Working on closeup 87

A small snippet of a London based oil painting...

Painting faces exercise Zorn palette 'On the Buses'

These three portraits feature some of the regular cast from the hit comedy TV series 'On the Buses' that ran from 1969 to 1973. From left to right the actors are Reg Varney as Stan Butler , Bob Grant as Jack Harper and Stephen Lewis as Inspector Cyril 'Blakey' Blake.

Painted in oils onto cardboard from a supermarket, each one sized at 12" x 9.5". The colour palette is the limited 'Zorn' one, designed by the Victorian artist, Anders Zorn. The colours are yellow ochre, ivory black, Cadmium red  and titanium white.

Summer 2021.

Steampunk military mobile field gun - WIP stages

Digitally painted in May 2021 this illustration provides a humorous look at a fantastical military machine from 1901, and shows Field marshmallow general P.T. Gallows standing on it.
The photo above shows four stages of the creation of the illustration. In the first panel can be seen a rough, low definition sketch done in Auto sketchbook pro running on a Samsung android tablet with the upper right panel showing this roughly painted in, again on the tablet. The lines help to work out the perspective in the scene. The 3^rd, bottom left panel show work has now progressed to a larger file, again running the same software but this time on a desktop machine which provides far more power than a tablet could offer. The low definition sketch is now redrawn with greater detail. In the final panel, bottom right, can be seen the final illustration.
By following this link this illustration of a steampunk field tank can be seen in detail on this link.

 still life painting 04

A collection of some of my art materials are shown as seen in this still life artwork, painted during June 2021. The dominating item is a metal pot that holds brush cleaner, and has a sealable top. Other items are a number of brushes and tubes of paint, a metal double dipper, some bottles and two wooden cases that are used to store oil paints.
Painted in oils on cardboard, 11.5" x 9.5" from a local supermarket.

Steampunk military mobile field gun - Digital illustration

This military piece of hardware was first developed in 1901. The field gun is s team powered and runs on a caterpillar tracks via via an off-centre very eccentric loopy drive. It is shown with Field marshmallow general P.T. Gallows who died shortly after because his cuff was caught in the rammer while on test.

This illustration was created in Sketchbook pro during May 2021. It can be seen in greater detail on this link.

Princess in castle with happy birds - WIP stages

A flock of happy birds are playing with a yellow dressed princess in her castle.
This digital illustration was created during mid May 2021 and the picture above demonstrates three stages of the creation of it. In the first panel can be seen the drawing. This was done using Sketchbook pro software running on a tablet with the image being 1200px along the longest edge. The second panel now shows the same drawing painted, with basic colours and tonal qualities indicated using basic brushes. After this stage the file is exported to a desktop W10 computer running the same software. The artwork is enlarged up to 6000px on the longest edge and then it is re-painted in a more refined manor  so that a high quality, printable illustration can be reproduced, with the final panel showing the finished princess illustration. It can be seen in better detail on this link. 

Cows resting at Boltons Bench Lyndhurst New Forest - WIP stages

Created in July 2021, this oil painting shows a view of Boltons Bench, an area just outside the small town of Lyndhurst, situated in the New Forest, Hampshire, UK. The picture above shows four stages of the paintings creation. Starting with the first panel, the elements of the composition that make up the scene have been drawn in brown acrylic on a brown wash. In the second panel, diluted oil paint has been applied to give an indication of colours and tonal information. Its applied thinly, using a medium like paint thinner or similar, and because its thin the paint dries quickly over a few days. Moving on to the third panel the final layers have partly been applied. Here the paint is much thicker and is the correct colour and tone is used over the thinly painted layer. Finally as seen in the last panel the painting, sized at 20” x 16” and done on mounting board is finished.

The artwork can be seen in better clarity on this link.

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Harbour House is a Grade II-listed building in the Quay area of Southampton City. It was built in 1925 and housed the harbourmaster’s office for the port of Southampton until the post was finally abolished in the late 1960s. It has over the years been used as casino and nightclub but has been empty since 2015. The painting was done one sunny early morning in June 2021. It is painted in oils on mounting board, sized at 11.5" x 9.52. 

The year before I painted this scene which is the direct opposite to the view painted here.

Princess in castle with happy birds - digital illustration

In this fairy-tale like illustration, a princess wearing a long yellow dress is seen happily interacting with friendly white birds through a window open in a castle corridor.
Painted in May 2021 using 'Auto Sketchbook Pro' software, initially on a tablet and then exported to a W10 desktop computer. The finished result can be seen via this external link. 

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A small snippet of a military based illustration...

 Painting faces exercise 05 Zorn palette

A selection of faces painted in oils using the limited Zorn palette, one that consists of 4 colours; yellow ochre, ivory black, Cadmium red and titanium white, discovered by the Victorian artist Anders Zorn. Photos plucked off the internet were used for reference. Each one measures around 10” x 12”, and are painted on cardboard from a supermarket.

Two horses on Devon coastal path - oil painting

During a hot summer's day two horses are found walking along a coastal path. They are in Devon, on the south coast of the UK and the location is Westbury. Running into the distance the land ends and falls as a steep cliff to the English Channel. The painting is based on a photo taken nine years previously which featured many more horses, but was simplified for a better composition. The artwork was painted in oils on some mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”. Completed in June 2020 the painting was started way back in November 2020 but halted and basically forgotten while other projects were created.
The artwork can be seen on this 3rd party link in greater detail.

Two horses on Devon coastal path - WIP stages

Completed in June 2021 this painting features a pretty scene of two horses on a coastal path in Devon, UK. Three stages of the painting are shown above. In the first panel can be seen the drawing of the scene, done in brown acrylics on a board with a brown wash. Some tonally bright areas such as the sky have received a wash of white acrylic paint. Moving onwards to the next panel oil paint has been applied to the artwork. It is applied in a thin, diluted manner and mainly shows the dark, tonal 'cold' areas, and acts as an underpainting. This layer is not detailed and quite crude, but is enough to provide a base for the following layer. When this layer is dry after a few days then thinker paint is applied, mostly straight from the tube as shown in the final panel. This painting layer is the final one, with all the colours and tonal values indicated in the scene, applied. More care is taken at this stage with the painting as this layer is the one that is seen by the viewer so careful attention is taken with the details as well as the colour values. The finished work is sized at 20” x 16” and done on acid free mounting board.
This horse based artwork can be seen in greater detail on this link.

Cows resting at Boltons Bench Lyndhurst New Forest - oil painting

Painted in July 2021 this picture shows a view set in the picturesque New Forest, a large area of 28,924.5 hectares, first noted in the Domesday Book of 1086. This small hill is situated just outside the small town of Lyndhurst, in the county of Hampshire, southern England. On top of the hill is a large Yew Tree, surrounded by a bench, named after the Duke of Bolton, and is a popular spot for tourists to admire the scenery and engage with the freely roaming cows and horses.

The painting measures 20” x 16” and is done in oils. The support is acid free mounting board, primed to allow it to accept the oil paint. The artwork can be seen in greater detail on this link.

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A large view from Shamrock Quay, Southampton on the banks of the River Itchen, Southampton. A number of boats can be seen going into the distance. The river is flowing in to Southampton Water and the city can be seen in the distance, with the tall building dominating the scene being found at the nearby 'Ocean Village'. This plein air oil painting was done during June 2021 and is sized at 11.5" x 9.5" inches. The support is mounting board, primed.

 still life painting 03

Reel of 16mm film with metal can. Oil on 10" x 8.5" on discarded cardboard. Painted June 2021.

 Working on closeup 86

A small snippet of a cow based oil painting...

 Painting faces exercise 04 Zorn palette

A further collection of faces painted in oils using the limited Zorn palette, one that consists of 4 colours; yellow ochre, ivory black, Cadmium red and titanium white. This palette was a discovery made by the Victorian artist Anders Zorn, and suites figurative work well but has limits in landscape work as there is not way to mix strong greens/ blues. The paintings measure around the 10” x 12” and are painted on cardboard. Photos were taken off the internet to use as reference and I have no idea who they are.

 still life painting 02

Oil painting sketch of a cactus in a terra cotta pot, painted from life. Sized at 12" x 9.5 on a piece of old cardboard, primed for painting. Painted during June 2021.

 Plein air painting 21

Southampton common, Hampshire is depicted in oils in this landscape plein air painting. It was painted one sunny early morning in June 2021. It is painted on a piece of a cardboard box, sized at 11.5" x 9.5".  

Ancient alien astronaut with damaged space craft - WIP stages

3 stages of the creation of the artwork.

Painted during May 2021 this digital illustration, created using 'Auto sketchbook pro', depicts a sci-fi scene. A long dead alien astronaut is drifting with his damaged ship in to a field of space inhabited with large, long tentacled monsters.

The panel above shows three stages of the creation leading to the completed illustration. In the first panel the original sketch can be seen in a reasonably cleaned up version. Moving to the second panel the drawing has had rough colour areas and details added to indicate tone and hues. At this stage the image is a small size document, with 1200px on the longest edge, and has been done on an android tablet. The next stage is to export the file to a desktop PC, enlarge the image up so that the longest side is now 6000px. This becomes the start of the final artwork where the imagery is reworked/ painted and refined so that it can be printed up to many sizes without loss of quality. The last panel shows the finished illustration, and can be seen in greater detail on this link. 

 

 closeup working progress 20

 A small snippet of a princess illustration...

 Plein air painting 20

St Mary's church, in the St Mary's area of Southampton City is the subject of this plein air artwork. It was built in 1884 and partly rebuilt in 1954 due to war damage. The painting is 11.5" x 9.5"  and painted on supermarket cardboard, during June 2021.

 Painting faces exercise 03 Zorn palette

The panel above shows three further small portraits done from photos taken off the internet. Each one is done on paper sized at 10” x 8” and painted in oils. The exercise is to paint the face using the 'Zorn' colour palette that consists of 4 colours. This limited palette was discovered by an artist called Anders Zorn who found that these colours could be used to create a portrait or figurative subjects well. Some interiors can also work. However it is not a good system to use for landscapes as blues and greens do not exist within the palette.

Ancient alien astronaut with damaged space craft - digital illustration

Completed digital sci fi space wreck illustration.

This scifi illustration shows a scene featuring a damaged space ship floating with its long dead alien pilot nearby, attached with a tether. It is now a skeleton after the tentacled, flesh sucking creatures living in the area, have removed it.

The image was created digitally using 'Auto Sketchbook pro' during early May 2021, with final touches carried out in Photoshop, and can be seen in detail on this exterior link.

 

Working on closeup 85

A small snippet of a horse subject based painting...

 Plein air painting 19

A boat moored at Shamrock Quay, Southampton on the River Itchen. In the distance can be seen the Itchen Toll bridge, opened in 1977. Painted in June 2021 during one afternoon, in oils on mounting board, sized at 11.5" x 9.5".

 still life painting 01

A pearl lightbulb. It has a bayonet filling and is a normal sized (GLS)example. At the time this was painted most shops did not offer these for sale. The painting is done in oils painted during June 2021. It is sized at 12" x 9.5" and painted on cardboard from a supermarket, primed to take oil paint.

 still life painting 07

Collection of stainless steel cutlery. Painted in oil during June 2021 this artwork is done on cardboard sized at 10" x 9", and painted from life one afternoon.

 Painting faces exercise 02 Zorn palette

'Zorn' palette painting exercise

A further collection of painted faces. They are taken off the internet and I do not know who they are. Each one is painted in oils on primed paper sized at 10" x 8", and painted using the 'wet into wet' technique meaning that the paint is not allowed to dry, but the artwork is done in the one sitting. The faces are not drawn using a pencil but sketched in using paint.
Four tubes of paints are used in this exercise (yellow ochre, ivory black, Cadmium red and titanium white) using a palette known as the 'Zorn' palette, created by Anders Zorn, an artist who lived between 1860-1920.

 

Victorian author at writing desk with giant cat - WIP stages

3 stages in the creation of the surreal author illustration.

Digitally painted in late winter 2021, this surreal illustration shows an author sitting at his writing desk while being spied upon by a large black cat.

In the picture above can be seen three stages of the completion of the illustration with the first stage showing the initial drawing using 'Auto Sketchbook Pro' software. The second panel presents the image with colour roughly indicated as well as tones and light values. At this stage the image is a small one, with a size of 1500px along the longest edge. After a time of development the image is then worked up to a final image as shown in the final panel. Here the image is now 6000px along the longest edge and the elements have largely been repainted with the earlier stage acting like a guide. More detail and finer painting is required at this larger size.

The finished surreal image of a author at his desk can be seen in greater detail on this link.

 

 closeup working progress 19

 A small snippet of a sci-fi image with a skull...

Victorian author at writing desk with giant cat - digital illustration

Completed digital illustration of the author at desk.

On an dark night a writer is busy working on his manuscript. He sits at a desk with a lamp on in his study. A very large cat looks on, spying on him during the evenings. As the author has some eyesight issues he now has a 'steampunk' like attachment to help with his writing. This was painted using 'Auto Sketchbook Pro' during spring 2021.

The illustration can be seen in better detail by following this external link.

 

 Plein air painting 18

A view of a path running through Southampton common painted during October 2020.

Tower Bridge as seen from Butler's Wharf - WIP stages

Stages of painting the image of Tower Bridge, London.

Tower Bridge, a world famous landmark is portrayed in this painting, created during late 2020. Tower bridge is situated in the city of London, UK and spans the river Thames, linking the north and south sides.

The painting is done in oils on mounting board, sized at 33” x 23”. The photograph above shows various stages of the work under progress. In the first panel the initial drawing can be seen, done in brown acrylic paint on top of a lighter brown wash. It is based on a photograph taken a number of years ago. The tug boat was repositioned to create a more pleasing composition. The second panel displays how colour paint has been applied to create a basic idea of tonal and colour placement within the composition. The paint is diluted with a special thinner for this task and is dry after a few days, and this becomes the underpainting. One part of the panel does show one of the towers partly painted with a further stage applied, which is the next stage as shown in panel 3, where the paint is applied thickly without being diluted. Details are painted in and the colours are more truer to the intended outcome. The final, fourth panel shows the final, finished artwork. Here all of the paint is applied thickly. In addition a glazing layer was applied on top of the paint to emphasize some colour and tonal adjustments, and to help create a more vibrant painting. Glazing is when a small amount of oil colour paint is added to a medium, in this case one which is like a thick, transparent oil to create something akin to stained glass. Basically the colour of something in the painting has its colour boosted or empathised to create extra depth.

The finished London landscape painting can be seen on this link. 

closeup working progress 18

A small snippet of a surreal illustration with a cat...

Tower Bridge as seen from Butler's Wharf - oil painting

Completed London landscape art of Tower Bridge on the Thames.

 The famous landmark of Tower Bridge is the subject of this London based landscape painting. The bridge crosses over the River Thames, linking south and north London. The outer sections are in the form of a suspension bridge, with the road surface held in position with cables. The section between the towers is in two sections which lift upward, being pivoted in the base of each tower. The bases contain the motors to power this movement although when originally opened, in the 1890's, the bridge was steam powered with the engines housed on the bank of the river, now a museum. The towers have a steel frame construction while the walkways help to strengthen the whole structure when in use. In the distance, between the towers can be seen the heart of the financial district of the city, represented by an ever-changing skyline of impressive, tall buildings.

The painting is sized at 33” x 23” and painted in oils on mounting board. It was created during November/ December 2020. It can be seen in sharper detail by following this link.

 

 Plein air painting 17

Painted in October 2020 this oil painted sketch shows an unused gate (locked) to Southampton city 'old' cemetery. The cemetery is next door to Southampton common, which is where is view is taken, and originally this entrance would have been one of a number of gateways into the complex. The artwork is created in oils on primed mounting board sized at 12" x 10".

The young Dinosaurs of Avignon after Picasso - WIP stages

Stages of WIP on the 'Picaso' dinosaur illustration

This digital illustration is based on a famous painting by Picasso, named “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon”, painted in 1907 at the start of the Cubist movement. Dinosaurs have replaced the nude human figures in this pastiche, created in 'Auto Sketchbook Pro' during March 2021. The photo above shows three stages of the creation of the illustration. In the first panel is the initial rough drawing, done on a small sized (pixel) document. It is not traced off the original painting but redrawn, as the dimensions of the original work was too constrictive and needed to be longer length ways to accommodate some dinosaurs. The second panel indicates where colours have been roughly applied, based on the original painting, with some details being indicated. At this stage the document is still only at a small size. However the final panel shows the final, finished illustration which had been enlarged from the small document to one which is 6000px on the longest edge, and then repainted to a higher standard with details added. In addition the colours of the figures have been tinted to reflect different dinosaur colours, rather than the flesh colours in the original Picasso painting.

The dinosaur illustration can be seen in detail by following this link.

 

The young Dinosaurs of Avignon after Picasso - digital illustration

Dinosaur spoof of “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon”

Created in March 2021 this dinosaur illustration is based on a famous painting by Pablo Picasso. The classic painting, which was painted at the start of the Cubism movement, featured five prostitutes. This digital pastiche of “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon” features five dinosaurs instead, including a T-Rex.

It was painted in 'Auto Sketchbook Pro', with final touches done in 'Photoshop'.

The completed illustration can be seen in greater detail on this external link.

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A small snippet of a famous landmark in London, oil painting...

 Plein air painting 16

A shady spot in woodlands is depicted in this view of Southampton common, withing the city of Southampton, Hampshire. It was a late summers afternoon in September and although it appears secluded there were several paths very closeby where many people could be heard comming back from school/ work. The plein air landscape artwork is done on prepared mounting board, sized at 12" x 10", and painted in oils.

 

Departure of large steam punk Victorian butterfly - WIP stages

This steam punk inspired scifi illustration features a large mechanical butterfly getting ready to depart from a very elegant aircraft hanger. It was painted digitally during February 2021. The picture above shows three stages of the creation of the artwork. In the first panel can be seen the digital drawing for the scene. The lines are there to indicate perspective lines for the building and other elements as it is important for mechanical/ man-made objects to be correctly and solidly drawn. In the second panel some basic colours have been added and indications made of tonal values. The image is still at a small scale, just over 1000px on the longest side. The final panel displays the finished illustration. To get here the artwork is enlarged from what is seen in the second panel to a size of 6000px on the longest side. The painting is then repainted to a higher, more finished standard with details and better tonal choices. The artwork of the steam punk butterfly can be seen in greater detail by following this link. 

Departure of large steam punk Victorian butterfly - digital illustration

Painted in the winter of 2021 this digital illustration shows a scene of a 'steampunk' inspired view of a large mechanical butterfly. It is taking on passengers while stood in its elegant hangar before take off. A number of well healed observers are watching with interest. The captain is surveying the final checks before departure from his observation platform by the 'eye'. This illustration can be examined more clearly on this link to an external site.

 

 closeup working progress 17

A small snippet of a spoof dinosaur Picasso painting...

 Plein air painting 15

A boat on jacks at a boat yard is the subject of this plein air painting sketch, done in late September 2020. Shamroack Quay in the city of Southampton is the boat yard location, on the banks of the River Itchen. The river is quite wide at this stage as shown and the suberb of Woolston can be seen in the distance with newly built tall flats. The marine artwork is done on mounting board sized at 12" x 10".

 

Vintage space probe encountering flying alien creatures - WIP stages

Display of a number of stages involved in the creation of the illustration.

This scifi fantasy illustration depicts a scene with an ancient space probe being destroyed by some winged alien 'dinosaur' like monsters. It was painted during late winter 2021 in 'Sketchbook Pro.

The picture above shows four stages of the creation of the digitally produced artwork. The first panel shows a rough sketch to indicate size and composition of the elements. The document is at this time a small 1500px lengthways. The following panel, still at the same doc size indicates that the elements have been 'fleshed out', colours applied and some details beginning to be worked out. Moving on to the third panel the document is now enlarged to 6000px length-wise and now the final stages of painting can be done. This includes painting details in a more refined manner, and colours/ hues homed in to the final choices. Lastly, in the fourth panel can be seen the final illustration, completed. The above photo of the 3^rd and 4^th stages is probably not so apparent in differences due to the small size shown here.

The final result can be seen in detail on this link to an external portfolio site.