Southampton Riverside park oak tree with cyclist

Southampton Riverside park oak tree with cyclist

 

This is painted in Oils on a 16" x 20" canvas. The subject is Riverside Park, on the outskirts of Southampton, Hampshire,UK. A very large,old Oak tree can be seen beside the River Itchen. A cycle lane runes along the river bank and a cyclist can be seen resting on a bench, his bicycle resting against the tree. It is late afternoon and the light within the scene in soft and golden. The area is popular with canoeists and yachtsmen using the water, and families and friends walking through the park or fishing from the banks of the River Itchen. I was drawn to the interesting form of the Oak tree and the way the evening light was creating a silhouette of it. Painted in late 2012. Southampton Riverside park oak tree with cyclist

Cartoon Fat Little Birthday Pig vector illustration

Cartoon Fat Little Birthday Pig vector illustration

This vector based illustration shows a fat, little pig celebrating his birthday. He has been presented a chocolate cake with a candle stuck in the chocolate icing on top, and can't wait to eat it in one mouthful. The artwork was created at A3 size during 2013. A basic drawing was first produced in Photoshop with flat colours painted in. This was then traced in a vector programme with colour samples taken from the rough, pixel image. 

Cartoon Fat Little Birthday Pig vector illustration

Southampton Hillier Gardens late summer

Southampton Hillier Gardens late summer

 

This oil painting of one of the beautiful landscaped gardens in the county of Hampshire, at Hillier Gardens, near to Romsey and Southampton, in the UK. The garden was set up in 1953 by Sir Harold Hillier and now covers 180 acres. The collection covers a diverse collection of hardy trees and shrubs from around the world. This oil painting illustrates the main lake in the center of the gardens, during late summer. The large amount of trees makes the landscape seem quite dark, but the bright reflection in the water helps to balance out the tones within the painting. A woman standing on the small, wooden bridge, adds a focus point within the composition. I had painted a similar view a few months before using acrylics rather than oil paint.

Painted in 2012 on a 16" x 20" canvas. 

Southampton Hillier Gardens late summer

 

Duke of Wellington Tudor pub Southampton

Duke of Wellington Tudor pub Southampton

This acrylic painting depicts a famous Tudor public house within the historic City of Southampton, UK. This old building was built upon Norman cellars during 1220. It became a pub in 1494.
In 1815 the pub was renamed, from the Shipwrights Arms, to the Duke of Wellington, after the victory of the Battle of Waterloo in that year. The pub can be seen at 36 Bugle St, SO14 2AH .
I feel that acrylic painting techniques work well with man made subjects, because of the technical aspects of painting straight lines, perspective, and the mechanical processes that can be achieved with the quick drying nature of the paint. Painting scenes like this in oil paint can be done, but it requires a lot more time and possibly not so effective. In this case the entire composition is one made up of the challenges of perspective, and capturing a subject that is mechanically based.
The day is a sunny one and the bold, blue sky helps to emphasise the clean and large areas of white, separated by dark wood beams, that typifies buildings of the Tudor period. The collection of people enjoying a drink at the bar help to give the painting life and scale, and show the true use that the Duke of Wellington pub offers the public. A seagull is seen perched on the roof, enjoying the sun.
Painted on a canvas measuring 16" x 20",during 2012.
The finished painting can be seen clearly here.

Duke of Wellington Tudor pub Southampton

Southampton Northam River Itchen old jetty with sea birds

Southampton Northam River Itchen old jetty with sea birds

This oil painting is a view of the River Itchen, in the county of Hampshire UK. Here it is seen in the area of Northam, in the City of Southampton heading towards the port. Local business can be seen in the background, including a scrap metal merchant. The metal is piled up in several mounts on the berth, awaiting collection by ship, usually about once a week. In the foreground is an old jetty, now reduced to 'wooden bones'. However the local seagulls use it to enjoy the view and sunshine on this summer evening. A swan in circling around the base of the jetty.
The painting is done on a canvas measuring 16" x 20". A bright red acrylic paint base was initially applied to the canvas, followed by a drawing in brown acrylic. A colour wash was then applied, again in thinned acrylic paint. Finally the painting itself is done in oil paint, straight from the tube. Painted in 2012.

Southampton Northam River Itchen old jetty with sea birds

 

The Luncheon on the Grass with dinosaurs

The Luncheon on the Grass with dinosaurs

This digital illustration is based on the famous painting by Édouard Manet, titled Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass). In my version though I have taken a comical slant and replaced the original figures with cartoon dinosaurs instead.
A larger version of the artwork can be seen here.
A time lapse movie was also created showing the painting being painted in built up in photoshop. It lasts for under 2 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQqNpwPlUWc

The Luncheon on the Grass with dinosaurs digital painting

This is the original painting for comparison.

Girl in a balloon greeting a happy sun

Girl in a balloon greeting a happy sun

This illustration, of a girl in a balloon greeting a happy sun, was created in early 2013. The artwork shows a stylised illustration of a happy girl with a woolly hat piloting a pink balloon from the basket mounted underneath. She is waving at a happy, smiling sun that is emitting rays of light.

The blue sky helps to make the pinks and yellows bounce out of the painting. It was created in a vector based drawing programme, and output at A3 size. 

Girl in a balloon greeting a happy sun