ART, Everything you don't have to do.
Had a day away from work and went up the smoke to Tate Briton and the Edward Burne-Jones exhibition.
It is a very big exhibition set in 6 galleries covering his early art, drawings and his popular Pre-Raphaelite pictures, plus stain glass windows, tapestries and other decorated items, so lots to see.
Had a nice life drawing session today. It was great to get messy with charcoal and chalk again.
Thanks to Alice Ellis-Hayle for putting on the class.
I like to try new things, here I am using a canvas sheet, it comes in a pad, there are plenty of different makers and sizes, the one I have used is from Loxley and is 18″ x 14 ” in size.
The surface is a little smoother than regular canvas but still nice to paint on., with drying time much the same.
Well worth a go if you fancy trying a new surface.
The picture is titled Siamese it s part of my circus project and a nod to a circus act known as the Siamese twins.
New year and a new thing to master, if that’s what you can call it.
I have a new Rotaring art pen, takes cartrages of ink (not waterproof), I need to see if I can get other types or refillable ones.
I thought this would be good for my sketching, it makes you think more about your lines there is no going back, when it’s down it’s down.
A few faces from my daily efforts using my new weapon.
Another term at artclass and we have been looking at art inspired by circus, had some great fun working with vintage photographs and some rapid scribbling, trying to create the energy of circus clowns.
Our Art class Exhibition.
My last painting of my art class friend, was just a lead in to this painting.
I planned to make two pictures and to have a go at a large (large for me) canvas. This picture is 18 x 24.
I wanted to make this about the subject, so I have used Heathers paintings for the background and included her painting shirt and some of her own hand crafted jewellery
After not liking the acrylic ground used on my last picture I had already added it to this canvas so had to go with it, I used charcoal instead of the acrylic pen for my sketch.
I am living with it for a while as I think it is finished but I might just work the shadow side of the face some more, does it need to be darker? I cannot decide.
Nudity violence and Surgical procedures, The 2018 RA Summer Exhibition had it all.
This years exhibition was full of strangeness and humour, with some wonderful juxtapositions that made it all very entertaining.
Took myself down to London to see the BP Portrait Awards at the National Portrait Gallery and the Summer exhibition at the Royal Academy, more of that in another post.
I always find this exhibition an inspiration and a illustration of just how much there is to learn. I don’t think I will ever get there but you need to look at the work of others to improve, I took time to study hair and the boundaries between subjects and background. I am not sure I am any wiser.
Some tremendous hyperrealism paintings, you have to wonder at the skillset to produce this work, I always wonder if I am blown away by the technique or the subject.
I think everyone has their own winner and the picture that engaged me the most by its presence in the room and the clever use of a highlight on her ring constantly pulling your eye from her face was Gaela Erwins Portrait of Neema Tambo.
My own short list below-
Took me a while to ask my friend from my art class if she would be my subject, I was pleased I did as she was more than helpful, I shared my ideas with her and we took some pictures for me to work from.
My approach is to start with some sketches and then moved on to painting, this works better than diving straight on in with the paint and gives you time to understand the subject.
I found using acrylic to ground your canvas is quick but I found the oil paint went on better when the oil under painting had been done, I probably won’t start with acrylic next time. also tried a black acrylic paint pen for my drawing, it was good that it didn’t vanish but it took some painting out.
I struggled to paint her hair, it’s one thing I really don’t have a good approach to, this time after a couple of goes I tried under painting the shapes and tones, when this was dry I used a rigger brush to add detail, this seams to have worked out ok, something to explore more.
