New Video - Bournemouth Pier in Collage

 If you didn't know I have a youtube channel where you can find master classes of my work!

Boats and Buoys

 I have been working to include collage into my ink sketches. Trying to use the collage element as a colour to make the ink stand out. This boat is from my Lockdown sketchbook when we spent a week in Weymouth. What I like about Weymouth is the boats and the buoy's that hang off of them. 

I am using sugar paper as backgrounds as I like the idea that the paper will fade over time revealing the gouache painting. 

The big question in this painting is do I use the dog cut-out or not!

Weekend Collage Experiment

 I tried following an article from the Artist magazine (Create a collage of costal life, Mike Bernard, Summer 2021issue) to help me understand the process for collage. 

I'm not sure that the result was what I intended but I love the use of the word Wellbeing in the clouds and you can see text throughout the image. 

Mike Bernard uses acrylic inks and lighter layers of paint in his images and I am going to try some smaller works using this technique. 

My application of acrylic paint was heavier than I intended and I had to wash back into the paint to expose the text and collage beneath. Originally I had kept the colours to a minimum but I added a green towards the end as the image felt too cold and grey. 

Trees in the landscape

 I have always found trees to be a problem in the landscape, making them look believable. So I have started to focus more effort to recording them in sketches. 

This is a page from my sketch book illustrating the trees I see on my lunch time walk. I've used procreate to create colourful background to emphasise the form of the trees. 

Nature is Everywhere - The January Challenge

Although we live in an urban jungle of houses and concrete pathways, I am able to take a daily amble surrounded by woodlands, lakes and dirt pathways. These beautiful areas are hidden at the backs of undeveloped land between the various housing estates. 

I chose a wet day to go out to explore with my camera. I found foot prints and reflections, muddy paths and rotting leaves. 

I used the images to find abstract idea and patterns in the trees and puddles. 

Kitchen Stories - January Challenge

Food processor
When we moved into our house I was brought a food processor, which lived in its packaging for years. I struggled to make cakes the traditional way, hand beating eggs, creaming fats and sugars…until one day when we were clearing out our cupboards, the food processor came out of its packaging. 

During lockdown the food processor made a weekly appearance in the kitchen - used to produce either a lemon or carrot cake. 

I discovered recently that we have a hand held blender. This has made grating carrot easier. 

Mince Pies

At Christmas I like a mince pie. It says Christmas. It tases of a festive season much like a hot cross bun at Easter. This year we forgot to buy them so at the invitation of my mother in law - I ate 2 from a half packet of Marks and Spencers finest. With two left in the packet my father in law generously offered me one, knowing in the past that I would refuse…But they were so good, I managed another. Much to the evil eye of my Father in Law. 

Seagulls

When we visit Tenby in Wales we visit the Pembrokeshire Pasty and Pie Co, buy a pasty to go and then sit on the beach, or cliff top to eat it. It’s one of the best pasties I’ve ever eaten. But only if you can fight off the seagulls. 

Portrait - January Challenge 2022

I create a portrait every year and this year as part of the January Challenge prompt I decided to mix it up and use traditional and digital techniques. 

I learnt how to draw a portrait in a class with Peter Keegan about 4-5 years ago. Before that if you had asked me to draw a portrait the results would have been very unsettling, maybe even abstract. 

When using digital medium I have to start with a sketch and import that into whatever program I am using and in this case it was Procreate. 

Learning how to mix layer transparencies and layer interactions is probably the hardest part of digital media.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the result and video how to…