Head painting exercise - politicians

Two famous leaders of opposing political leaders in the UK, are shown in this entry. Leading the Conservatives (and was the PM) is Boris Johnson. His opposite number leading the Labour party is Sir Keir Starmer. Each of these two paintings are done on cardboard (from a supermarket) sized at 12" x 9.5", primed ready to accept oil paint. A limited set of colours has been used to create these sketches, painted during mid summer 2022.

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. 

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.

 

Steampunk escape from attack of Big Ben foe - digital illustration

Steampunk escape from attack of Big Ben foe - digital illustration

digital art of steam punk Edwardian couple escape.

An Edwardian couple have been performing as a small army defeating a foe that was about to cause destruction in London. They are leaving the scene on a flying machine, recently built by the ex serviceman while the passenger is pleased with her good shots at disarming the enemy, which is now lost it's footing on the clock tower of Westminster Palace (also known as Big Ben) and about to self destruct.

Created in June 2020 this digital illustration was produced in 'Sketchbook Pro' with final work done in photoshop. It can be seen in greater detail here.

St Paul's Cathedral London in early Autumn - oil painting

St Paul's Cathedral London in early Autumn - oil painting

Completed oil painting of St Pauls cathedral, London.

The world famous landmark of St Paul's cathedral, London, is the subject of this oil painting, created in late December 2019 and finished off a few days in to the New Year. The building is shown in early autumn light from a south easterly aspect. The main road populated by mainly buses, including one of the famous new Routemaster buses ( Boris Bus) is Cannon Street. The building itself has hosted various important public events and is a big landmark in the city. It was the tallest building until 1967. Its designer was Sir Christopher Wren, who also built a number of London's famous churches surrounding the area. Work was started not long after the fist St Paul's was destroyed in the great fire of London in 1666, and was opened for use in 1711.

The artwork is painted in oils on acid free mounting board, as is sized at 33” x 23”. It can be seen in greater detail on this link.

Southampton old cemetery looking west early autumn - oil painting

Southampton old cemetery looking west early autumn - oil painting

Landscape painting of a westerly view of the Cemetery.

Southampton's 'old' cemetery is approximately 27 acres in size and was opened during the 1840s in the town of Southampton, on the southern coast of the UK. Now in the 21^st century it sees very little use due to a lack of space. Some parts have been reclaimed by nature which adds an additional level of beauty and interest with views of headstones covered in ivy and bramble. This painting show a view over the cemetery looking west, with Hill Lane running parallel behind the viewer. It is painted on canvas sized at 30” x 20”, and completed during December 2019 over a couple on months due to other projects. This graveyard oil painting can be seen in better detail by following this link.

London Piccadilly Circus With Evening Light- oil painting

London Piccadilly Circus With Evening Light - oil painting

PIccadilly Circus, London completed oil painting

During April 2019 this painting illustrating Piccadilly Circus during even light was created. The painting is done in oils on canvas, and measures 60” x 40”.

The landscape painting shows this famous London landmark during a sunny evening and as always it is populated by many locals and tourists passing through. It is a road junction for a number of main roads running through the city, and first became so during the early 1800's. During the early 1900's, with the widespread use of electricity the first illuminated billboard appeared, of which the area has always been famous for. The centre is dominated by the cast aluminium statue of Eros on top of a fountain, designed by sculptor Alfred Gilbert. Directly under this location can be found Piccadilly Circus underground station, a busy 'tube' station linking various underground lines.

This landscape painting can be seen in detail by following this link.

London National Gallery In The Winter - oil painting

London National Gallery In The Winter - oil painting

London's National gallery during winter - oil painting

Completed during autumn 2018 the subject of this painting is the world famous National Gallery at Trafalgar Square, London. The original was built in the 1830's but has been heavily modified as time passed so only the front of the building is true, the rest needing to accommodate the expanding collection. During the 1980s a whole new section was built, known as the 'The Sainsbury Wing'.

The painting features a cold, winters day at the location, and is painted at 23.4 x 33.1 inches on mounting board in oils.

This painting of the famous London landmark can be examined in greater detail here.

London National Gallery in the winter - WIP stages

London National Gallery in the winter - WIP stages

London's National Gallery landscape painting WIP

Shown above are four panels demonstrating development of an oil painting. The subject is a view of the National Gallery, London, situated in Trafalgar Square. In the first panel can be seen the line drawing, done with acrylic paint on a coloured ground. White acrylic paint is used to show areas of highlights/ high tones. The second panel features the basic underpainting colours applied to the painting, which give a basic tonal and colour representation of the subjects, although kept to the darker tones overall. In the third panel the final layer of paint is applied, this time thickly than before and with the correct colour and tonal balance. Also detail is painted in at this stage. Finally, the last panel shows the completed painting, which measures 44” x 37”.

It can be viewed at full detail on this link.

Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer - oil painting

Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer - oil painting

oil painting of "Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer"

This oil painting depicts a site within the Old Winchester Hill area, situated in the county on Hampshire, southern England. The area offers fantastic views of the surrounding area, including the Solent, and the cites of Portsmouth and Southampton, and is part of the South downs national park. The area features an iron age fort, most of which has not been excavated by archaeologists.The gate leads to an area which is cordoned off from being used as it was used for by the army for training during WW2, and possibly contains unexpolded bombs.

The painting is created on mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”, and was painted during autumn 2018. It can be viewed in greater detail here.

Village Of Axmouth On The River Axe - oil painting

Village Of Axmouth On The River Axe - oil painting

oil painting titled 'Village Of Axmouth On The River Axe'

The subject of this 20” x 16” painting is a peaceful and beautiful view of Axmouth, a small village to be found along the River Axe, in Devon, on the southern coast of the UK. 
The church tower, dating from the 15^th century, is the focal point within the composition and other building contained in the village can be seen dotted around. The river in this summer scene is tidal, so it can be seen that the tide is out revealing mudflats and marsh land. The view itself is from the Seaton Tramway, a preserved railway line that runs parallel along the river, and is named after the larger coastal town very close by.

The painting is done using oil paint on mounting board sized at 20” x 16”. It can be seen in greater detail here.

Eling Yacht Southampton Containers - oil painting

Eling Yacht Southampton Containers - oil painting

Eling Yacht Southampton Containers - 20" x 28" oil painting

This marine based subject painting was done during September 2017, and shows a scene at Eling, on the outskirts of Totton, itself on the outskirts of Southampton, Hampshire. The area was one a small port and home to industries, and is now slowly being regenerated. The river is known as the River Barley, and flows in to the River Test, which is where the large container port of Southampton can be found. In this scene we find various boats and yachts laid up on mud as the river is tidal. Dominating in the background are old shipping containers awaiting reuse for other uses from shipping, or scrapping, but it is understood that these will be removed as part of the regeneration of the area.

The painting itself is done in oils on mounting board. It is sized at 20” x 28” approx.

The painting can be seen in detail here.

New Forest Horses With Light And Shade - oil painting

New Forest Horses With Light And Shade - oil painting

New Forest Horses With Light And Shade - oil painting

Painted in June 2017, this painting shows show horses on a sunny day out in the New Forest, Hampshire, on the south coast of the UK. Horses, cattle and donkeys are all freely able to roam around the national park and can be found in the towns and villages as well as the countryside. The painting highlights a hot, sunny day with strong shadows and a sense of the beating light and heat on the animals.
The artwork is done in oil paint on mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”, and can be viewed here in a larger format.

Fawley from Weston Shore Hampshire Digital Sketch

Fawley from Weston Shore Hampshire Digital Sketch

This is a small digital sketch painting done from life. It is also the first time I had a go at painting digitally on location and generally speaking it worked out quite well. The painting is no masterpiece but I think I will continue to explore this avenue! The location is in Hampshire looking at Southampton Water from Weston Shore/ Victoria park. In the distance on the other side of the water can be seen Fawley power station and oil terminal. Beyond that is the New Forest.

The software used was 'Sketchbook for Windows tablet' by Autodesk. I down loaded it the previous afternoon to play around with it, using my Microsoft Surface Pro device, that uses a Wacom enabled screen/ pen. One concern I had is not being able to see the screen as I worked, if the day was sunny. As it turned out I could see it reasonably well, on this very sunny Autumn day. I had installed 'Painter Essentials' a few months ago but found that is was over complicated for quick use and disappointingly the pen or tablet did not work well with it, often having to press or draw a number of time to get any response, and that does not suit the fast way I work. To make painter work well, when sitting at a desk does mean using an external keyboard for short cuts. That's ok when at home but not when out and about. The 'Sketchbook' software I have to say worked well. The pen was always responsive with the software without fail and controlling the software was simple so you can concentrate on the task at hand. 

#westonshore #hampshire #painting #art #digitalart

Fawley from Weston Shore Hampshire Digital painting

Horses and Heather in the New Forest

Horses and Heather in the New Forest

This painting is done in oils on a 20” x 16” canvas board during early September 2014. Pictured are some horses standing amongst a clearing with few trees, and lots of purple heather on the ground, during late summer. The location is about a mile away from Lyndhurst, a small town considered the gateway to the New Forest in Hampshire, UK. The forest sees many horses wandering around it but in this case the horses were added to the scene. They were seen on the same day but in a different location not too far away.

http://martin-davey.artistwebsites.com/featured/horses-and-heather-in-the-new-forest-martin-davey.html

Horses and Heather in the New Forest – oil painting

Cows in a field in the Devon countryside

Cows in a field in the Devon countryside

 

This painting, showing a group of cows in the countryside was painted in June 2014. The location is in Devon, UK, set during a very hot summer, near to the town of Seaton. The reference photograph on which the painting is based upon, was taken from the 'Seaton Tramway'. In the adjacent field can be seen bundles of wheat wrapped in plastic for transportation.

The painting is done in oils on an acrylic base, on a canvas board measuring 20” x 16”.

http://martin-davey.artistwebsites.com/featured/cows-in-a-field-in-the-devon-countryside-martin-davey.html

Cows in a field in the Devon countryside – oil painting

Coast of Plymouth City, UK

Coast of Plymouth City, UK

This painting shows a scene at the City of Plymouth, Devon in the UK. The view is looking west on the edge of the City, with Hoe park behind the viewer and Grand Parade on the right. This part of the coast received a severe battering during the storms of February 2014.

It is a hot summers day and people are to be found swimming in the bay. Drake's Island can be seen in the background and Deer Park further still.

The painting is painted on a canvas board measuring 20” x 16”, and using acrylic paint. 
http://martin-davey.artistwebsites.com/featured/coast-of-plymouth-city-uk-martin-davey.html

Coast of Plymouth City, UK – acrylic painting

Sheep in a field in the Devon countryside

Sheep in a field in the Devon countryside

 

This painting, showing a flock of sheep on a hillside in the countryside was painted in August 2014. The location is in Devon, UK, set during a very hot summer, near to the town of Seaton. Despite the feeling of endless countryside beyond the distant trees, the southern coastline of the UK is just behind.

The painting is done in oils on an acrylic base, on a canvas board measuring 20” x 16”.

Sheep in a field in the Devon countryside – oil painting 20” x 16”

http://martin-davey.artistwebsites.com/featured/sheep-in-a-field-in-the-devon-countryside-martin-davey.html

WIP horse and heather in the New Forest

WIP horse and heather in the New Forest

This image shows a work in progress of a painting featuring some horses standing on heathland in the New Forest, Hampshire, near to the town of Lyndhurst. The painting is done in oils on a canvas board measuring 20" X 16".
The fist stage shows the drawing, done in brown acrylic paint on a red ground. I have made it B/W here for clarity. The second panel shows a rough acrylic layer where the basic colours, main dark in tone have been placed. The final panel shows the finished oil painting.
The horses were not at the scene. I added them for extra interest.

WIP horses and heather in the New Forest

Tudor House Southampton Hampshire

Tudor House Southampton Hampshire

 

Tudor House, a museum since 1912 can be found in the 'old town' of the City of Southampton, Hampshire, UK. The oldest parts, now ruins in the gardens date from Norman times but the main body as seen today dates from the 1400's. Over the years many conversions have been made depending on what use the property(s) has been seen to use. The current appearance is the Victorian restoration version of a Tudor property. During the early 21st century the house was closed for a number of years while extensive restoration was carried out to strengthen the building. The building is grade 1 listed.

The painting is done in acrylics on a canvas board measuring 20” x 16”.

#architecture #tudor #painting #art #Hampshire #tudorhouse #Southampton 

http://martin-davey.artistwebsites.com/featured/tudor-house-southampton-hampshire-martin-davey.html

Tudor House Southampton Hampshire – acrylic painting