Plein air painting 86

In the past I've painted a certain part of Southampton common a number of times, this being the gatekeepers cottage near to the exit at Hill Lane. Here the view is right by the cottage boundary and looking in a northerly direction down part of the common. Painted one Friday afternoon in early November (2022) on a sunny and mild afternoon. Oil on cardboard (12" x 9.5").

 Plein air painting 64

Onslow road, Southampton is shown in this plein air painting, done on a hot afternoon in August 2022. The terrace houses to the left are on Rockstone lane, the small road linked to the main one. The road itself is at a downward angle as it runs in to Bevois Valley. Dominating the view is the Sikh Temple, a Victorian building converted for such use in 1970.

Painted on mounting board sized at 12" x 9.5", with oil paint.

Plein air painting 61

The civic centre in Southampton is featured in this plein air painting, done early one Sunday morning in late August. Shown is the south facing side of this grade II listed building, built between 1929- 39. It was designed by Ernest Berry Webber. The road in front is Civic Center Rd. 
Painted in oils on mounting board sized at 12" x 9.5".

 Plein air painting 23

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.

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.

closeup working progress 09

closeup working progress 09

 A small snippet of an industrial fantasy scene...

Group of trees in the New Forest - oil painting

Group of trees in the New Forest - oil painting

oil painting of a grouping of trees in the New Forest

This outdoor forest was painted during June 2019. It depicts a view within the New Forest, which is set in the county of Hampshire, of the south coast of the UK. It is a hot day but the densely packed trees offer shade from the hot summers day.

This landscape painting is created in oils on mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”, and can be examined in greater detail on this link.

Passengers Boarding The Hamble Water Taxi In Hampshire - oil painting

Passengers Boarding The Hamble Water Taxi In Hampshire - oil painting

Oil painting showing the river taxi in operation

This painting, created in oils during summer 2018 shows eager passengers awaiting to board a 'taxi' service one sunny summers morning. The ferry operates on the river Hamble in Hamshire, in the south of the UK, and operates between two villages on each side of the river, Hamble and Warsash.

The painting is sized at 28” x 20”. The artwork can be viewed in closeup on this link.

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.

Boy With Airplane On Hilltop - WIP stages

Boy With Airplane On Hilltop - WIP stages

digital painting steps - 'Boy with Airplane on Hilltop'

During July 2018 this digital stylized illustration was created. Depicted is a kid on a hill top wanting to be a pilot, and dons wings made of pieces of cardboard. Behind him a large jet aircraft swoops past.
The panel above shows three stages in the artworks creation. In the first can be seen the rough drawing done on an android tablet. The drawing does start up as very much a scribble, but gets refined as as time goes by. This is the finest it needs to be for my purposes. In the second panel the drawing is used as a guide while the picture is roughly painted and to find a pleasant set of colours and tones, but is still done on the handheld tablet and a small size. The last picture shows the completed picture. In this, the image file has been taken and exported to a w10 computer, running the same software but with a lot more power. In addition the picture has been scaled up so that when it is painted it will be painted with fine details and print well at a larger resolution.
The finished artwork can be seen in full detail here.

Spaceman With Space Station Orbiting Green Planet - WIP stages

Spaceman With Space Station Orbiting Green Planet - WIP stages

stages of digital painting of spaceman with space station illustration

Completed in January 2018, this digital painting shows a space scene, very much portrayed with a retro, 1970s flavour. Depicted in the scene is an astronaut looking on as a small scout ship approaches him. The small ship has presumable come from the much larger space station in the background, orbiting a hazy, green planet.
The digital illustration was drawn in 'Auto Sketchbook Pro' , running on an android tablet. At a certain stage the file was then exported to a W10 computer running the same software. then, at a late stage the artwork is opened up in photoshop for final detail and colour grading.
The final image can be seen here in detail.

Southampton Freightliner Train Maintenance - oil painting

Southampton Freightliner Train Maintenance - oil painting

Southampton Freightliner Train Maintenance - oil painting

In this industrial scene can be seen maintenance work taking place at the Freightliner railway depot at Millbrook, Southampton, in the county of Hampshire. The closest locomotive has had part of the body shell removed so as to expose the 12 cylinder diesel engine, where men are working on the power unit. In the distance can be seen an other main line freight engine and an elderly shunting locomotive. The locomotives shown are a class 66, class 70 and a class 08. The two figures dressed in orange overalls were added to provide scale and interest to the scene.
The painting was done during August 2017 and is painted in oils on mounting board, measuring 20” x 28”.
This painting can be seen in detail here.

New Forest Camping Fun - oil painting

New Forest Camping Fun - oil painting 

New Forest Camping Fun - oil painting

In this painting can be seen children enjoying a summers day in the new Forest national park, Hampshire, on the south coast of the UK. The children are playing in a stream next to a camp site which can be seen in the background, on this hot, summers day.
The painting was created during June 2017 and is painted in oils on mounting board. The image is 28” x 20” approx in size.
The painting can be seen in greater detail here.

Mummy Awake - drawing vs painting ART

Mummy Awake - drawing vs painting ART

drawing vs finished art 'Mummy Awakes'

This picture shows a comparison between a rough drawing compared to the finished, digital artwork. The actual illustration is called 'Mummy Awake' and was completed in 2009. The first panel shows the rough drawing completed as done for the painting. It is lacking in any details as can be seen. The finished 'mummy' illustration was done digitally by painting in Photoshop. Most of the details and colour choices in the image are decided 'on the fly', but what is consistent however is the position of all the elements based on the drawing, which remain fixed within the composition.

The artwork can be seen in detail here.

Warsash Coastline With Tide Out Hampshire WIP stages

Warsash Coastline With Tide Out Hampshire WIP stages

Warsash Coastline With Tide Out Hampshire - WIP stages

This composite image show four stages of the painting 'Warsash Coastline With Tide Out Hampshire' which was completed over a few days in July 2017. The first panel shows the drawing, done with brown acrylic paint on a brown wash. The second panel now shows the the base or 'underpainting' applied to the scene. In the third panel can be seen the final colours and detail start to be added with the final, fourth panel showing the completed painting, which is all done in acrylics on stretch paper measuring 12" x 16". 
The location is Warsash, a small village on the mouth of the River Hamble in Hampshire. A cycle path is shown in use by a cyclist and some walkers as they enjoy the view on a cloudy, summers day, while the tide is out.
The finished painting can be seen in detail here.

Henson Pig Trail 2017 Gloucester blog 01

Henson Pig Trail 2017 Gloucester blog 01 

I am to start very shortly on painting 3 pig sculptures. These will eventually join a number of others, also painted by artists, on a trail in the town Gloucester and surrounding area. The trail is called 'Old Spots Sculpture Trail, and is based on an old Spots pig named Henson. The trail runs from June to August 2017 after which the pigs are auctioned off for charitable causes. Further information can be found here.

I have 3 designs intended for the trail. The following images show the designs, drawn in Photoshop, of them from different angles. The designs were create and submitted during late Autumn 2016. 

The first one is known as Piggy Bank.

The second one is known as 'Floating Floyd'

The final one is known as 'Pigs May Fly'

The pigs are hollow and stand 1m tall approx, and will be painted by hand using acrylics.

working on closeup 21

working on closeup 21

A small WIP snippet of a winter beach scene done in acrylics... 

WIP Hampshire beach with Mother and child acrylic painting

Beach groin with autumn waves oil painting

Beach groin with autumn waves oil painting

Beach Groin with autumn waves- oil 16" x 12"

This painting was finished in early December 2016 and shows a view of a large wooden groin on the sandy beach at Bournemouth, Dorset on the south of England coast. The beach is largely empty so the dominant noise is the sea crawling up the wet sand and the waves brushing along the damp wooden groin. It is set during autumn and is based on a photo taken a number of years previously. It measures 16" x 12" and is painted in oils on an acrylic under-painting, done on stretched paper. The finished painting can be seen clearly here.
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