This 1950s garden sprayer sits in the corner, mostly ignored and unnoticed, but I needed a subject with reflections and highlights for a still-life experiment.
So this pulveriseur à haute pression gets centre stage in this small, acrylic on canvas painting. With reflections they say, ‘just paint what you see’. So I did and this is the result, so far.
I have more to do – there is another item, or peut etre, deux, to add to the picture, so it may re-appear in a future post.
This one was a bit of a dotty challenge. I love the look of old oil lamps and we have a few about the cottage, so I thought I’d give it a go. I used various marks for shading, some hatching, some stippling, and I achieved a pleasing result.
The glass was difficult as I needed to make it lighter than the brasswork with the impression of transarency. And the shadows of the glass were interesting.
Let me know what you think.
This is inspired by a lesson by Andy B. Jones (Plaid.com). I’ve always like the ‘free and loose’ style – in contrast to my own tight lines, so this was an opportunity to try something a little different.
Acrylic on stretched canvas, 10×8.
My current challenge is to get some skills in using watercolours – a medium that, compared with my usual pen and ink, or acrylics, is frustrating to use. But here is a practice piece to get me on my way.
I’m pleased with the result and gives me confidence that I will become sufficiently proficient in the future. No pens were harmed in the painting process.
This caricature was commissioned ages ago, but I’ve held on to publishing it as it was intended as a Christmas present. So, with the celebrations over I can now reveal a house in south Wales.
But, a caricature is not just for Christmas! Let me know what you think, and contact me if you want your house to look a bit special.
My other blog, Twitter account, and Instagram all use ‘scratchypen’ in their name – read the Why? page on my blog for a full explanation.
As it is about time I added to this blog, using my scratchy pens seemed to be a good idea. So here is a quick doodle / sketch of my house and its immediate neighbours, just for fun.
For info, the initial layout was on cheap sketching paper, with HB pencil, the large writing nib, with black FW Acrylic Artists Ink, for the outline, and the small mapping pen for the detail. Final shadows and shading with 4B pencil.
I hope you approve. Let me know what you think.
Weeping cherry – looking forward to the spring blossom
Two things I’ve noticed, in the past couple of days, that have convinced me that spring is on the way.
The first is the dawn chorus. At ridiculously early hours in the morning, while still fully dark, a solitary bird is singing outside the bedroom window. It’s dark and still cold, but this happy little blighter is awake and singing in the new day – unfortunately he doesn’t know when Sunday happens. As the weeks go by, he’ll joined by more of his little, feathered buddies, and we’ll get the full, male voice choir.
The second, is daylight. This evening I was sat in the studio, painting – as you do – and I noticed that it was 4:30pm and I didn’t need any artificial lighting. What with our dark, overcast, rainy days, and the short daylight hours, we’ve needed lights on well before that time, and it seemed like only a few days ago it was dark when my son got home from work – but today I noticed the change. Come on, spring time!
Is spring happening where you are?
December and the Christmas holiday is supposed to be a quiet time, well, except for the actual Christmas arrangements themselves, of course.
But I have managed to sneak in some arty-crafty stuff along the way.
First there was the rush-job on the Advent Christmas tree – a re-paint after a faux-pas with the spray finish – then I got a bit carried away with the brush-stroke practice. Next I found a piece of stash that needed some attention (please note the nifty faux bois photo layout board), and today I got the ink done on my old Lambretta (my first – Ah! The summer of ’69 …) . All I have to do now is decide – colour or mono?
What to you think?
The marble headboard is finished. The colours chosen for this take on Carrara marble are shades of grey (but not fifty!).
The finished piece
Rather than the extremes of black and white, I have used Paynes Grey for the darkest, and mixed a value 8-9 grey for the lightest. White was used for the light fault lines.
The finish was built on MDF, sealed, then base coated with a pale beige silk emulsion. The final finish is satin. What do you think?
Left to right: flogger, softener, spalter, stippler
It helps to have the right tools for the job.
I have a commission for a large faux finish piece, so I need the proper equipment to get it done. On a small decorative article I can use my ordinary artist brushes and achieve the desired results, but this one will need more time, and the correct tools.
It took a while to track them down, but after checking out various suppliers, I ordered them on-line.
To achieve the desired finish the paint has to remain ‘open’ – workable – for considerably longer than it would normally, so it is mixed with a glazing medium. An industrial size pot is needed, rather than the small quantities used in art work.
My commission is for a large faux marbre (marble) headboard, so I need a large stippler and a badger hair softener. For faux bois (wood), I’ll need a horse-hair flogger and a spalter. They’ve all arrived, so I’m ready to paint!
Kim - splash it! 