Christmas 2017

A surprise Christmas party for Paisley's little brother.

Merry Christmas everybody!!

Here's a festive illustration from 'Paisley Rabbit and the Treehouse Contest' which is due for release in March 2018. You can see lots more images from the story on my website, and you can now pre-order the book from all international variants of amazon. For example:

Paisley Rabbit and the Treehouse Contest at amazon.co.uk, amazon.com, amazon.fr or how about Canada, Russia, Spain... you get the picture!

Christmas Card Packs

'A Winter Guest' is one of seven available designs

Another shameless plug! Love From The Artist.com are producing A6 size Christmas Card packs (x5 cards for £6.70 incl P&P) from a selection of artists on their website, and my artwork has been included!

Here's the link - https://www.lovefromtheartist.com/ArtistPacks?id=34

Merry Christmas

Watch out for that tree, Santa!

Polar Bear Santa would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas (and so would I)!! If you decide to leave out some biscuits and milk for the big bear, please remember Mrs Claus has put him on a strict diet, so the vittles will have to be digestives (without chocolate) and skimmed milk only. Do not, under any circumstances, serve mince pies or sherry - you have permission to save those for yourself.

Here's the linework on watercolour paper just before I started to paint. See if you can spot any changes I made later on as I painted (there is extra holly).

'Bedtime Story' Finished

Bedtime Story

Watercolour & Gouache

24 x 31cm

A few weeks back I finished 'Bedtime Story', I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post the final image. This scene is the type of thing I will hopefully be experiencing with my son very soon and therefore this painting is already dear to my heart. Having said that hopefully his bedroom won't have tree roots built into the walls.

As a quick aside, the lamp is real and it's on a sideboard illuminating my keyboard as I type this post. I've been meaning to get it into a painting since we bought it 3 years ago.

To see this painting in progress click here.

To see the original sketch click here.

Two New Sketches

I have to wait for these drawings to be approved but hopefully I'll get the go-ahead.

The first I like to call 'Retreat From The Windmills' and it is loosely based on the exploits of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza who are represented as an old wiry lion and a plucky meerkat.

The second rough shows a father mouse reading a bedtime story, I can envisage the warm glow of the oil lamp and the big patchwork blanket lending a very soft feel to this painting.

Merry Christmas everybody!!

Messing About

I have just finished this painting today and now I want to hire a boat and go rowing on the river Avon. In fact I've a mind to take a picnic basket, rug to sit on and maybe a sun hat too - anybody care to join me?

Messing About

Watercolour / Gouache 

24 x 31cm

As with every painting in this series of work I have worked on top of a sepia underpainting in watercolour and then added the odd speck of gouache as highlights such as the holes in the straw hat and pesky midges skimming above the water.

Masterchef

I have just put the finishing touches to 'Masterchef' this morning. You can see the odd highlight on whiskers and fur with gouache but the vast majority of the painting is water colour.

Masterchef

Water Colour / Gouache 

 31 x 24cm

Hopefully the narrative in the painting is very clear. I wanted to bring across a nice homely feel to this image which be in a contrast to some of the other ideas I have down the line for this series of work.

More new paintings...

Below you can see two paintings I am working on right now, even as I type this my other hand is holding a paintbrush, one eye is on the screen and the other eye is overseeing my brushwork. I'm also playing 'The Entertainer' on an old upright piano I have in the corner of my studio, I really hope the wind doesn't change or I'm stuck like this forever.

In order of appearance, sepia underpainting and corresponding initial sketch below.

'Settling In' & 'A Winter's Guest'

Finished, scanned and packed all ready to be shipped.

A Winter's Guest

Watercolour / Gouache

24 x 31cm

Settling In

Watercolour / Gouache

24 x 31cm