Portraits in acrylics

I thought I would try something different using a dragged background to start with. these portraits are not perfect, far from it, but they were done from direct observation taking between 20 and 30 minutes each so they are just sketches really.

A washstand for Veronica

I have finished this piece that I have been working on for a while.  It is a modified victorian cupboard. I have carved each side before putting it back together with a fabric at the back.

The front I have left quite plain , on the right side I have carved a woman's chemise in low relief.

The top shows a water jug pouring water with a mirror and towels on the base.
The backing fabric is a printed face/hands on cotton stretched across the back.

The idea came about when I broke an old cupboard apart to use the wood to carve some panels, because it was an old washstand I started to carve a jug pouring water. I then went on to carve a towel and the chemise. The whole piece came together as a washstand for Veronica who is supposed to have washed Jesus' face at the time of the crucifixion.

Old railway carriage, Rothbury

This is one of a series of drawings that I have been working on for some time. I have used oil pastels mainly to build up a textured surface.

The railway carriage is on a hillside in Rothbury along a favourite pathway, it has been used for a shelter for sheep and it has been gradually decomposing over time.

I'd better get the drawings done quickly as one day there won't be anything left of it.

Pen and ink drawings

Back to life drawing after the summer break and back to work so I haven't added anything to the blog recently.
These drawings were made on paper that I had stained with tea, then using a pen with Quink and a brush to soften any lines.

Map drawings

Sketches of Buttermere made on maps of the Lakes using inks.

More pastel drawings

 A view of Hayfield, Derbyshire from the weir.

Yellow Daisies. Pastels on watercolour.

PASTEL DRAWINGS

These pastel drawings are the result of many walks in the High Peak area around New Mills, Hayfield and Kinder Scout. I make sketches and take photos whilst walking and then work up my favourite scenes when I get home.
Currently using a variety of soft pastels including Conte, Rowney and Unison.

Brook Bottom, Easter 2011

Conte on sugar paper

This is a view of Brook Bottom looking back into the valley behind the church. It was very sunny this Easter and the trees are all coming into leaf with bright acid green and soft gold.
I noticed this most untidy dry stone wall with its mix of natural and worked stones showing that it has been repaired many times in its lifetime.

 Brook Bottom, detail.

Logs, Eggs and Potatoes

New Mills, Winter

A much tidier wall this, beautifully sweeping into a farm drive. There had been a very hard frost through the night and everything was as if dusted with icing sugar.

 A detail.

A view towards Kinder in the mist

Soft pastels on Pastel paper.

I have been true to the colours that I saw, I know that is hard to believe. Whilst looking out of the window towards Kinder the mist was rolling down from the mountainside over the farmland towards New Mills. The sunset illuminated the scene casting this amazing golden glow over everything. It was magical and lasted until the sun went down.

An Old Gate, New Mills

Pastel paper and Conte.

This disused gate caught my attention as it is quite high up on a bank leaving it quite inaccessable with brambles and grasses. The roads around have been deeply worn down by cattle as they were traditionally drovers routes. It was October at the time, one of those bright autumn days that still feel a bit like summer.

These drawings have all been done over July and August 2011 and they are something that I am currently working on. I am really enjoying working with the pastel medium as it allows for a variety of ways of working.

More horses

These hardy ponies and horses all have different characters. I like the way they keep one ear pointed forward and one is angled back to check on what the other ponies are doing behind.

 I have been using Fabriano Artico paper which has a warmer tone and drawing inks that can give a range of tones and washes.

The horses are not stabled or regularly groomed and stay out in the field all day so their manes are unkempt and long, this creates a challenge for the drawing.

I have experimented with the inks onto a manilla parcel paper. It crinkles a bit as it is very absorbant but I quite like the effect of the brown tones. I have added some highlights with white acrylic.

Pen and Ink drawings.

I am always fascinated by the different personalities of these horses.Sometimes their expressions are so comical.
These are quite small, quick sketches using pen and washes of drawing ink on watercolour paper. I make quick pencil sketches of the horses at the fence then work them up into pen sketches at home.

Portrait of a child, acrylics

I wanted to portray this little girl in a pose that was typical of her thoughtful personality. I took loads of photos but this is the one that struck me as being the best to illustrate her nature.

I wanted to focus on her face and expression so I painted it on a very small canvas in acrylics. I used semi transparent washes of paint to build up the painting.

Life Drawing, pastels

 A lovely model, she was wearing a purple robe that looked so fantastic, the colour inspired the drawings. I spent about half an hour on each drawing, probably a bit less on the portrait as I didn't want to overwork it.

Ink Drawings at Barter Books

I like to keep a small sketchbook in my pocket wherever I go. At Barter Books in Alnwick there are always plenty of interesting characters to draw. I have worked some of them up into pen and ink. They have Lloyd Loom chairs by the fire and it is easy to catch people as they sit with a cup of coffee warming up. Most people are distracted by the books and don't notice me drawing them.

Homing pigeon, cherry wood.

This is still a work in progress as I have been carving this cherry for too long now. The cherry tree was being felled in the school where I work to make way for a new building. It was just about to go in the skip when I rescued it and took it home. The trunk split into three parts, so I used the largest part for the background and body, and the two smaller pieces became the wings.

Here I have started to position the wings. I want the faults and splits in the wood to remain in the piece to add texture.