Wednesday 30 October 2013

Captain Ratbeard

This is a bit of a jump from my previous post 'Cheetah chase' (more on that later). Below you can see a detailed rough of the next animal painting to go with my recent series of work.

I've decided to call him Captain Ratbeard, his long beard is braided but unlike Blackbeard it's not smouldering - I didn't think his hairs would stay lit in such a terrible sea storm. I introduced a tilt to the composition to add a bit of tension (see Dan Dos Santos post on tilting), I especially like the fact his body is counterbalancing the roll of ship as any good pirate with sea legs (or leg) would do.

The rat in the background, ropes and swinging lantern also provide a contrasting diagonal to the lines of the mast and wooden deck deck. I am yet to decide which direction the rain will be falling, with the wave or opposing.

The strongest contrasting in value will be focussed on Ratbeard's face. He'll provide a strong silhouette with his dark fur and hat against the foamy wave beating against the stern in the background.

Above is the transferred and outlined pencil drawing on watercolour paper ready to be painted. Below you can see it is on the same piece of stretched paper as 'Cheetah Chase' which is why I have not scanned that finished painting and posted it on the blog. Instead I have taped a plastic sheet over it as protection and been very careful to cover any gaps that might let in stray watercolour as I paint Captain Ratbeard.


Friday 25 October 2013

'Cheetah Chase' Progress

I took this photo on my mobile a couple of days ago. I'm now close to finishing but I have to wait until Monday before I'm back in my studio rummaging in my drawers for gouache paints. *Frustration*

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Apes Chasing A Cheetah In Ancient Greece

No I'm not having 'an episode', it's the detailed rough for my next watercolour painting which I developed using my perfectly 'rational imagination'.

Sunday 13 October 2013

Cotton House - Marlborough College


My first house portrait completed, although it's not a private home but a boarding house instead.

Cotton House is named after George Edward Lynch Cotton a well known victorian bishop and former headmaster of Marlborough College. Bishop Cotton left the college in 1858 to take up the office of Bishop of Calcutta, India. While in India, Bishop Cotton organised for shipments of clothing especially socks to be delivered to the poor Indian children he encountered on his travels. He would bless the crates of socks as they came in which gave birth to the phrase 'bless his/her little cotton socks'.

The original is now in the ownership of the current house master.