintings in quick succession and I failed, but nevertheless, I got through the numbers one way or another. And recently I have become a little more comfortable with oils, so I'll carry on and before I know it, I'll have completed the original goal.
Last Saturday I went to Bolton Art Gallery to view James Naughton's latest exhibition. He spent some time in the USA following in the footsteps of the great Thomas Moran and witnessed everything his 19th century hero had - and more. The exhibition was amazing and needless to say, there were some of Moran's pieces on display too.
Of all the Naughton pieces, my favourite was one entitled "Green River III". It was a tiny painting compared to some of the HUGE pieces on display, but for some reason it really shouted out to me, so I took a sneaky photo of it on my mobile phone. When I got home I had a quick go at it using the techniques Rob Miller had showed me the previous night. Again, it was pretty poor and I ended up cropping it severely, but I'm till gonna post it here and hope that at some point in the not too distant future, I'll be able to do a better job.
85 of 86
ROB MILLER DEMO
16"x12" OILS. Last Friday I booked local professional artist, ROB MILLER to visit our Art Society and do a demo for us. I asked him to come along and explain how he goes about his many Plein Air sessions and to show us the materials, tools and methods he employs. Well, Rob turned up and proved to be an extremely popular visitor and he did a great painting.
As soon as I got home, I dug a cheap Winton Oil Pad (which is what Rob had used for his demo) and began to have a go at what Rob had shown us. It was nowhere near as good as his (obviously) but I really did enjoy putting into practise what he'd taught us. I would certainly feel much happier now going outdoors and having a go at painting some of the beautiful landscapes which are on our doorstep. Thanks Rob!
Had another go at this, but on a smaller 8x6" panel...
16"x12" OILS. Last Friday I booked local professional artist, ROB MILLER to visit our Art Society and do a demo for us. I asked him to come along and explain how he goes about his many Plein Air sessions and to show us the materials, tools and methods he employs. Well, Rob turned up and proved to be an extremely popular visitor and he did a great painting.
As soon as I got home, I dug a cheap Winton Oil Pad (which is what Rob had used for his demo) and began to have a go at what Rob had shown us. It was nowhere near as good as his (obviously) but I really did enjoy putting into practise what he'd taught us. I would certainly feel much happier now going outdoors and having a go at painting some of the beautiful landscapes which are on our doorstep. Thanks Rob!
Had another go at this, but on a smaller 8x6" panel...
15 February, 2014
84 of 86
EVIE
15"x11" Pen & Wash. This is my beautiful girl, Evie. She's three years old and nutty as a fruitcake (but in a nice way). Her coat is a light brindle but I just didn't fancy darkening down this lovely glow. Not worth framing, but I'll keep it hanging around in the 'studio'. :-)
UPDATE :
Decided that I couldn't leave it as it was, so I took it to the Art Club with me and worked on it with pastels until it was a more accurate representation of Evie's coat. It's still far from a perfect match, but Evie's coat is so very dark and that just wouldn't look attractive as a picture.
15"x11" Pen & Wash. This is my beautiful girl, Evie. She's three years old and nutty as a fruitcake (but in a nice way). Her coat is a light brindle but I just didn't fancy darkening down this lovely glow. Not worth framing, but I'll keep it hanging around in the 'studio'. :-)
Decided that I couldn't leave it as it was, so I took it to the Art Club with me and worked on it with pastels until it was a more accurate representation of Evie's coat. It's still far from a perfect match, but Evie's coat is so very dark and that just wouldn't look attractive as a picture.
83 of 86
SEASIDE VALENTINE
12"x6" Pen & Wash. This was just a quickie as a little gift to some friends who are hosting a Valentine's Day meal for us and a few other friends.
And here it is mounted and framed...
12"x6" Pen & Wash. This was just a quickie as a little gift to some friends who are hosting a Valentine's Day meal for us and a few other friends.
And here it is mounted and framed...
12 February, 2014
82 of 86
SUMMERTIME
18"x14" Pen & Wash. Yet another that's come out quite the opposite of how I intended it to look. I was copying a picture from the internet and as usual, it was the drawing which took the longest. As a result, it looks laboured and amateurish. Still, it's another painting and another lesson.
18"x14" Pen & Wash. Yet another that's come out quite the opposite of how I intended it to look. I was copying a picture from the internet and as usual, it was the drawing which took the longest. As a result, it looks laboured and amateurish. Still, it's another painting and another lesson.
10 February, 2014
81 of 86
Brusho Attempt 2
22"x15" Brusho and Watercolour. This is the second play with Brusho. Started by laying down a watercolour wash and then added Brusho around the sun (which I'd reserved with masking fluid) before adding some rather odd looking trees :-)
22"x15" Brusho and Watercolour. This is the second play with Brusho. Started by laying down a watercolour wash and then added Brusho around the sun (which I'd reserved with masking fluid) before adding some rather odd looking trees :-)
80 of 86
Brusho Attempt 1
22"x15" Brusho and Watercolour. This is my first play with Brusho. Recently saw Judith Farnworth playing with some and decided to buy a set. Never used them before in my life so I thought it best to go down the 'abstract' route to play it safe. It went WAY too dark in the end, but it was a learning process - will have another play.
22"x15" Brusho and Watercolour. This is my first play with Brusho. Recently saw Judith Farnworth playing with some and decided to buy a set. Never used them before in my life so I thought it best to go down the 'abstract' route to play it safe. It went WAY too dark in the end, but it was a learning process - will have another play.
08 February, 2014
78 & 79 of 86
YAOWARAT MARKET
22" x 15" PEN & WASH. I had a go at this TWICE because the first one just sank into pools of mud and lifelessness. On the second attempt I was sure I could control myself but again, I found myself mixing the wrong hues and blaa, blaa, blaa. I just don't seem to be getting any closer to where I want to be.
31 January, 2014
77 of 86
THAI MARKET
15" x 11" PEN & WASH. Had a stab at this painting at the art club tonight. The original was done superbly by the artist Direk Kingnok, a magnificent watercolourist from Thailand. Mine is majorly pathetic by comparison, but I had fun doing it and learned little bits.
76 of 86
MR DARCY
16" x 12" OIL. Allow me to introduce Mr Darcy! He is a Boston Terrier and belongs to my sister. The most notable feature of these dogs (IMHO) is the bulging eyeballs and I have accentuated that feature in a comical way. I spent quite a bit of time staring at this painting, wondering if it was finished. I feel that maybe I should carry on with lots more brush marks to give it a more "sketchy" feel, but I don't want to risk ruining it because my sister (and her family) like it as it is.
26 January, 2014
75 of 86
THE SQUARE
11" x 7" WATERCOLOUR. I started this sketch after looking through one of Judi Whitton's books about painting loosely. I did a rough sketch and set about with the idea of just 'dropping in' touches of colour here and there. Suggestions! Hmmph! That didn't work out as usual, because my stupid brain just tells me to fill everything in. What an idiot!
Judith Farnworth saw the image on FaceBook and very kindly sent me an encouraging PM along with some hints and tips, so I'll give it another go in due course :-)
24 January, 2014
74 of 86
WATERCOLOUR DEMO
After the success of painting 'Frank' the Boxer dog, I decided to have a stab at another dog painting, but this time I thought I'd film it so that I could post a video on YouTube for the benefit of rank beginners. I should have known better because the finished painting was nowhere near as good as 'Frank'. It all went pretty pear-shaped. Irrespective of the failed painting, I thought I'd post the video anyway :-)
After the success of painting 'Frank' the Boxer dog, I decided to have a stab at another dog painting, but this time I thought I'd film it so that I could post a video on YouTube for the benefit of rank beginners. I should have known better because the finished painting was nowhere near as good as 'Frank'. It all went pretty pear-shaped. Irrespective of the failed painting, I thought I'd post the video anyway :-)
23 January, 2014
TRAVEL BRUSHES
Escoda Kolinsky Sable Travel Brush
I have a JFW Studio Palette made by The Little Brass Box Company and struggled to find suitable brushes for it. The problem is, of course, that when in transit, the brushes slide up and down in their tray and the hairs become misshapen which results in damage to expensive brushes.
Originally, I'd had a set of W&N Series-7 brushes in the tray and could now kick myself because a couple of them were spoiled. Once I realised what was going on, I started to insert a sponge which trapped the brushes in place when the lids were closed but even that only prevented movement if the box was transported carefully.
The eventual answer came when I spotted some Travel Brushes from Ken Bromleys in Bolton. They were made by a company called Escoda who are endorsed by none other than John Yardley and they're made from Kolinsky Sable. They come in light metal tubes and can quite literally be thrown about inside a paintbox or bag without any fear of damage. Most travel brushes are limited by the fact that you need them to dry out very thoroughly before putting them away, but luckily, the Escodas have a ventilation hole in the end so that you can close them up without worrying too much. Obviously, you would need to remove as much moisture as possible before storing, but there isn't the same worry of mildew forming as there is with other designs. Irrespective of the ventilation, it's always a good idea to dry them when you get home.
In use, the protective cover tubes form part of the brush handle and you end up with a very comfortable length and don't feel like you're having to compromise. The brushes hold a good amount of water and quickly come to a point. The range includes sizes 2,4,6,8,10 and 12, although they seem a little smaller than other brushes of the same marked size. A full set at Ken Bromley's costs less than £70. Now that's a bargain!!
I like them so much that I often find myself reaching for them in the studio as well as outdoors.
I also have a set of Winsor & Newton Series-7 Retractable brushes in a small Field Box. I bought them years ago and although they're very neat, they're not the slightest bit comfortable to use. In fact, when using them, there's a tendency for the brush to start retracting! They're very annoying but I can't throw them away (or even bring myself to sell them), LOL.
In my Craig Young palette, I have a set of DaVinci Maestro Travel Brushes. Now these are quite good in that the protective tube screws firmly to the brush, forming a good handle. The only down-side to these Kolinsky Sable brushes is that it can be a bit of a pain putting the brush back inside the tube. There's always the risk that you might catch a hair or two and bend it backwards. I've done that a couple of times and have been lucky enough to notice - otherwise it would have buggered it up. Also, they only have a tiny ventilation hole so I always have to let them dry out thoroughly before storing.
Finally, I've also got a set of Pro Arte Travel Brushes that I keep at my caravan. Unfortunately, I can't say much about them because they're not here and I haven't really given them much use yet.
Originally, I'd had a set of W&N Series-7 brushes in the tray and could now kick myself because a couple of them were spoiled. Once I realised what was going on, I started to insert a sponge which trapped the brushes in place when the lids were closed but even that only prevented movement if the box was transported carefully.
The eventual answer came when I spotted some Travel Brushes from Ken Bromleys in Bolton. They were made by a company called Escoda who are endorsed by none other than John Yardley and they're made from Kolinsky Sable. They come in light metal tubes and can quite literally be thrown about inside a paintbox or bag without any fear of damage. Most travel brushes are limited by the fact that you need them to dry out very thoroughly before putting them away, but luckily, the Escodas have a ventilation hole in the end so that you can close them up without worrying too much. Obviously, you would need to remove as much moisture as possible before storing, but there isn't the same worry of mildew forming as there is with other designs. Irrespective of the ventilation, it's always a good idea to dry them when you get home.
In use, the protective cover tubes form part of the brush handle and you end up with a very comfortable length and don't feel like you're having to compromise. The brushes hold a good amount of water and quickly come to a point. The range includes sizes 2,4,6,8,10 and 12, although they seem a little smaller than other brushes of the same marked size. A full set at Ken Bromley's costs less than £70. Now that's a bargain!!
I like them so much that I often find myself reaching for them in the studio as well as outdoors.
I also have a set of Winsor & Newton Series-7 Retractable brushes in a small Field Box. I bought them years ago and although they're very neat, they're not the slightest bit comfortable to use. In fact, when using them, there's a tendency for the brush to start retracting! They're very annoying but I can't throw them away (or even bring myself to sell them), LOL.
15 January, 2014
73 of 86
FRANK
15" x 11" WATERCOLOUR. Here's something I knocked out tonight in less than an hour. Quick sketch with big, loose, sloppy paintbrush to keep things spontaneous. The dog is called Frank and is a white Boxer belonging to some family members on my wife's side, living in Yorkshire. As you can probably guess, the painting is headed there :-)
Within minutes of posting this on FaceBook, I was deluged with messages asking me to paint their dogs. Couldn't believe the response!!!
MORE INSPIRATION
ROLAND HERRERA
I received an email last night from someone called Roland Hererra. He was complimenting my artwork and so obviously, I looked at his webpages and found that this compliment was coming from a very accomplished artist! I browsed through his wonderful watercolours on Flickr and fell in love with his work. There's something very special about it to me and I'll be following his pages closely. Pop by and take a look... HERE.
Roland's main website is HERE.
13 January, 2014
71 & 72 of 86
MORE QUICK SKETCHES
11" x 7" LINE & WASH. Here's another couple I knocked out at last week's Art Club meeting. I've just been looking over my last few paintings and have realised that I'm not really learning anything - I'm so damned lazy - I'm just doing what's convenient instead of what's required!
08 January, 2014
69 & 70 of 86
QUICK SKETCHES
11" x 7" LINE & WASH. These are a couple I knocked out at last week's Art Club meeting...
29 November, 2013
68 of 86
SUPERB STARLING
11" x 7" LINE & WASH. When I say "Superb Starling" I'm not complimenting myself - that's the name of the bird in the picture, lol. This was a quickie for the SAA's Weekly Competition (Wk8). Did it tonight at the art-club.
11" x 7" LINE & WASH. When I say "Superb Starling" I'm not complimenting myself - that's the name of the bird in the picture, lol. This was a quickie for the SAA's Weekly Competition (Wk8). Did it tonight at the art-club.
05 November, 2013
67 of 86
MARQUEZ, ROSSI & MORRIS
15" x 11" LINE & WASH. This was just a bit of fun aimed at my mate who's just started racing his CBR600 having been assigned the Racing Number 14. It only took an hour.
15" x 11" LINE & WASH. This was just a bit of fun aimed at my mate who's just started racing his CBR600 having been assigned the Racing Number 14. It only took an hour.
03 November, 2013
66 of 86
MARKET DAY
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I did this one over the weekend while chilling out at the caravan. Well actually, I'd started it at the Art Club on Friday night but never got around to finishing it there. The drawing took me AGES and involved more eraser than pencil, LOL. Once I was pretty happy with the outline, I started to go over it with pen and added loads of random detail. Personally, I feel that the drawing is better than the painting.
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I did this one over the weekend while chilling out at the caravan. Well actually, I'd started it at the Art Club on Friday night but never got around to finishing it there. The drawing took me AGES and involved more eraser than pencil, LOL. Once I was pretty happy with the outline, I started to go over it with pen and added loads of random detail. Personally, I feel that the drawing is better than the painting.
65 of 86
CATS EYES
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I found this on Judith Farnworth's Blog and decided ti have a go at it. As far as I'm concerned, Judith's is FAR better, but she got in touch with me on FaceBook and said she actually preferred mine!! That's a massive compliment coming from such a great artist. Well chuffed!
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I found this on Judith Farnworth's Blog and decided ti have a go at it. As far as I'm concerned, Judith's is FAR better, but she got in touch with me on FaceBook and said she actually preferred mine!! That's a massive compliment coming from such a great artist. Well chuffed!
31 October, 2013
64 of 86
VALENTINO ROSSI
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I love Rossi and I've always fancied doing a painting but each time I tried, I always gave in because it was just taking far too long to get the drawing right. This time I persevered. I started by using a soft pencil (and LOTS of putty rubber) until I was happy with it (which took me about 2 hours) and then I went over it with an artist's sketch pen before finally laying on some light washes. I need to go back to it and apply some more blue layers to darken up the bike, but other than that, it's finished. Not totally happy but I think that's because it felt like hard work throughout.
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I love Rossi and I've always fancied doing a painting but each time I tried, I always gave in because it was just taking far too long to get the drawing right. This time I persevered. I started by using a soft pencil (and LOTS of putty rubber) until I was happy with it (which took me about 2 hours) and then I went over it with an artist's sketch pen before finally laying on some light washes. I need to go back to it and apply some more blue layers to darken up the bike, but other than that, it's finished. Not totally happy but I think that's because it felt like hard work throughout.
63 of 86
CLOVELLY, DEVON (again)
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. This is my second attempt at portraying the beauty of Clovelly. This time I looked at a different part of the village and included two view. I was quite pleased with the sketch but less so with the washes. I tend to go in with my eyes shut instead of thinking about what it is I'm trying to achieve. Ah well.
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. This is my second attempt at portraying the beauty of Clovelly. This time I looked at a different part of the village and included two view. I was quite pleased with the sketch but less so with the washes. I tend to go in with my eyes shut instead of thinking about what it is I'm trying to achieve. Ah well.
30 October, 2013
62 of 86
CLOVELLY, DEVON
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. This particular painting was done in response to the weekly SAA competition. It's nothing like the competition photo, but it is at least a scene from Clovelly. I'll probably do an additional painting that better represents the competition image.
11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. This particular painting was done in response to the weekly SAA competition. It's nothing like the competition photo, but it is at least a scene from Clovelly. I'll probably do an additional painting that better represents the competition image.
28 October, 2013
58, 59, 60 and 61 of 86
JOURNALS
Rather than keep trying to produce bigger paintings which no one would buy and frame anyway, I thought I'd take a different route to learning and enjoying painting watercolours. I'm going to start to produce a "Journal".
Basically, I'll fill the pages of the journal with random sketches of the things and places around me. Where I go, what I see and generally the things that I'm interested in. To kick it off, I've started with some stuff from my favourite place - The Forest of Bowland. I spend a lot of my time around here and can now add to the enjoyment of it all by sketching.
There's no pressure to produce a masterpiece and therefore the enjoyment of it all is enhanced. Each piece is painted on a piece of 250g Bockingford Rough paper and is sized 11"x7.5" (280mmx190mm).
I paint on BOTH SIDES of the paper and when I've done a few, I'll spiral-bind them to form the journal and will probably include a painted cover. It seems to me that these will then be easily viewable rather than hidden away in a cupboard somewhere. It will also be good to watch myself progress as time goes by (hopefully). As someone said to me, it will be a great aide-memoire! Here's the first 4 pages....
Rather than keep trying to produce bigger paintings which no one would buy and frame anyway, I thought I'd take a different route to learning and enjoying painting watercolours. I'm going to start to produce a "Journal".
Basically, I'll fill the pages of the journal with random sketches of the things and places around me. Where I go, what I see and generally the things that I'm interested in. To kick it off, I've started with some stuff from my favourite place - The Forest of Bowland. I spend a lot of my time around here and can now add to the enjoyment of it all by sketching.
There's no pressure to produce a masterpiece and therefore the enjoyment of it all is enhanced. Each piece is painted on a piece of 250g Bockingford Rough paper and is sized 11"x7.5" (280mmx190mm).
I paint on BOTH SIDES of the paper and when I've done a few, I'll spiral-bind them to form the journal and will probably include a painted cover. It seems to me that these will then be easily viewable rather than hidden away in a cupboard somewhere. It will also be good to watch myself progress as time goes by (hopefully). As someone said to me, it will be a great aide-memoire! Here's the first 4 pages....
24 October, 2013
57 of 86
ANNE MORTIMER
Tonight I had a go at one of Anne's pieces from her blog. On it, she kindly provides a simple outline sketch to make it easy to draw and then a series of photos showing the work in progress. As usual, good artists make it look so simple, but it rarely is! I got bogged down with this one and the background colours went all over the place. 11"x7.5" Watercolour, Pen & Wash.
Same night I also got a text from my sister saying she was having a go at watercolours. She sent me a tiny image via phone and asked me to have a go, so I had a quick doodle and here it is...
Tonight I had a go at one of Anne's pieces from her blog. On it, she kindly provides a simple outline sketch to make it easy to draw and then a series of photos showing the work in progress. As usual, good artists make it look so simple, but it rarely is! I got bogged down with this one and the background colours went all over the place. 11"x7.5" Watercolour, Pen & Wash.
Same night I also got a text from my sister saying she was having a go at watercolours. She sent me a tiny image via phone and asked me to have a go, so I had a quick doodle and here it is...
18 October, 2013
53, 54 and 56 of 86
SAA WEEKLY COMPETITION
This week's competition is a Scottish scene and rather than jump in head first, I've decided to do 3 paintings and then choose one to submit. These are the first two. Not really happy with them, but getting there.
This week's competition is a Scottish scene and rather than jump in head first, I've decided to do 3 paintings and then choose one to submit. These are the first two. Not really happy with them, but getting there.
1st attempt
2nd attempt
Final attempt.
I like the style of the second one - looks like it's from a journal but I wasn't sure that it would appeal to everyone, so I did another and submitted the 3rd one.
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Our Own Art-Club!
Each Friday we go to the local Art-Club in Horwich. It's a thriving club with a broad range of people of all ages and skill-levels. Apart from the regular painting sessions, we have many professional artists visiting us to demonstrate their skills and to run workshops.
But sometimes, it's nice when just a few friends get together mid-week too, and so here we are in Simon's "studio", benefitting from the skill and experience of his father, Brian Waddington. It looks a bit cramped in there, but we were just huddled together to fit in the photo frame :-)
And you can drink beer in this club! :-)
But sometimes, it's nice when just a few friends get together mid-week too, and so here we are in Simon's "studio", benefitting from the skill and experience of his father, Brian Waddington. It looks a bit cramped in there, but we were just huddled together to fit in the photo frame :-)
And you can drink beer in this club! :-)
