Chris Dunn Illustration/Design

Selected For The RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition And Exhibition

2012-01-27T20:34:00.000Z

'Cracked Matador'

'It's Raining, It's Pouring'

Who'd 'av thunk it!? (yes that's thunk with a U). Both 'Cracked Matador' and 'It's Raining, It's Pouring' have been selected for the Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Competition. The exhibition of all finalists will be held at the Bankside Gallery from 24th February - 14th March. You can get a sneaky preview of all the selected artists by visiting the RWS website and downloading their PDF list.

I'm especially pleased that 'It's Raining, It's Pouring' was accepted as it didn't make the cut for the RWA last Autumn.

Levi Art Order Challenge Pt 3

2012-01-20T14:56:00.000Z

The sketch deadline for the ArtOrder Levi Challenge is today! Above is my entry. If you've been following my recent posts you've seen how the composition and anatomy of the figures has developed. If you haven't click here for part 1 and part 2.

Another recommendation I picked up from Andrew Loomis in 'Figure Drawing For All It's Worth', was to sketch with a soft pencil, using the point for line work and the flat of the lead for tone. I tried it out with the above sketch and I'll be sticking with 3B pencils for now on. Using a softer pencil gives me a broader range in tone and speeds up drawing no end!

Levi Art Order Challenge Pt 2

2012-01-16T20:18:00.000Z

Above you can see some recent studies I sketched for the Levi Challenge over at ArtOrder. Both sketches I fleshed out using an incredibly useful figure drawing book and no photo reference. 'What is this book?' I hear you cry. It's 'Figure Drawing For All It's Worth' by Andrew Loomis. Originally published in the U.S 1946 and aimed at commercial artists who wanted to draw the figure quickly and convincingly with little or no reference. The book was a huge success and seems to have been devoured by just about every representational illustrator and comic artist working in the U.S today. I've noted lots of references online over the years by artists quoting the 'Loomis way' and calling for his instructional books to be re-printed. Titan Books have listened to these requests and acted on them. All I can say is I wish it was printed while I was still in University.

The above studies have helped me to establish the correct perspective and horizon line (just above the knee) I am going to use in the final pencil work for the Levi Challenge. I'm hoping to have the sketch finished before Friday.

John Atkinson Grimshaw At The Guildhall Art Gallery

2012-01-10T20:29:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

I must apologise for my absence but I'm sure you won't begrudge it giving the time of year?

Let me kick off 2011 a quick highlight on the Atkinson Grimshaw 'Painter Of Moonlight' exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London.

Fortunately last week I spotted a preview of the exhibition on Charley Parker's excellent blog 'Lines And Colors' which I urge you to visit. Seen as I had to be in London yesterday to pick up some artwork I took advantage of my situation and hot footed it to the Guildhall.

The Victorian oil painter Grimshaw was believed to be self taught and I agree. His colour control was masterful and he seemed to have developed a muted colour formula for his ever popular nocturnes but his drawing skills were perhaps a tad wobbly. This would explain his reliance on photographs for reference which didn't go down well with his contemporaries. However painting at night in the 21st century is a challenge so it must have been a ridiculous task in the 19th century (no head torch back then).

I don't think Grimshaw tried to hide his use of photographs which I'm sure other Victorian artists did. In fact in one painting at the exhibition it appears he has painted directly on top of a sepia photograph then added the odd figure from imagination but only halfheartedly as if to say 'this bit is mine and this bit... is a photograph'.

The exhibition finishes on the 15th but will then be travelling to Harrogate for a long stint at the Mercer Art Gallery. It's well worth a visit with the added benefit of being close to Leeds so you can see how the streets in Grimshaw's paintings have changed.

As for the Guildhall gallery's permanent collection, it is a quality collection of Victorian painters. Alma Tadema, Rossetti, Tissot, Frederick Leighton and Millais all make stellar appearances and if that wasn't a good enough reason to visit there are the remains of a Roman Ampitheatre in the cellar.

Next Time...

I'll try to post some artwork but it could prove difficult because my current projects have to be kept under wraps.

Progress on ArtOrder and RWS Call For Entries

2011-12-19T15:47:00.000Z

Below you can see my latest revised rough for the ArtOrder Levi Challenge. I keep uploading different versions to WipNation in the hope other users will comment, critque and generally steer me towards a better image. So far it seems to be working.

I have to stress these sketches are done quickly and without figure reference. When I'm happy with the composition I shall photograph myself in these poses to guide me for the final pencil work.

In other news the RWS (Royal Watercolour Society) has released a Call For Entries for it's Open Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2012. The deadline is 11th January, I think I can feel a portfolio raid coming on!

Levi Art Order Challenge

2011-12-14T11:50:00.000Z

There's an interesting Art Order Challenge on at the moment especially if you like medieval gravediggers and walking skeletons.

You can track my progress here. There are still lots of things I need to address in my initial sketches and I'm sure more will become apparent as people comment. However for now I'll post my current version below.

Editorial Illustration for 'Britains Most Admired Companies' Pt 2

2011-12-12T10:01:00.002Z

Below you can see the finished illustrations. I was very pleased with the end result and once again the concentrated watercolour inks played a significant role in Tony Pidgley's suit. I was able to lay down the tones in his jacket without overly worrying about maintaining soft edges because I knew the second layer of inks would blend the folds and creases together nicely. The pinstripes and highlights were then suggested with pencil crayon.

Tony Pidgley Portrait for Management Today Magazine

'Most Admired British Companies' cityscape for

Management Today Magazine

The illustrations seemed to print quite dark in the magazine and I'm not too sure why. Next time I'll have to lighten everything a tad in Photoshop.

For more about the process involved to create these illustrations view my previous post here

Editorial Illustration for 'Britains Most Admired Companies'

2011-12-06T19:39:00.001Z

Last month I was given the opportunity to work on one of Management Today's most important annual features, their top 10 of the most admired British companies. Put simply, you don't turn these jobs down.

I only had a fortnight to work on two finished illustrations however in reality I had much less because I have to spend three days a week away from my studio. Thankfully the concept was already in place before I started work on the roughs freeing up more time for the final pieces.

The first illustration was to be a portrait of Tony Pidgley, Chairman of the Berkeley Group and winner of this year's 'MT Most Admired'. The brief was to picture him in a cheerful mood with a recent Berkeley Group building development across the Thames in the background. Below you can see the pencil work and the following stage which was an acrylic burnt sienna lay-in. Acrylic under-paintings are starting to become a regular first stage for my watercolour illustrations, especially if they need to be completed speedily. The acrylic stops the pencil work dissolving in wash after wash of watercolour and also pushes through colours laid on top, giving interesting effects such as warm edges to cool colours.

These progress photos are a bit dark, the burnt sienna was more orange brown than dark brown.

The other illustration was a double page spread of an imaginary cityscape (based on Canary Wharf) in which all the top ten companies were represented by individual skyscrapers. The blank boards on each will have the company logo added digitally. The final pencil work was given the same acrylic treatment as the portrait illos but also with a hint of shadow being cast along the bottom of the buildings. Is it sunrise or sunset? I'm not sure but it certainly makes the painting more dramatic. The river in both paintings ties the images together.

In my next post I shall reveal the finished illustrations and how they looked in the magazine which arrived in the post yesterday morning.

F-Block Portrait - TICK!

2011-11-30T20:30:00.000Z

Regular readers will know this piece has been on the back-burner for much too long. Thankfully the gentleman who commissioned it has bags of patience which can be very rare these days. I eventually completed his son's portrait yesterday with my increasingly invaluable 'Dr P.H Martin Radiant Concentrated Watercolour Inks'.

Before you ask, no I haven't signed a sponsorship deal with the manufacturers, however they are incredible. If you like strong watercolours buy some now. I glazed the blue shirt in one application and even then it was heavily diluted. The same goes for the mixing desk (bottom right). There is so much potential for wet in wet techniques I'm uncontrollably itching to experiment.

Another revelation yesterday was white graphite paper. I picked up a sheet from work (I moonlight in an art shop but it's only open during the day so I suppose I'm daylighting?) to see if I could transfer white text onto the finished blue shirt. See below for the results.

The transfer was quite strong so I putty rubbered (erased) the text ever so slightly so they blended in better with the lighting and folds of cloth. Another hurdle overcome, the next time I require reams of text on a dark surface I know just the trick.

Preliminary Sketches For Swindon Montage

2011-11-29T15:01:00.000Z

Just in case you'd like to see them...

A good insurance policy is to annotate rough sketches especially if, like me, you suffer from a scatterbrain. They could be notes on colour or style but in this case I wanted to make sure I adjusted the composition before I commenced with the final piece.

Swindon Montage

2011-11-24T20:33:00.000Z

Many moons ago I studied in Swindon and up until a year ago I was still living there. I can't say the town itself ever particularly inspired me to paint but it does have some interesting features.

For example Swindon's heritage is based on the railways built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (only he could get away with that name) so not surprisingly there is a large statue of the man in the town centre. The old Town Hall is a gorgeous redbrick Victorian beast and one of a few such buildings surviving in the town. Then there are the more modern constructions such as Swindon's solitary skyscraper the David Murray John Tower and futuristic leisure centre dome called The Oasis. Also another statue is the Blondini acrobats, I'm at a loss as to why it was made but it's certainly eye catching. Finally in this long list there is arguably Swindon's most famous landmark and something which 'drives' the fear of God into the petrified hearts of all learner drivers - THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT. Imagine a massive roundabout that feeds 5 busy exits, none of which are governed by traffic lights. Then imagine this monster is actually made up of 5 interlocking mini roundabouts which often have two lanes encircling them. It's ordered chaos and yet I have never seen an accident on it.

Anyway why am I babbling on about Swindon? It's not a habit of mine but I thought you might need some background knowledge before you saw my latest private commission below.

Swindon Montage 30 x 42cm

I was asked to keep this painting simple. Really it is more of a pencil line drawing with a light wash of watercolour at the end. Thankfully the end result ticked all the criteria and I had a happy customer!

Advertising Fun!

2011-11-14T09:20:00.000Z

Here we have a couple of illustrations I completed for Admap Magazine. I've never worked for the magazine before but they now use an Art Director I know so I was in reasonably familiar territory.

The concept was simple but effective. Advertising agencies are increasingly using games and fun activities to promote their products, this seems to have really taken of online in the last few years. The main illustration was to suggest this by showing a bright and colourful funfair scene growing out of a man's head. The head had to be suitably pensive and grey to emphasize the punchy funfair on top.

Below you can see the main feature, a detail and a spot illustration.

As you can see the style is very different to what I normally produce but it often pays to expand your skills in any walk of life. I'm sure a few years ago I would have struggled to mix pencil, Illustrator and Photoshop and still achieve the same standard.

F-Block Portrait Progress

2011-11-01T20:45:00.000Z

Oh! Well done you survived last night. It's good to see you. Oh no is that a claw scratch? Perhaps you should be careful next full moon... you know... just in case.

I've been having a lovely time today, there's nothing better than painting away with the radio on and few distractions. But first let me take you back in time a couple of days to the final pencil and under-painting stage.

Above is the final pencil work on stretched Arches Satin Smooth Watercolour paper.

I decided to try a Paynes Grey Watercolour under-painting. Normally I would got with Burnt Sienna or Ultramarine and always in acrylic, however I wanted to keep the skin tones and background very neutral and also have the option of lifting them out if the Grey was too overpowering.

So finally here is where the painting is at right now. I've very nearly finished the background and 'fleshy bits' really just using four colours (Paynes Grey, Rose Dore, Sepia, Yellow Ochre). With the shirt I've blocked in where the main shadows are going to be. I'll let that dry then glaze over that with Paynes Grey which will hopefully make the fabric soften and appear blue in a restricted palette sort of way.

Slight problem, but a good one to have... I have to start a large editorial commission tomorrow so this portrait is going straight to the back burner along with everything else until mid November.

F-Block Portrait

2011-10-31T17:36:00.000Z

After quite a hectic month I've managed to find some time to make in-roads on a private commission. Waaaaay back at the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition private view I met a very nice gentlemen named Wilson Cotton. A few days after our first meeting he got in touch with an offer for me to paint a portrait of his son Nick. Turns out Nick is a young DJ who has recently performed on the BBC introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival under the name F-Block and he is making quite a stir on the dance circuit. Click here for his video.

Below you can see my initial sketches based on photographs from his BBC set.

Selected Thumbnail

Detailed Rough

Perhaps you can see in Nick's shirt various bits of text. These are the song titles from his set list on the night.

Tomorrow I'll post the final pencil and the first stages of colour. Until then try and survive the night Muhahahahahahaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Reviews Of The Bath Prize

2011-10-26T20:21:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple of links for you. Both are reviews of the Bath Art Prize, one by Katherine Tyyrell on Making A Mark (click here), the other by Linda Kasmaty on Swindon Open Studios 2011 blog (click here). Linda's other half popped into the shop I work in part-time yesterday and I told him what had been happening. In almost no time Linda was on the phone asking me permission to do a write up.

Tonight the Bath Art Prize Winners Were Announced...

2011-10-20T21:48:00.000+01:00

And I was the shocked to discover I received first prize!! Below is the winning piece. You can view my progress by visiting my previous post (click here).

May I say thank you to the organizers of the Bath Prize at Art Ventures and all the judges who had a tough time whittling the entries down. I've just got back from the private view which is a must for anybody who likes art and lives in the South West of England. For more details click here.

The Elephant & Castle

2011-10-17T16:14:00.000+01:00

I have recently completed an unusual commission - artwork for a musical theatre poster. So far in my short career this type of thing hasn't been requested of me so I went into this all guns blazing which possibly explains why I became too excited and stretched an enormous piece of paper to work on. A week into the final painting and I was flagging. Apart from jumping between another project and this one, it was taking an age to get the rich dark tones I was after. When you have a deadline looming and watercolour is your choice of medium this can sometimes be a problem so any normal person would work smaller but not me, I like to make things difficult for myself it seems.

So after grumbling and losing sleep I decided to scan the unfinished painting and drop it into Photoshop for a bit of computer wizardry. I quickly had multiple layers of rich dark colours zapping from my wacom tablet. Something that would have taken days in watercolour was digitally knocked up in an afternoon thus saving me time and helping me reach the slightly (by then) extended deadline.

What have I learned? Plan painting timescales based on the size AND content of the projected artwork. It makes sense that large scale works which contain loose details or light pastel colours are generally less time consuming than those with rivers of dark hues and mountains of details. Also another lesson to keep in mind is Photoshop shop can cover up a multitude of sins, great for illustration, not so great for original art exhibitions.

Rant over, I'm still best friends with my watercolours but now more aware of my limitations when using them.

Regarding the musical, hopefully it will be on stage next year in London. When I get hold of dates I will post them up for all to see!

Children's Book Rally Update

2011-10-10T09:07:00.001+01:00

Illustration Rally have posted my entry (above) into their Children's Book Rally Competition. You can view quite a few of the entries and mine in more detail by visiting Illustration Rally.

The finished artwork is watercolour wash on Bristol board then pencil crayon on top of that to flesh out the colours. I then scanned the originals into Photoshop and built up the shadows and highlights using a brush on multiply layers. When I completed the images I placed the speech bubbles using tracing paper and then inked in the text with a fine-liner pen. These were also scanned in, cleaned up in Photoshop and then added to the artwork as a separate layer.

The story is of my own creation based on a boy called Walt and a whale who visits Walt's town to try and get his bones back. You can see the bones in the top image.

Agnes Sloan Memorial Prizewinner!

2011-10-03T11:18:00.000+01:00

This was a very nice surprise, I can tell you!!

I have won the opportunity to illustrate a new children's book titled 'Momo And The Totobrats' with Birkbeck Hauxwell Publishing. At the moment I'm waiting for the manuscript to come through and to start liaising with the author which is frustrating because I can't wait to get started.

Now, so far I have managed to avoid posting a photo of myself on the blog (you can see why) but a photo was requested for publicity so I thought I might as well add it here. Perhaps I should add a health warning - 'Beware! Viewers may unexpectedly turn to stone. Chris Dunn Illustration will not be held accountable for masonry side effects, gouging of eyes etc etc...'

Children's Book Rally

2011-09-28T16:59:00.000+01:00

Short synopsis of 'Give Me My Bones Back' by Chris Dunn:

Walt is a small boy who lives in Shacottiby-on-Sea with his mum, his father died in a fishing accident involving a Blue Whale. The story begins with the appearance of a Blue Whale in Shawcottiby harbour who demands to have two bones returned to him. His bones are part of a large monument erected on a cliff top overlooking the town and are very dear to the towns people so they refuse to return them. A stand-off between the whale and the town ensues which last weeks. Walt is the only person who sympathises with the whale and decides to help him. He dodges the local bullies to loosen the bones from their brackets but has to stop to avoid being caught. He fails in his attempt to free the bones but that night there is a storm and lightning strikes the bones popping them out of their brackets and down into the sea. Walt doesn't find out until the morning that the bones and the whale have left Shawcottiby.

The above is a synopsis of a Children's book I have written. I have also finished two double page spreads which are the first four pages of the story. Why have I done this you ask? Because the blog Illustration Rally are holding a competition which ends this Friday that offers the chance to meet with some Children's book heavyweights. All you have to do is enter two DPSs of artwork and a synopsis of the story if it is an original manuscript.

I'm not going to release any of the finished artwork but for your viewing pleasure here are some quick sketches which I used to transfer onto Bristol board when working on the final pieces.

Shawcottiby is an anagram of Whitby Coast, somewhere I have regularly visited since I was young enough to be pushed about in a pram. Whitby's fantastic cobbled alleys and steep cliffs are a perfect setting for any kind of story, no wonder Bram Stoker first thought of Dracula there.

Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2011 Mini Review

2011-09-20T22:20:00.001+01:00

This time last week I visited the private view for the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. For me this was a lot of firsts. For a start it was my first private view, the first exhibition in London I have taken part in, my first entry in the competition and the first time I have seen a contemporary exhibition dedicated solely to watercolour.

The standard was very high, I still can't believe I was part of it especially when I saw the exhibition catalogue front cover. However walking around the room I quickly realised there was a distinct lack of figurative work. Maybe a large amount of portraits and such like didn't make it past the initial selecting stage or perhaps figures in watercolour paintings are not fashionable or don't sell? Who knows and who cares!? Next year I'm going for something with lots of figures - not too sure exactly what but there will be humans none the less.

Regarding the prizewinners, John Hunt won 1st prize (a pleasant landscape done in the purist watercolour tradition but not the best in show), Jonathan Pitts received 2nd prize (an arresting atmospheric painting of the river Avon, a worthy winner), Dennis Roxby Bott won the cityscape prize (a cracking name and an equally cracking watercolour similar in style to David Roberts, solid draftsmanship with a superb limited palette) and Philip Ciolina won the vintage classic cover art prize (not a lot of painting went into the piece but it suits the poetry book it will feature on). To view the winners and a much better write up click here.

A few other artists that stood in my opinion were Paul Birkbeck with his The Amorous Newt, David Forster's A High Wind Blew Over The Land, And The Colours Flew (Edinburgh) and Janet Kenyon's Manhattan. I should have taken photos but I'm afraid I was more interested in the free wine!

In other news I'm working on a couple of things which have to stay hidden for the time being, however I will post some of the loose sketches associated with these projects.

'It's Raining, It's Pouring...

2011-09-12T09:14:00.002+01:00

I finally completed my RWA entry over the weekend. The final artwork is roughly the size of A4 (29 x 21cm), maybe not the biggest but very detailed. I decided early on to include the rhyme 'It's raining, it's pouring,' in the painting. Below you can see details of where I hid the lyrics.

You might also have noticed that the painting seems very speckled. This was not an effect I wanted so I had to lay over some gouache especially on the old man's face to smooth the colours. I have a few theories as to why the paper speckled so much. Normally this only happens when I'm working very wet layer upon layer but in this case it could have been dust on the paper or more likely the grain was damaged. The piece of watercolour paper was actually an off-cut that had been sliding around in the paper roll packaging for a few months. So note to self be wary of cars, motorbikes, rabid dogs and old bits of watercolour paper.

Failed Sleuth

2011-09-07T12:06:00.001+01:00

Here's a quick post for you! A complete break from the norm and I didn't get the job in the end probably because I haven't even begun to hone this style yet but I thought people might like to see it. The image below was part of a prospective commission that offered the job of illustrating a story in a Pulp Detective magazine. Here you can see one of the main characters sat in his office with some of his old boxing memorabilia from his past fighting career.

The artwork is comprised of a watercolour wash, black ink and then pencil crayon to lift some of the colours. I was reasonably pleased with the end result and I'm sure to expand on this style, for one thing I can have some finished art in a day rather than a week, which is a plus!

RWA Pencils

2011-08-30T08:42:00.000+01:00

The Royal West Of England Academy will be holding it's 159th Autumn Open Exhibition in November and December. I was lucky enough to visit last year's and the standard was very high, there was a wide range of styles and media which I surmised was typical of a good open exhibition.

For my entry this year I decided to start a theme of maybe not serious but slightly more 'grown-up' versions of English nursery rhymes. The first rhyme I selected was:

It's raining, it's pouring

The old man is snoring

He went to bed and he bumped his head

And he couldn't get up in the morning

I began working up some quick thumbnails (see below)

Then I picked the thumbnail which was working for me, in this case the bottom right-hand sketch. I took the basic idea and worked out a larger sketch without reference. Sometimes it's a good idea to work a composition without reference so you are not overly restricted by the position of a model or prop (see below).

The finished sketch helped me decide most of the details in the room so I was then able to start researching suitable furniture that would suit the atmosphere of the painting which then meant the details in the finished pencil (below) were correct. I also took photos of myself posing in bed (it's a hard life) so that all the creases and folds would look natural.

All I have to do now is decide on a colour scheme, maybe something cool in hue. Painting starts today so I'd better make up my mind!

Making A Mark

2011-08-22T21:01:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to Katherine Tyrrell for featuring my Devizes Market Place watercolour in 'Who's Made A Mark This Week?'

If you haven't visited her blog do it now. However be warned, once you start reading and following links you'll be lost in cyberspace for hours!

My Bath Art Prize Entry has been... err entered

2011-08-17T16:01:00.000+01:00

Magpie In George Street

48 x 75 cm

I finally completed this vast painting yesterday afternoon. It was so big I had to work in sections which can be difficult when you want to maintain consistent values through out a picture. The magpies were relatively quick to paint but the windows were challenging (no surprises there) however the part I am most pleased about is the sky. I've always found it hard to create soft almost plump clouds in watercolour but I now feel I'm getting somewhere with my 'cloud technique' which will hopefully develop further.

In my next project I'm not going to be concentrating on white puffy clouds but rather what they produce. Now there's a cliff-hanger and no mistake!!

Devizes Market Place Completed

2011-08-12T16:07:00.001+01:00

31 x 45cm

This piece will be joining an exhibition of my past works at Bluestone Gallery in Devizes (a nearby town). The scene is looking past the fountain statues on to the market place (where the cars are parked) surrounded by the wonderful Georgian and Victorian architecture.

I worked from my own photographs, constantly trying to apply the knowledge I gained from James Gurney's instructional book 'Color And Light' knowing that photography never truly captures light as the eye sees it. I added golden halos around the leaves and the tree's cast shadow as well as suggesting reflected light on the underside of the fountain, stonework and over hanging cornices of the buildings in the background. Although it will never be the same as painting plein air I'm quite pleased with the luminosity in the painting, something which watercolour seems tailor made.

At the moment I don't have a date for when the paintings will be on show. I shall post the details as soon as I can. *

* 6 Originals including the above painting are now on show for six weeks from Monday 22nd August at The Bluestone Gallery Old Swan Yard, 8 High Street, Town Centre, Devizes SN10 1AT, 01380 729 589

Progress On Devizes Market Place

2011-08-10T19:45:00.001+01:00

I started off with a simple line drawing then blocked in the tone with ultramarine to re-enforce the blue shadows as it was such a stunning clear day when I took the photos.

I've now started to glaze the colour as well as flesh out the tree foliage.

Hopefully this will be finished by the weekend and I'll have cut a mount and prepared the frame.

In other news I received my invitation to the Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition Private View this morning, can't wait!!

Bath Art Prize Progress

2011-08-04T22:15:00.001+01:00

Here's a little progress photo of my entry for the Bath Art Prize. The detail in some areas is quite intense so it's fair to say I'm taking my time on this one. The deadline has been knocked back to September 27th so I'm taking advantage of this by working on some other things, such as...

ALIEN SPOTTING!!!!!! A mysterious crop circle arrived in a nearby field last week. There's a pub at the bottom of the road so maybe the 'Aliens' pulled in for a swift one (Que X-Files theme music).

Work on The Bath Art Prize has begun...

2011-07-19T19:42:00.000+01:00

The Bath Prize is a relatively recent Art Competition in which anybody can enter so long as you produce a piece of art that features the location (in the city of Bath) allocated to you. The location is different for everybody so the final exhibition of selected works is guaranteed to be varied. It's a great idea and Bath is such a lovely place that I can't possibly resist, all that Georgian architecture, how could anybody?

Below are my first stages for my entry. I was given George Street which is not the most picturesque of Bath streets but certainly offers many challenges. I opted to show both ends of the street in one image because I like to make things difficult for myself. As you can see in the thumbnail and final pencil work I've employed a convex lens effect to bend the straight road and buildings round to achieve this. The magpie is a device to lead the eye along the street and up to the sky hopefully give a sense of depth. I like to think the bird is the same animal just seen at different stages in flight swooping through George St and then shooting towards the sky.

The final painting is going to be huge so I'm going to have to put a lot of hours into this one.

I'm on MAKING A MARK

2011-07-16T19:54:00.000+01:00

This week I was lucky enough to be shown (thanks Dad) Katherine Tyrrell's wonderful treasure trove of a blog Making A Mark. Their are so many articles and links to UK based art information that it has been a bit of a revelation. The vast majority of art blogs I know are written from a US perspective, which is by no means a bad thing but it's nice and very helpful to read about things happening in your own country every so often.

I left a comment on her piece about the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition and she offered to add my selected painting to her post. To see it click here.

Thanks Katherine!

Selected For The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition!

2011-07-13T15:25:00.002+01:00

Hurray!!! I found out while still on holiday that 'Cracked Matador' was selected for the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition and exhibition at The Mall Galleries London SW1. The exhibition runs from the 12th-18th September 2011, I believe prizes are given that week then selected highlights of the competition go on tour around the UK Smith & Williamson offices.

'Cracked Matador' 46 x 59cm

I am so pleased to be considered at all, especially with this being my first ever entry. I know of the high standard the competition demands so it's an absolute honour to have my work hanging alongside internationally respected watercolour artists.

I shall keep you updated.

Memories Of The Lakes

2011-07-12T20:39:00.000+01:00

I don't sketch from life nearly as much as I should but during my trip to the Lake District I managed to do a rough drawing in my A5 sketchbook of the village I was staying in. The view is the main (pretty much only) street in Hesket Newmarket which boast a lovely post office and most excellent pub owned by the local villagers. On my first night there Sir Chris Bonington was to be seen having a quiet drink, apparently he's a regular.

The sketch was done on a sunny afternoon. Suzanne and I were having a well deserved rest after scaling Carrock Fell. We got talking to some of the locals including a man designed christmas cards of Hesket Newmarket to be sold in aid of charity. He also auctioned the original artwork every year to the same ends.

Needles to say we had a brilliant, if sometimes wet time!

View from the top of Carrock Fell looking back towards Skiddaw.

We were fortunate the sun chased us back down the hill.

Secure Computing Magazine Cover Pt.2

2011-06-29T17:48:00.000+01:00

Apologies for my blogging absence I simply failed to put time aside for a post.

So far I have showed you how I worked on an acrylic under-painting to re-enforce the design and provide an extra layer of colour in the Secure Computing cover illustration.

Following on from that I whipped out my usual watercolours and got painting safe in the knowledge the acrylic under-painting would hold the artwork together while I was splashing about with paints. It didn't take too long to work up the correct values, most of the street scene at the bottom is in opaque gouache.

33 x 25cm

View Down The Bradford-On-Avon Shambles

2011-06-08T12:34:00.001+01:00

42 x 68cm

I have just finished this watercolour so I guess this post is hot off the virtual press. There is a tiny bit of gouache on the bunting but the rest is purely watercolour. I've tried to experiment with focus in this piece. The alleyway or 'shambles' is very loose, deep in contrast but quite scratchy hopefully leading the eye towards the church which is much sharper and more detailed even though it's further away. Too me this gives an odd sensation as if the church is moving toward you, similar to those famous dolly zooms Spielberg used in Jaws. Click here to see what I mean.

Secure Computing Magazine Cover Pt.1

2011-06-07T21:57:00.000+01:00

This commission is from a while back but I just haven't got round to posting about it (slapped wrist).

I was originally asked to work on a group portrait of all the judges for the SC Awards so I got down to that, then halfway through the editor asked me to work on the cover as well. After a struggle I completed the portraits, there weren't many decent photos available so needless to say I won't be posting that illustration. I have to exercise my quality control occasionally.

Next up was the cover. The editor wanted a night time scene of a glitzy awards ceremony being held at a posh London theatre. He suggested I could incorporate lots of bright lights and the impression of reflections on the wet pavements. I felt pretty confident because I could already see the image in my head and I knew exactly how I was going to tackle the brief.

The first image is the final pencil drawing. I wanted to get the detail and perspective bang on so drew a grid, one for the building and another for ground level. I managed to find a high quality photo of a London playhouse and a few others of the same building at night. Both things enabled me to stop worrying about the detail later on in the painting process.

The next step was to work on the values in the image. I pulled out some ultramarine acrylic and worked up all the shadows knowing that the blue would slightly show through the watercolour when finished thus giving the painting a cool glow, perfect for a night scene. Another added bonus is the acrylic effectively fixes your drawing underneath so all the hours spent on the detail won't be lost when wet. I hope to experiment more with different acrylic colour schemes as a under-painting for watercolour soon.

Next time...

I reveal the final illustration and hopefully something else I finish tomorrow.

What's On My Drawing Board?

2011-05-31T17:39:00.000+01:00

Why this is:

Bradford-on-Avon is such a beautifully quirky place that it needs painting. This is a view looking down the Shambles to the Church of St Thomas More.

'Cracked Matador' Revisited

2011-05-30T13:19:00.000+01:00

I wasn't pleased with the jpeg in my previous post. The colours were too desaturated for my liking so I've decided to re-post my 'Cracked Matador' painting and give you a bit more information on the process I went through in making it.

Penny's kind comment comparing me to Norman Rockwell was VERY flattering and wholly undeserved! If I could have as much talent as Rockwell had in his little finger I would be a very happy man. However Penny must be physic because placed next to me during the whole time I painted 'Cracked Matador' was this image:

April Fools - Girl With Shopkeeper by Norman Rockwell 1948

It's embarrassing placing my painting next to this amazing Saturday Evening Post cover but I thought it might be of interest. I used 'April Fools' mainly as a colour choices guide but I also incorporated a similar tiled floor and velvet curtain to that in Rockwell's painting. The lighting setup was also influenced by Rockwell. I loved the cold daylight from the left window which created depth in comparison to the warm top light which helped illuminate detail. I tried to suggest these two light sources just out of view in 'Cracked Matador' but still giving the same effect overall.

'Cracked Matador'

2011-05-24T09:28:00.000+01:00

18.5" x 23.5"

I finally finished my Bull in a China shop painting, or as I like to call it 'Cracked Matador,' yesterday. As always it looks a bit washed out when uploaded to blogger but at least you can see the detail better.

Overall I'm quite pleased with the final outcome. It closely resembles what I had in mind from the beginning which surely can only be a good thing, I just have to start coming up with better ideas and compositions now that my skills with a brush have increased.

Hope you like it!

My first ton with a Progress Shot

2011-05-19T20:02:00.000+01:00

I suppose my 100th post should be followed by a lot of whizz-bangs and cheering but I'm afraid a simple progess shot will have to suffice.

I'm slowly getting through the detail in the china but I'll still have lots to work on once that is completed. Phewy!

What a load of... colour!

2011-05-11T21:13:00.000+01:00

Here's a little bit of progress for you! I still have a lot to work on in watercolour before I move on to gouache.

A Small Value Study

2011-05-05T20:19:00.000+01:00

It's certainly no Norman Rockwell charcoal value study but it's helped me to be confident in my colour values so far in the painting. The sketch was done with a standard Lyra Rembrandt charcoal pencil on tracing paper overlaying my initial line sketch featured on my previous post.

Progress photos will be making an appearance next week in the hope the watercolour will be worth showing!

Line Sketch for 'Bull In A China Shop'

2011-04-27T08:43:00.000+01:00

Here's my composition plan for a large painting I am planning to work on and maybe enter into the Times Watercolour Competition. There is a bit of symbolism involved, can you spot it?

I have also done a small value study which I will post after the fixative has done its job.

I am a Deviant!!

2011-04-26T17:29:00.000+01:00

I have joined the masses at Deviant Art. Click here to view my profile and small gallery. Other pieces of art will be added gradually and most of it will be personal work I expect.

Jacques' Rest

2011-04-12T20:52:00.000+01:00

Well I came back from York to find that the studio elves must have gone on a short holiday too. The painting was in the same state as I left it but at least there were no cat prints on it! I got the paints out and got stuck in until I finished this morning.

There are aspects that have turned out better than expected in 'Jacques' Rest'. For instance depth of colour I achieved in the bottles using gouache to an opaque consistency and the overall colour harmony by using just yellow ochre, ultramarine, cadmium red pale hue and sepia. Unfortunately the jpeg sample looks a bit washed out in comparison to the original so my favourite parts have been diminished - typical (roll eyes).

On the other hand I could completely take my artwork apart in a critique, so to keep it short I've learned more about applying gouache over watercolour and I'll be on the lookout for problems in my detailed drawing before starting on the colour.

I don't want to sound negative because I actually like it - for now ;-)

Down Tools

2011-04-06T22:19:00.000+01:00

Today I was hoping to find a smidgen of time to work on this but it was not to be. Above you can see how far I got with the gouache by the end of Tuesday. Unfortunately I won't be able to sit back at my desk until Monday so I'm hoping my friendly artist elf's will complete it for me while I'm away.

Grappling with the colours

2011-04-05T20:57:00.000+01:00

Further progress has been made on my Redwall painting, some to my satisfaction and some maybe not so. The top photo shows the first layer of watercolour which establishes the colours for most of the items surrounding Brian (the mouse).

The image above (yesterdays effort) is firmly in the ugly stage which at the moment I am struggling to break out of. The second and third layers of watercolour have gone down and I have started to dabble with gouache on the writing desk. Note I have left the bookshelf in the first stage of watercolour, this is mainly because I am undecided as to how deeply the chair shadow will interact with the books behind. I have plowed ahead with the other elements to create a point of value reference. I think its much easier to split a painting like this into sections and work on each bit until its nearly finished. That way you can take a complicated image one step at a time, however when it comes to vast open landscapes I tend to slap the paint about and hope for the best!

At the end of yesterdays work I was in a bit of a grump. Nothing seemed to be working very well and I had spotted lots of problems in the drawing like the eyes for example. However all was not lost because that evening I had a lovely curry in my belly and we had a friend over to see us after gallivanting around New Zealand, Australia and China :-)

More progress

2011-03-28T17:21:00.000+01:00

All the pencil work is done. I've kept to simple line work in most areas and only slightly hinted at where the deep shadows will be to keep the watercolour clean and not contaminated by the pencil lead.

Colour-wise I shall attempt a more restrictive palette, maybe just four colours. Having just read James Gurney's brilliant 'Color And Light' it seemed the right thing to do if I want a more harmonious colour scheme. Also I will be more wary of the colour reflecting into the shadows which could be a challenge.

Progress Shot

2011-03-22T20:20:00.000Z

Progress can be slow when you're having to work on other things at the same time, however I have managed to get started on the final piece for my Brian Jacques homage.

To the left you can see my initial sketch and the reversed and enlarged print of that sketch that I used to trace and then transfer onto the stretched paper (right). As you can see I've just started to reinstate the details with pencil on the final piece.

Rest In Peace Brian Jacques

2011-03-15T12:10:00.001Z

I was shocked when I heard about sad passing of Brian Jacques, author of the superb Redwall series. I pretty much grew up on his books so I felt the only way I could honour his life was to create some art!

Above is my first foray with pencils. I'm planning to work on this is in Watercolour and Gouache keeping the palette restricted but warm.

Rockwell's America In England, Dulwich Picture Gallery

2011-03-01T16:36:00.000Z

Last week I finally visited the Norman Rockwell Exhibition in Dulwich. WOW!!!! What an artist. I thought I knew his art reasonably well from books but seeing the original work blew away any preconceptions I had.

One thing which surprised me most was the seemingly random scale he worked. In his 'Norman Rockwell Visits A Ration Board' I was amazed to see how small it was (13 1/2" x 23 1/2") akin to Millais' 'Isabella'. Hung nearby was a famous Christmas Saturday Evening Post cover 'Knight Looking In Stained Glass Window' which was massive in comparison at 44 1/4" x 34 1/4". The smaller painting contained much more detail and depth but the larger was more striking and impressive even though it was for a magazine. Maybe Rockwell had more time at his disposal for the Christmas image and possibly hung the canvas in the festive season, who knows?

The technique was sublime and characters rich. I could barely move for fellow gallery goers gasping (say that after a few shandies) then laughing, running over to a friend and pointing out something new.

The setting was rather nice too. Dulwich is a very upmarket pat of South London, crammed full of parks, colleges, and what look like to me, mansions. While I was sat outside waiting for a certain somebody to come back from a tea hunt I took this panoramic. Not five minutes after I had packed my camera away a fox shot right across the grounds, just my luck. I'm afraid you'll have to imagine it in the photo.

Click here for some videos about the exhibition.

Experimentation

2011-02-15T11:31:00.000Z

At a want for a mangle printing press I tested out a theory today that I've had swilling about in my barren brain after seeing Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. For the moment I'm going to keep quiet about the process but I can show you the results.

There are lots of elements that need revising but overall I'm quite pleased with the final outcome. Unfortunately there was a good amount of tweaking done on photoshop which can take away from the textured plate tone so somehow I have to get the image near finished before digitizing.

Right I'm off to look up the PPPs (printing press prices) :-D

More roundtable artwork...

2011-02-15T11:13:00.000Z

I was fortunate enough to work on another article in the same magazine issue 'Euro Humpty Dumpty' featured in. Top you can see how the portraits were laid out in MT and above is my favourite portrait so far, he's called Steve Walters.

In comparison to my earlier attempt at the roundtable feature this one was much more successful. I can categorically put this down to better reference photos. I don't know if a professional photographer was used during the session but it looked to me as though a quality camera took the photos rather than a mobile phone. Previously I used reference from a mobile which was a bit of a struggle, the contrasts were poor and often a lot of facial features were blurred.

See Dan dos Santos' post on Muddy Colors about the benefits of good reference models.

Humpty Dumpty Euro final artwork

2011-02-09T10:55:00.000Z

Here is the final coloured artwork that was worked up from the roughs in my previous post. I was up against it during the whole process for these three illustrations, so there are a few things (albeit small things) in each illos that scream 'YOU COULD HAVE DONE BETTER!' but on the plus side at least I can paint a nice brick wall under pressure.

The main illustration at the top was the last thing I worked on - save the best till last and all that. I decided early on, before adding watercolour, to brush in a burnt sienna acrylic underpainting to give the background a warm haze that would react well with ultramarine washes in the shadows. This technique is something I have been developing and hoping to incorporate more into further work. For the reflected light on the windows I used a pale mixture of cerulean and titanium white gouache.

Time-saving and/or multi-tasking

2011-01-25T15:17:00.000Z

Often I find myself (as do most people with other jobs, kids and responsibilities) working on sketches whenever possible. This could mean while you wait for the bus or are sat on the train, in a pub or just simply waiting for the washing machine to finish. I haven't quite got to the point of leaving a sketchbook by the toilet but I keep one in my faithful rucksack so it's always handy.

A case in point would these roughs I worked up stood at the counter of an art shop. I wasn't a customer waiting patiently in line, instead I was on the other side taking advantage of a lull in people buying peel off stickers. Without the time to do a million and one thumbnails I stuck with my first idea which is more often than not the better.

Stay tuned for the final artwork in the next edition of 'Don't tell the boss I draw during work time!'

Happy New Year!

2011-01-19T12:02:00.000Z

Phewy! Now that the festive season is over we can all go back to normality except normality for me includes a mortgage. Wohoo! (I'm not being sarcastic, I'm actually pleased)

Heres what I was working on coming up to Christmas 2010:

They are portraits for a regular debate feature- the 'Roundtable' in Management Today Magazine. The style is in keeping with a previous Roundtable illos. However I stuck to using watercolour with pen and ink because it's often best to use a familiar medium when doing portraits, a single mistake can throw a likeness completely.

Ainulindale Finished

2010-11-19T20:50:00.000Z

The painting is now finished, I transferred the 'singing heads' then thinly added highlights with Titanium White. I await the final verdict (scary stuff)...

P.s Happy Birthday Emily :-)

'Not On The Rocks' Illustrations

2010-11-16T21:09:00.000Z

I'm certainly not old enough to remember the highly detailed black & white illustrations that used to be printed in newspapers. I once was lucky enough to visit a designer who started his professional life inking furniture drawings for a local rag, he showed me some of his old work and we both lamented the disappearance of that old style. Imagine my excitement when an offer of work came through asking me to pastichean old Whisky advert but include a few modern elements.

The article was about the Morrison Bowmore distilleries being a uniquely British affair that had customers all over the world. The main illustration and spot were to show the tradition of Scotch making and the modern machinery involved in the process.

Above is the main illustration which has some of the modern elements in the decoration (dials, meters, arrow diagrams and LEDs).

Below are the all the bits I did for the article printed in the final magazine.

Not your average Bonfire Night

2010-11-08T20:21:00.000Z

As the large firework displays were just beginning over Swindon, Suzanne and I went up to Barbury Castle to get a spectacular and rather chilly panoramic. Barbury is what's left of a large Iron Age hill fort the impressive ground works are still there which includes a perimeter ditch roughly 25ft deep so making our way round that was a bit hairy in the dark however our trusty torch and flask saved the day - or rather the night.

Apologies for my poor photography. Left is a blurry view of the bonfire in the next field, Right is an even more blurry Swindon void of fireworks because I've never managed to time a photograph well. Unfortunately you can't see the smoke accumulating from the many fires lying low over the town which is a shame because it gave an ethereal quality to the view.

The blueprint for an heroic leader.

2010-11-03T20:21:00.001Z

Above is a single page illustration I completed for Management Today that was published last month. The concept was reasonably straightforward but even so my small bit of training in technical drawing helped immensely, without it who knows how the piece would have turned out?

I was also asked to supply a couple of spot illustrations based on two well known business leaders. Fortunately for Tony Hayward his annotations didn't come from my pen. I don't think the feature would have made the print otherwise ;-)

As they are meant to be seen.

Soon I'm hoping to put up the most recent bit of work I did for the same magazine. Mostly black and white and ridiculously detailed - my eyes are still trying to re-adjust.

Ainulindale in colour

2010-11-02T20:33:00.000Z

I've been adding oil colour to the under-painting of 'Ainulindale' in-between other work, despite the slow progress it's finally coming together. Tomorrow I shall move onto the foliage highlights and then the faces can be added when the paint is touch dry.

Rockwell originals at the Dulwich Gallery!

2010-10-21T17:13:00.000+01:00

This is incredible! For the first time in the UK you will be able to see in the flesh original Saturday Evening Post covers, advertisements and illustrations by Norman Rockwell. If you don't know who Rockwell is visit google images now.

The exhibition is being held at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London between 15th December - 27 March 2011, for more information click here.

Further development on 'Ainulindale'

2010-10-12T21:50:00.000+01:00

For the moment I've had to put this on the back burner but that doesn't stop me from blogging about it. Above you can see my final drawing for 'Ainulindale' (see previous post) which gives me more information to work with when I pull out my brushes. I have however decided to leave out the singing heads until the background is painted, then I can overlay them which will hopefully add to their transparency.

The top image is a few hours in advance from the final drawing. Here I have added burnt sienna and ultramarine acrylic to give me an under-painting that has warm and cool areas.

After the paint dried I diluted a marvin acrylic medium into a milky consistency and began priming paper with a soft hake brush, sanding in-between four coats just to be on the safe side. When everything dried completely I ran some magic tape around the edges to keep them clean.

Recently I have actually been trawling the internet for information on mounting and priming paper for oils. There are useful tips and videos out there but so far I haven't found anything on stretching paper with gum tape and then priming it - the advantage being the finished oil would just be on a sheet of watercolour paper without any heavy board attached. That means they are easy to store and very lightweight even with a frame because you don't need the glass! It would be strange to think nobody else has tried this before but who knows maybe I've just invented a new priming technique although I seriously doubt it.

Scrap that reverse it... or sometimes it's best to realise your mistakes

2010-10-05T17:21:00.000+01:00

In previous posts I've shown some WIPs for an oil painting I have been working on. Unfortunately my oil painting skills aren't up to scratch and I've made a complete hash of it, I might just have to install a 'gallery flambeau' (check James Gurney's imaginative realism). So after putting that aside with a bin liner wrapped around it I've attempted a re-run on the concept and come up with this sketch. Fortunately this has been approved by my friends who will be receiving the final artwork so I can now get on with the final drawing.

To try to explain the composition it is taken from the 'Ainulindale' chapter in Tolkien's 'Silmarillion' where the world is created through song. I have tried to focus more on the environments this time but also kept with the singing characters. Also the circular composition is designed to be hung any which way and evoke a pulse of sound spreading from the center.

Legal Business 100

2010-09-27T21:01:00.000+01:00

Above are the recent editorial illustrations I did for Legal Business magazine called 'Legal Business 100'. The funfair brief was to contain certain elements to related to the performance of legal companies over the past year. I'm not even going to pretend I know who these people are on the rides I just had to make sure each person was in the correct place and every ride didn't encroach on the text, gutter and bleed. It was a challenge especially when I started work on the DPS in a small lake district village without any WiFi available.

Got there in the end though... hope you like it.

Work In Progress

2010-09-22T20:08:00.000+01:00

I've been struggling with this oil painting in-between other work but will keep plodding away.

Ezmerelda drives again...

2010-09-13T14:31:00.000+01:00

I wanted to try out mounting paper on board for oil painting and so used that as an excuse to paint this for Suzanne. The vehicle in question is her old camper van 'Ezmerelda' (that's how Suzanne likes to spell it) which now resides in a field next to her engine which is on a wooden palette. Despite this Ezmerelda will always be seen as Suzanne's ticket to the open road, even if it did spend most of the time parked on the kerb steaming.

Sir Gawain skirting a mountainside

2010-09-01T20:30:00.001+01:00

Something for my friends... I had a lot of fun playing with inks on this one.

Something for HR Magazine

2010-08-30T18:40:00.000+01:00

The dilemma a boss might face when on the receiving end of a 'phone in sick.' It's quite a small image so pencil crayon was called upon for the details, that's probably a direct result from browsing through C.F Payne's website.

The First Pond Life Finished

2010-08-16T21:31:00.000+01:00

To follow up on my previous post about my planned series called Pond life I finally finished the first painting. I added a bit of gouache to give the painting depth especially around the leaves. Not too sure what I'm going to call it yet.

Work In Progress

2010-08-12T20:03:00.000+01:00

I may be 24 but I still love...

2010-07-27T22:12:00.000+01:00

Picture books. I have 'The Clock Without A Face' to read in between my adult books without pictures (boooooo!) but I can safely say they are all great additions to my expanding collection.

Thanks so much for giving me them Suzanne and even though you find it amusing for somebody to love picture books at my age, I'm pretty sure that you'll be reaching for the bookshelf when I'm not looking.

New editorial work.

2010-07-19T22:04:00.000+01:00

Soon after getting back from the lake district (which was marvelous) a recent DPS I did for Legal Business magazine dropped through my letterbox. I had a ridiculous amount of fun doing this, it's got explorers and medieval detailed maps - need I say more :-)

Below: A work in progress photo and underneath the finished artwork.

The man in the bottom right hand corner is Tim, the website guru who is waiting for me to get my act together and send him some meta tags (I think?).

Pond life

2010-06-27T21:54:00.000+01:00

The title 'pond life' could mean lots of different things to lots of different people. I always enjoy encountering a fantastical miniature world whenever I take the time to just crouch down on the banks and stare intently.

I was lucky enough to grow up next door to a stream. The memories I have of that place are incredibly nostalgic but I still think I'm not over-exaggerating when I say that the water had an energy. The best place to appreciate it was in the pools the stream created further down. The energy the water created would (in my child's eyes) pass onto the creatures consuming it and plants around it.

So why gabble on about streams and ponds? Well I've decided to start another series of paintings and maybe some etchings that the title 'Pond Life' will encompass. Ideas and images are incarcerated in my head just trying to dig their way out with a spoon and their constant scraping is becoming too much. I only hope they don't have to crawl out of the sewage pipe Shawshank Redemption style!

Here's a WIP. I can see a different version of this concept already on the horizon but for now this painting will feature on the local Swindon Arts & Culture Magazine 'Frequency' (fingers crossed).

Discovering A Muse (or technique)

2010-06-01T09:26:00.001+01:00

I finally got a bit of time to finish my ArtOrder submission for the 'Discovering A Muse' challenge. Mainly I stuck the the photos I took myself but just in case here's a link to the original model's site Veronika.

I tried to step away from the typically strong, sexy and independent heroine you find in a lot of fantasy based imagery (the kind where she's in a leotard toting a machine gun) and went with a more striking magical image. I thought a more subtle way for her to appear strong would be for her to be looking down on the viewer with a look of mild disdain. Hopefully I achieved this, in any case I enjoying creating this watercolour and discovered some fantastic watercolour inks when working wet on wet for the background. Maybe I should call this post 'Discovering A Technique.'

'WIP'

2010-05-24T21:56:00.001+01:00

No it's not on grey paper, I'm just shocking at taking photos. Heres a work in progress for the ArtOrder Muse challenge complete with masking fluid. I'm not too sure where this is going right now but I'm going to have a play

Legal Business

2010-05-24T21:46:00.001+01:00

I had a lot of fun working on this. The good people at Legal Business Magazine asked me to create a Savile Row Tailors interior for a double page spread (see top). I enjoy commissions that ask you to illustrate something you wouldn't even think to do in your personal work. You end up looking at things differently (i.e suit jackets) and in this instance it was a brilliant excuse to flick through some Norman Rockwell interiors. I even visited my local tailors with my camera in hand!

The finished illos was done in watercolour with the odd gouache and pencil crayon highlight.

Resurface for a while.

2010-05-04T10:44:00.000+01:00

I haven't posted in AGES! Not good, must try harder. Here's a card design I finished last week, whosoever has a birthday next will be receiving this in the post I can tell you. Most of the icing was finished in Gouache so I could have more control over the pastel colours.

Just to let you know there is a back log of work that I will be posting, some WIPs and another in which I am waiting to be published.

Until then, avoid the ash!

Scaling the shelves

2010-04-20T08:40:00.001+01:00

The lovely people at Management Today asked me to create an illustration about certain successful independent products doing well in supermarkets. Obviously it's not easy for these small companies, so I decided to show their products literally climbing the shelves.

First I started with a pencil line drawing on some stretched watercolour paper. When there is lots of detail involved sometimes I work up an acrylic underpainting to establish the tonal values and effectively seal the drawing so it doesn't disappear when I apply watercolour. However I did actually shade certain areas in pencil beforehand because the medium offers more control and I can erase my mistakes!

With the acrylic underpainting I concentrated on the background to try and set this back from the characters.

The finished illustration with watercolour and gouache over the acrylic underpainting.

That's one greedy bunny...

2010-03-31T20:30:00.000+01:00

Here's some artwork.

2010-03-17T11:37:00.000Z

After asking the Art Director I can now show you some artwork for the BBC audiobook (see previous post). The top image is my illustration done hopefully in a similar style to the two below. After studying the previous covers I decided to work up an acrylic underpainting to imitate the use of ink and then block in with watercolour.

The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes Audiobook

2010-03-16T09:35:00.000Z

I have no idea when this audiobook will be released, it is on pre-order at the moment but I'm unashamedly going to get a copy myself because I did the cover illustration. Maybe that's a bit self-indulgent but it is my first cover.

I was asked to create an illustration in the style of the previous three books in the series. This was something I've never done before but enjoyed the challenge immensely.

Still Life No. 01

2010-02-22T14:26:00.000Z

7" x 10"

In reading Eric Fortune's blog I came across a passage that said something along the lines of 'doing a still life painting helps to improve your technique.' Good idea I thought, so here's my first ever still life in watercolour! Inbetween my other projects I hope to keep this up, I reckon by choosing a wide variety of objects it should help me depict an array of surfaces more convincingly.

ArtOrder Challenge 'Rust'

2010-02-02T17:31:00.000Z

12 x 15 1/2

FINISHED!! Still not sure if I like it or not but I did enjoy painting it so maybe I do!? I'm happy with the text border mainly because I got to try out the massive lightbox I was given by a friend - cheers Richard.

ArtOrder Challenge, Progress Shots

2010-01-27T21:00:00.001Z

An illustration to accompany the quote, "A sword, a spade, and a thought should never be allowed to rust."

Below are the initial compositional sketch, final drawing on stretched paper and then a days painting at the bottom:
The background is close to finished, but I might add a suggestion of golden light seeping through the mist. I'm wanting to make the crows, leaves and sword spade combo really punchy!

This is probably bad luck...

2010-01-19T08:50:00.000Z

This little fella featured on the Christmas cards I sent out last month (yes I know!). Even though we are well into the new year I still thought I should post this.

Note to self: No walking under ladders, avoid cracks in the pavement and definitely no umbrella opening indoors.

The Unfortunate Career Of Stede Bonnet, 1688-1718

2009-12-14T17:59:00.000Z

10"x 23"

This watercolour has been used as the artwork for the debut album by The Shudders. I'm very pleased with it, some good reference definitely helped, so much so I've posted it to the Spectrum to be considered for annual 17. It's my first entry so fingers crossed! I've also attached the working drawing so you can my original composition. I pretty much went from the drawing to getting reference and starting on the final piece. Some of the highlights and pastel colours were worked back in with gouache at the final stage.

A Sneaky Peak

2009-11-05T21:04:00.000Z

Here's a small sample of a painting I was working on in the last few days. Its actually part of the artwork for the new album by The Shudders. Once again the scan doesn't quite do it justice (I've got to find a scanning service in Swindon) and there's also a bit of a peculiar twist to the image which I guess will be revealed on the launch night next month.

More News:

Its official, I'm on Wikipedia!* I didn't write about myself in a drunken fit of egotism, honest, it's all down to the man who bought my Percy Vear painting last week. Unbelievably the grandson of Percy Vear (who is also called Percy Vear... is this getting confusing? ) walked into the gallery and purchased the watercolour, since then I've been in contact with Percy and he offered to link me into the Percy Vear page on wikipedia.

*Sadly the page was removed because I'm not a person of note which is very true. However the administrator accused me of authoring the article which is not true and then went on to insult me. Does his/her action deserve my response? No.

Even More News:

I was delighted last month to work on my first BBC Audiobooks cover. The piece was designed imitate the style of the previous cover illustrations - I will post the image when I can.

Progress Photo

2009-11-04T09:43:00.001Z

13 hours of painting goodness yesterday. Hoping to get most of this piece done today.

Raymond Ching

2009-10-27T15:30:00.000Z

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted something so apologies :-(

It seems a bit odd to have the first post in such a long time be about another artist's work but I have been meaning to show some photos for ages. Quite a while back me and Suzanne visited Bradford-On-Avon to see Aesop's Kiwi Fables by New Zealand born artist Raymond Ching. What an experience - 19 large luminous oil paintings accompanied by a fable set in a beautiful Barn in a stunning town on an amazing day! Have a look...

'Sea Of Ideas' Reworked

2009-09-24T19:49:00.000+01:00

I decided quite recently that I would try and sell some of my experimental/personal pieces through the art shop I work at. However after scrabbling around I realised I'd lost the pencil drawing part for my degree piece 'Sea Of Ideas.' The piece used to show a nautical scene sprouting from my work desk but having lost that I quickly got down to coming up with something different. Shaun Tan was the inspiration, especially his 'Tales From Outer Suburbia' cover (the whole book is sublime, not just the cover). I prefer the retro television set, hopefully you do too?

Finally Finished 'Michael's Room.'

2009-09-22T15:37:00.000+01:00

20" x 15"

A while back I posted a work in progress which was a pencil line drawing with acrylic wash. The idea being the acrylic would act as an under-painting as I applied reasonably heavy watercolour washes. With previous paintings my initial pencil work has disappeared when wet so the acrylic was there to hold the figures together and it worked! After the watercolour I then worked up the shadows and highlights with gouache.

I wonder if Michael's little sister managed to get Dolly's head back? (You don't ask that question everyday)

Old work

2009-09-08T09:54:00.000+01:00

I was visiting the family and playing a blues fest last week so much of the work I wanted to get on with has ground to a halt. I finally sat down in front of my half finished painting Monday morning and then received a call with more work so can't complain!

However I can now post my latest editorial commission, the article was about leading clever people and the various personalities and skills you will have to deal with successfully.

After lots of revised roughs we finally settled on centaurs with over-sized craniums pulling a nerdy managing director on a chariot in different directions. This was to fit a double page spread.

Some more news: I SOLD A BINGLEY SECRET AT THE WEEKEND!!!! One down five more to go ;-)

Exhibition photos

2009-08-24T11:24:00.001+01:00

Oooooo! Photos from my little exhibition at Jane Fielder's lovely gallery in Bingley. I haven't been there yet but I'm hoping to pop in this weekend (after a 5 hour train journey) and maybe answer a few questions posed by the 'Bingley Prosider.' I haven't even seen my paintings framed in the flesh yet so just that prospect is enough to get me overly excited and there is going to be a piece in the local paper 'The Keighley News' this week.

On another subject... me and Suzanne managed to finally get into the Banksy Exhibition at the Bristol Museum. We queued for 6 HOURS, that's how popular his work is in the UK, so obviously we were expecting some brilliant work. Unfortunately both of us were not hugely impressed, the purely original pieces like the ice cream van installations and some of the canvas works were really good little punky ideas but we felt most of it was 'statements for statement's sake.' Often you would look at a piece such as breaded fish fillets swimming in a fish bowl, get the gimmick/pun and that was it, a bit one dimensional. Dare I say it but the exhibition felt very college-like, 'hey stalagmites look like genitalia' - no joke Banksy actually makes a reference to that. Still glad we've seen it though.

Progress Photo 2

2009-08-21T16:12:00.001+01:00

Here's the experimental under-painting. I started the colour work today but then had a load of promotional work to do for the exhibition:

There are six originals available to buy along with there individual poems, I've already had interest which is great and apparently the Bingley Prosider would like to do a piece on the exhibition. Fingers crossed things continue like this! :-)

Progress Photo

2009-08-18T21:00:00.000+01:00

This is the final rough before I transfer it on to some stretched paper. There's a comical narrative in there which, with any luck will become apparent when I start working up some tonal values. I mentioned some experiments in my last post so I was thinking of firstly doing an under-painting in acrylic and then adding colour with watercolour and gouache - I got the idea from looking at C.F Payne's work. Can't wait to start this tomorrow!! :-D

Newish piece - Those Soapy Depths

2009-08-11T21:39:00.000+01:00

Long time, no post... apologies for that! Pleased to say I'm very busy at the moment so just a quick post. Here's a watercolour I've had rolling around in my brain recently so I just had to sponge it up and wring it out onto some paper. There's also bits of gouache in there which, along with a few other experiments, will be my next step.

'Bingley Secrets' is or are at the picture framers as I type this so can't wait to see them.

ArtOrder

2009-07-25T09:54:00.000+01:00

Just finished my first ArtOrder challenge. It's actually quite a large watercolour so took me ages to scan.

Mr Hoyle

2009-07-15T09:32:00.000+01:00

This is the final Bingley Secret based on Sir Fred Hoyle who was born in Bingley. I suppose the poem really explains what is going on so READ IT!

15"x11"

Mr Hoyle

Mister Hoyle loves his astronomy
Especially his cosmology
He sits all night in the fire tower
Star staring hour after hour

To get the clearest possible view
He needs clear skies and a vantage too
The telescope is the main trouble
Think of a big scope then think double!

In fact it’s so big the firemen went
And on a new fire tower they spent.
So now there’s no chance of division
if the men stay out of his vision.

Wish You Were There?

2009-07-15T09:20:00.000+01:00

Here's a recent commission for Management Today magazine. The brief was asking for three seaside-type postcards based on the humourous translations at the bottom of each profile. I used watercolour and pencil crayon on these and they were very quick to do in the end probably because they were so small.