Wednesday 29 December 2010

cat romance in garden

cat_romance_gardencat romance in garden

This was painted in august 2010, in photoshop. I always think of cats being black and white in colour,because I suppose of the family cat in the previous post! On reflection I suppose the white, disinterested, female cat should not have been against a white wall. I am pleased with the distant,'blue' house.

from the website...
Two cats are seen in this illustration, of a romantic meeting between the two. The white female cat is on the wall looking down at the other in a superior manner. The black and white cat is looking for some attention.
Painted in 2010. 

Photography Prints

Wednesday 15 December 2010

CAT

cat_in_garden_oil_painting

Cat

This was painted ,in oils, during mid summer 2010, at a size of 7'x10' on board. It was based on a old B/W picture that I took around the early 1990s. I then made a B/W 8'x10' print in the bathroom from the negative, and its from this that I took the information to do the picture, and used other photographs, in colour, for the colour information. The cat was the family cat and she was called 'cuddles', because she was more aloof and proud, rather than wanting to be a popular cat. She is sitting by the fish pond in the garden.
Art Prints

Thursday 9 December 2010

Old Christmas Cards

Collection of past Christmas card artwork

Revised 2016
santa_christmas_pudding_ride2008 santa christmas pudding ride

2008 santa chimney alt design


2006 xmas pud

2005 father christmas down chimney


2002 stylised tree with presents
2000 sylized metal tree
Candle design of unknown date
1997 computer bell/ satellite 3D design

1990s santa express

Here are vintage christmas cards from the past. The B/W train drawing is hand drawn on paper with marker pen and 'Letratone' for the shaded sections, and then photocopied. It was done before I had a computer. The 2005 and 2008 cards are both painted in photoshop,and mostly printed out to give to people though there were occasions when it was emailed instead.
The 1997and 2000 card designs were originally done in a 3D programe, possibly a cut down version of Lightwave 3D in the late 1990s. The original files have been lost so these ones are scanned in from printouts done at the time. The 2002 design and the candle design were done in Photoshop. The candle design was also lost and is a scan from a print.


from the website...
This christmas card illustration was painted in 2008. It illustrates Father Christmas delivering presents during the night, over a winter landscape with a snow covered village featured. Rather than do a painting with Santa claus in a conventional sleigh, pulled by reindeer, I thought that I would twist the concept and have those elements replaced by large, round christmas puddings. 

Monday 6 December 2010

cow and calf in field

cow_and_calf_in_fieldcow and calf in field

This is an oil painting that measures 16"x16". It was painted in early november 2010, from a photograph taken a few weeks previously. The photo was heavily cropped to get this composition as a starting point. The original picture was taken at Throop, a countryside area on the outskirts of bournemouth,UK. I hope to produce more paintings of this pretty area in the future. 

from the website...
This oil painting of a cow and calf are shown depicted sitting in a field at Throop, which is an outer part of the suburbs of Bournemouth, UK. It is based on a photograph taken on a slightly frosty morning. I don't usually paint in a square format but happened to have seen the blank canvas at a good price at a shop, and purchased it to use at a later date. The square format adds to an unusual composition. The painting of the cow was quite successful and surprisingly not to taxing to do. It is painted in oils on a 16" x 16" canvas.
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Wednesday 1 December 2010

children playing in snow

children_playing_in_snowChildren playing in snow

Painted in photoshop and completed yesterday (30 nov). This image was quite easy to do and just 'fell out of the pen'. It is A4 sized as well. I think the simple layout and colour pallette have work out quite well. I wish it could always be this quick/successful!

from the website...
This is a companion piece to this one with children on a snow sleigh. This digital illustration features two children building a snow man was painted straight afterward the snow sleigh painting. It is created in photoshop and done to A4 size. Winter sun is bright and fresh so it was important to make this appealing in the illustration. The childrens outdoor clothes are colurful, in particular the girls. The horizon is slightly bent in to a curve, on purpose to make it slighty softer, rather than have straight, strict lines. The snowmans arms are likewise positioned almost pointing upwards, as if its happy. Painted in 2010.  


Art Prints

Sunday 21 November 2010

class 85 electric locomotive at euston station

class_85_electric_locomotive_euston_stationclass 85 electric locomotive at euston station

This is so far the oldest image of mine that has been posted here. It was painted in 1992/93 and it is,unusually for this blog, painted in gouache. It was based on a B/W 35mm photograph I took back in 1990. At that time I was also developing my own B/W prints, in the bathroom! The colour reference was gained from reference and my own memory.
These were old electric locomotives at the time. Built at doncaster,UK in 1960, they were withdrawn and mostly scrapped in c1990, this one pictured, scrapped in 1991.

from the website...
This is quite an old painting, one of my oldest pieces on this site. It measures 15" x 10" and is painted on paper with acrylics. The artwork shows a class 85 electric locomotive at Euston (London) station in the early 1990s. These railway locomotives disappeared shortly afterwards from the network. It is based on a B/W photo that I took on a 35mm SLR camera and then printed my self (chemically) on to paper using an enlarger. Painting on paper allows one to paint finer details, in a small area than on canvas, due to the absence of the canvas weave. The driver in his cab helps to add interest and anticipation to the composition. I also felt that the 'straight on' composition adds a factual, no nonsense feeling to the artwork.
Painted early 1990s. 

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Friday 19 November 2010

steam roller traction engine

steam_roller_traction_enginesteam roller traction engine oil painting

This was painted in oils during september 2010. It is based on a photograph taken about 5 years earlier at at steam fare. The engine is a Wallis & Steevens Road Roller, built in 1925.7844, Old Ken",and "HO 6442", are other details connected with it, possibly the registration number.
I think it turned out very well as a painting, and the brass and copper fittings worked nicely with the shiny green paint. The painting is 20"x16".

from the website...
This is an oil painting of a vintage steam roller. It is a 'Wallis & Steevens Road Roller' built in 1925 and named 'Old Ken'. It is seen here at a countryside steam fair traction engine rally, wearing two 'england' flags. It is painted in oils to a size of 20" x 16" on a canvas. Its fun to paint the shiny brass and copper fittings and put the highlights on the wheels. The two men driving the steam roller help to give it scale. Painting ellipses is always difficult, but is is a requirement to get these right when painting a subject like this.
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Friday 12 November 2010

Christmas Card 2009 dinosaur carol singers

dinosaur_carol_singersDinosaur Carol Singers

This was painted in photoshop very late 2009. It was the christmas card for that year. As you can see I have had fun with the 'Dickensian' traditional christmas, and it is always nice to research clothes of the period. Very few were printed out and sent. Instead it was mostly sent via an email attachment. 

from the website...
This was painted in photoshop to A5 size during 2011. I like to portray dinosaurs in more contemporary settings than pre 65million years ago. The combination of a victorian themed christmas adds more humour in to the strange mix. I did some basic research in to the clothes of the era and the rest is typical of what one finds on a commercial christmas card.
Photography Prints

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Cheeky alien invasion

cheeky_alien_invasion_ufoCheeky alien invasion

Painted in photoshop in late oct,2010. More scifi!. I suppose in the back of my mind I am thinking about HG Wells war of the worlds, but it would not correct, to the descriptions in the story. Only the victorian man would be correct. The alien is cheeky, because he is smiling!

from the website...
I do like comedy mixed with horror/ scifi, and this digital illustration took its Inspiration from HG Wells, 'War of the Worlds' novel. It is quite a cliched filled image but still fun. I posed myself for the man by taking a photograph and transferring it to photoshop, where the actual image was drawn and painted. The alien I have always thought of is more cheeky than nasty, but it is a fine line I guess! There is a slight tilt on the horizon to add drama. The illustration is painted to A4 size, in 2010.

  Photography Prints

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Oil painting collection 02 Bournemouth Sea front

Oil painting collection 02 Bournemouth Sea front

OIL_painting_bournemouth_beach_pierpeople on Bournemouth beach
OIL_painting_bournemouth_air_festivalBournemouth Air festival
OIL_painting_boy_bournemouth_beachBoy standing in sea

These 3 oil paintings were painted august-sept 2010 and are of roughly the same location.
The Air festival has now become a regular event at bournemouth and this image features the "Breitling wing walkers",one of the numerous events, though the women walking are on the other side of the plane and cannot be seen here! The location is 'overcliff drive, overlooking the beach.
The beach scene shows crowds on the beach. In reality there are often even more people on the beach than pictured here. The arches of the pier are in the background.
The solo boy in the water is my nephew!

from the website...
people on Bournemouth beach
This was painted in oils on a 16"x 20" canvas, during 2010. It depicts the beach at Bournemouth, in Dorset, UK, during the summer. The building in the background is part of the pier at Bournemouth and the beach itself if often crowded during the summer. It offers several miles of clean, golden sand. The painting is based on a number of photographs that I took, and then rearranged in photoshop to create one good,balanced composition. This is then scaled up and printed out, and transferred to the canvas by hand drawing. Then the drawing is redrawn using a fine brush and brown acrylic paint. On top of this the final oil paint layers are applied over a few weeks. My favorite areas while working on the oil painting was the deckchair on the right and the woman with a black top on the left.

Bournemouth Air festival
Bournemouth has been having an air show in late august for a couple of years. This painting is taken from a series photographs taken during the second festival year. Using photoshop I created a composite picture to use as the basis for this painting. The location is on overcliff drive, that looks out over the beaches at Bournemouth down below. I used another photo of the planes and positioned them in this location and jiggled the spectators around to get a nice composition. The distinctive biplanes are used in the Breitling Wingwalkers display, where a woman, on each top part of the plane wing, stands and poses while the planes perform acrobatic displays. The painting is done in oils on a smaller than usual canvas, measuring 12" x 16"
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Tuesday 2 November 2010

Animal Supermarket

animal_zoo_supermarket

Animal Supermarket

This was painted in photoshop and completed in oct 2010. It is a follow on I suppose from the animal underground commute illustration done a few years ago. Some of the animals are the same,in particular the crab and snake, but there are a few additions that were noty in the previous one. Doing all the packs on the shelves does take time, even using cloning,etc tools in digital painting.

from website...
This image is painted in photoshop at a size of 29cm x 21cm. It is a follow on from the animal underground commute painting done the year before, by picturing animals doing a very human mundane activity, and features a collection of animals enjoying their weekly supermarket shop. The animal customers featured are elephants (and daughter), Lion, Cow, Bull, crab (carrying stuff on his shell as on the tube journey picture), Lioness and son, Pig, Snake, Bear, Crocodile, Zebra, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Tiger, Giraffe, and Monkey. Horses are again featured serving the customers at the checkout as in the supermarket horse illustration, else where on this site.
Producing all the packs can be a bit tedious, even using photoshop, but it is important for the setting. Also for the setting it is important to have boards with prices around, so time was spent creating graphics that look like numbers but are not recognizable as numerals.

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Thursday 28 October 2010

BRITISH BANK PIG

fat_british_bank_pig_bonusFat British Bank Pig

Painted in Photoshop in 2009.
I think this is the only political work I have done . It is aimed at the British banks, and was originally done in response to the RBS scandal of 2008 when sir fred goodwin (fred the shred) took the bank in to meltdown, partly causing the recession in the UK, but Goodwin still walked away with a £700.000 per year pension package. The RBS logo was originally on the arse of the pig, where the it is now replaced with a 'British banks' label. The banks have still not been punished and do what they want. They recieved lots of taxpayer help to prevent them from going under, despite their actions causing lots of other business to go under instead. Bank bonuses are now on the level they were before the recession.
The fat pig image naturally suits the banking image, stuck up its victorian, unrelated to society, arse.

from website...
Painted in Photoshop in 2009, this was a fun image to paint. I have never painted shit and dribble before. I think this is the only political work I have done. It is aimed at the British banks, and was originally done in response to the RBS scandal of 2008 when sir fred goodwin (fred the shred) took the bank in to meltdown, partly causing the recession in the UK, but Goodwin still walked away with a £700.000 per year pension package. The RBS logo is on the pigs arse. The banks have still not been punished and do what they want. They recieved lots of taxpayer help to prevent them from going under, despite their actions causing lots of other business to go under instead. Bank bonuses are now on the level they were before the recession. The fat pig image naturally suits the banking image, stuck up its victorian, distanced to society, arse. Even by 2011 the banks still have it their way, dragging society, and the world to deeper levels of unrest and financial depression.
 
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Tuesday 26 October 2010

Oil painting collection 01

Oil painting collection 01-pictures of Christchurch UK

swans at christchurch harbour
river avon christchurch
christchurch priory

These are the first oil paintings placed here on this site. They were all painted during summer 2010, and based on photographs. The locations are all in the historic and pretty town of Christchurch, Dorset in the UK. The painting of the swans at Christchurch Quay was based on a photograph originally taken during a winter, a few years ago.
Christchurch priory is 12" x16", river avon is 16"x20" and swans at christchurch harbour is 12"x16" in size, on canvas.

from website...
swans at christchurch harbour
This is based on a photograph I took in 2003 during the winter months. The painting pictures a scene at Christchurch Quay, UK, where ducks and swans are quite happy to stroll about with the holiday tourists. The golden winter sun is quite low down as can be seen and shows up well the feathers and construction of the birds from the side. Hengistbury Head can be seen in the distance, past the ongoing mooring of yachts in the area. The photo was heavily altered in photoshop to give me a composition that I was happy to work from.
It is painted in oils on a canvas board measuring 12" x 16". 


river avon christchurch
This oil painting depicts the river Avon at the town of Christchurch, Dorset,UK. It is based on a photograph taken from one of the bridges in Bridge Street. The multi coloured canoes and canoeists add a lot of interest and work well with the strong blue colour of the water. The water reflections were difficult to paint but are probably the center point of interest and worth the time taken to do them well. The artwork is based on a number of photographs, particularly of the canoes, as I wanted to get a good composition using them. The photos were cut up and rearranged to create a final 'master' composition to create the painting with.
The painting is done in oils on a canvas board measuring 20" x 16".  


christchurch priory
The town of Christchurch, Dorset, UK boasts a wonderful priory, painted and photographed many times over the centuries. Construction first started in 1094 AD as a norman church. It took several centuries to construct and is a landmark for several miles in all directions. This painting depicts a view from the well kept high street, looking at the main gates to the entrance of the priory. The painting is in oils on a canvas board measuring 12" x 16". The original photograph was taken in the summer of 2010 but then heavily cropped to give the 'straight on' composition that is seen. I wanted to get the gates archway lined up with the main door way. The late afternoon sun helps to pick out the details of the churches architecture, and does describe a later part of the priory with the stone appearing to be more golden and less weather worn ( bottom of the tower). 
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Tuesday 12 October 2010

Monster loose in laboratory

monster_loose_frankensteinMonster loose in laboratory

Painted in October 2010 in photoshop.
This is obviously inspired by 'frankenstein'. Fun to do! The lighting is completly cheated, but helps to add drama and force the creature in to a silhouette. He would really be working under some lights, rather than darkness!

from website...
Monsters in gothic horror settings have always fascinated me and this takes its influence from old Hammer horror films. The 'Frankenstien' like creature is about to attack its creator, who is busy doing and experiment. Although the creature is made up of body parts, it is obviously too large, being almost twice the height of the mad professor. But the scale is for dramatic effect, as is the low, wide angle of the composition. Most of the lighting comes from the open doorway, which helps to include long, dramatic shadows through the painting.
This illustration is painted in photoshop to a size of 8" x 10". Created in 2010.  

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Monday 13 September 2010

dragons relaxing at home

dragons_relaxing_at_ homeDragons relaxing at home

Painted in late august,2010 in photoshop. I've tended to do a lot of 'couples' artwork, and here is another. It is similar in lighting and subject to the 'bear family' image done a few weeks ago.

from website...
I have often drawn dragons and a number are here on this site as here and here. This illustration depicts a small dragon family relaxing in their cave home, watching TV. This was painted in 2011. 
Art Prints

Monday 30 August 2010

Graveyard diggers and ghost rising from grave

graveyard_gigger_ghostGraveyard diggers and ghost rising from grave

Another one of my 'pulp' horror images. Totally unoriginal but fun to do! Painted in photoshop in august 2010.

from website...
This digital illustration was painted in photoshop in 2010 at 10"x8" size. I do like Gothic horror and Hammer films and this painting of a ghost rising from the grave and frightening some grave workers/ robbers illustrates this. It is quite old fashioned in a way, much like the old book covers from decades ago I used to look at in shops. I posed for the 3 figures in the painting and took photographs, which were then used and traced within photoshop. An image like this is drawn on the computer, then painted in a traditional, layered way similar to conventional painting media. The rising spirit is the main source of light in within the image, the rest of the painting being quite dark and illuminated by the ghost's light. 
Art Prints

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Front room bear family

front_room_bear_familyBear family in front room with son playing a computer game

Painted during august 2010 in photoshop. I wanted to have a go at painting 'nice' bears, and I also wanted to see what happens to the elements in a picture when I paint a 'tv' glow.

from website...
bear family in front room with son playing computer game
This image was painted in photoshop to a size of 8" x 10". It is a family of bears in their home but not in a cave, but in an every day human environment. The mother is ironing, the older son playing a computer game and the nipper balancing on a ball, circus fashion. I deliberately picked a very wide, impossible angle, but I cheated on the perspective, so that we get to see a lot of the room. I enjoyed painting the blue hue from the TV, and having it reflect in the characters eyes. 

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Wednesday 18 August 2010

Fabulous Creatures

Fabulous Creatures

mermaid_on_rock_with _friendsMermaid on rock with friends
King_Kong_plane_swatterKing Kong plane swatter

'King Kong plane swatter' was painted in july 2005. I suppose if I was to do it now (2010) I might pick a more dramatic angle,more film like,but then this angle does show the empire state building and king kong on top of it very clearly. The joke is easily to read flat on I suppose! I would paint the clouds to a better standard though.

'Mermaid on rock' was painted in dec 2008. I had painted an earlier one about a year previously but was never happy with that one. I'm sure I will revisit this subject in time for a repaint!

from website...
King Kong plane swatter
This digital illustration shows the famous monster, King Kong up on the Empire State building. In the film he is in battle with a number of small Biplanes. Here I have added a fly swat for Kongs defence against the planes, that would seem like irritating flies to him. The fork of lighting adds some drama and helps to show his form against the dark clouds. Painted in 2007.  

Mermaid on rock with friends
A mermaid is pictured sitting on a rock in the sea in this digital illustration. She is brushing away her long, red hair away from her eyes so that she can see her other sea friends, a crab, a dolphin and a seagull. Painted in 2008.
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