03/11: COCKER SPANIEL .... slowly, slowly

I'm slipping behind schedule again. 

Saturday was Grand-daughter Sophie's 5th birthday, yes she's a Halloween baby.   She had a Go-Karting party so I was roped in to be official photographer and so that ate up most of the day.   The weather was brilliant, unseasonally warm and sunny, and everybody had fun - including the parents so all went well.

Since then the weather has been gloomy and we've had thick fog every day so it has been difficult to work, particularly on black fur.   I've also had some problems with my drawing hand as I have early stage Dupuytren's contracture which doesn't usually bother me too much but has been aching a lot recently.  So I'm taking it easy with the pencils

A little more progress here and hopefully she'll be finished tomorrow (before I head off for yet another dental appointment mid-afternoon).   Then I'll crack on with the next dog (also a Spaniel but a Springer this time) and the cat will follow afterwards as I'm not sure which ref. photo will be used yet

29/10: COCKER SPANIEL - a little more progress

Its no fun working on black fur when the light is so poor - even with daylight bulbs I'm struggling today.  

I decided to stop work when I realised I'd mistaken my green umber pastel for burnt umber which led to her nose getting a strange tint for the base layer!  I've corrected it but won't risk anything going wrong today.   

I'll be working on this more at the weekend so will post an update then.  I'm looking forward to getting to grip with those ears!

28/10: LATE ..... AGAIN!!!

Most of my posts seem to start with an apology for absences but I really don't where the time goes ...  the good intentions are there but life always gets in the way

Since my last post we've been blessed with some wonderful warm Autumn weather so it would have been rude not to have spent time in the garden doing some (final)? tidying up before the Winter, and planting out the bulbs that we bought so enthusiastically a few weeks ago ... now they are all in pots and, hopefully, we'll have a brilliant Spring display

We've also had a visit from Daughter and family so have been playing childrens' games and walking along the beach throwing stones into the sea ... simple pleasures!

Today the weather changed and we've had lots of rain and grey skies.  

Change of plan .... I've started on the Black/white Cocker Spaniel first.    No particular reason for the change of plan,  the cat will probably be next although I've also agreed to do a 'memorial' portrait of a beautiful red & white Welsh Springer Spaniel - all will be portrayed in pastel and before Christmas.   That will be the last of my commissioned work this year as I've got two exhibitions before the end of the year and I really ought to be working on pictures for exhibitions in 2016.

This is Day 1 of work on the Black/White Cocker Spaniel.   It is intended as a surprise Xmas present but my client doesn't use the computer very much so I'm OK to show progress here:

As usual, I started with the eyes as I really don't like staring at empty sockets ... and I'm gradually adding base colours of blue/grey/red so that the black tones don't look flat when finished.   Simply using black pastel will make the portrait very dull at the end.

This is pastel pencil on light grey pastelmat paper

22/10: DAY OF REST!

We've had a busy but productive few days.  Monday we made the ferry crossing to Calais to stock up on wine and other goodies for the Winter - it makes a nice day out for us as we always have a 'picnic meal' on the return journey with lovely French bread, pate, cheese and red wine.

Hector the horse was approved by his Mum so on Tuesday we delivered the portrait as my client lives fairly close to family members who we then visited.  We always buy a few cases of wine for Mum and her friends (life in their retirement complex is quite social and jolly) so we delivered those and then went to check on Mum-in-Laws flat and met the carpet fitters who came to measure up for new carpets for the new owner .... if the sale ever completes.  I really don't understand why property buying/selling takes so long in the UK.   The flat is empty and our buyer has no chain but its been 3 months and still the legal bods are dragging their heels!

Yesterday I finished the graphite portrait I started weeks ago ... for various reasons he was put to one side so it was nice to have him finished and approved.     He'll be packed off to the RAF squadron's base at the weekend for hanging on the Mess Room wall and I should be getting photos of the next one fairly soon.  I'm told he is on a diet at the moment and wants to lose a few lbs before having his photo taken/portrait drawn!

This is the completed one - I have permission to show the photos but have been asked not to reveal which squadron/address they belong to

A4 graphite pencil on white Mellotex paper (my camera turns the white paper grey unfortunately)

I had the second lot of dental work done yesterday afternoon ... another 90 minute session in the chair but I'm really pleased to say I have no pain or swelling today - I'm just having a lazy day though

This morning I've had a visit from a lovely man with a beautiful cocker spaniel.   He wanted me to photograph her and draw her in pastel as a surprise Christmas present for his wife.    She was just gorgeous, so friendly and excited to meet me.   She was a bit wriggly and not easy to photograph but we got there in the end.    She'll be on my drawing board in a couple of weeks' time.         

Next up will be tabby & white cat called Toby - another Christmas present.   I'll start her at the weekend as tomorrow we're accompanying Mum to hospital to have a cataract op so that will eat into most of the day.

18/10: HECTOR ... FINISHED I THINK

Just awaiting approval from Hector's 'mum' then I can give the portrait a light spray of fixative and get it parcelled up ready to go.

I'd hoped to put the final touches to the RAF portrait this afternoon as its only graphite so poor lighting isn't such a big issue ... but I think I need a break from the drawing board and I've just taken delivery of 48 lavender plant plugs (thanks to the Telegraph Gardening special offer - 48 free of charge, just pay postage)!  They are quite small so need potting on ... think I'll take care of that now and then chill out for the evening.

We're off to France tomorrow to stock up on wine and goodies.    The forecast looks good so should be a smooth ferry crossing so long as we don't get held up by the antics of the illegal migrants at Calais.

Hector

and with a mount laid over the top to give an idea of how he'll fit a frame.    He'll be packed with a double cream coloured mount once approved.

This is the portrait I completed of her other Horse - nearly 3 years ago now.

17/10: HECTOR - HORSE (work in progress)

OK .... a horse.    Horses were what I started out drawing when I first 'discovered' pastels.     After that I added dogs, cats and finally humans in pastel, coloured pencils and graphite pencils.    I don't portray as many horses these days (tends to be more humans) but I think they remain my favourite subject.

I portrayed my client's other horse, Manny, about 3 years ago and this is her new horse, Hector.  I'm using pastel on Fisher 400 sanded paper to match the style of the first portrait.    I'd forgotten how unforgiving this sanded paper is if, like me, you're in the habit of blending pastel with fingers ....

These were the early stages, blocking in colour using mainly soft pastels to form the base

The weather has been gloomy for several days and I've been using a daylight bulb lamp to enable me to see colours better but all these photos are a bit 'off colour' as taken in poor light.     Fisher 400 is a typical 'sandpaper' colour - light sandy/gold but it looks a bit blue/grey in some of these shots

Here's Hector, outlined and with the first colours being laid

Strengthening the colours - I did debate whether to use coloured pencil for the bridle which would allow me to get finer detail but I thought it might look too 'waxy' next to the pastel so will persevere with pastel pencils and try to keep the points sharp - not easy on this sanded paper which eats pencils (pastel and wax)

Uggghhh you can see I've tried to photograph this using the daylight bulb lamp but its casting strange shadows 

Its beginning to come together a bit more now but at this stage I needed guidance from my client.

This is the reference photo I've been asked to work from - its not bad - taken indoors under artificial light though.    Look at the colour of his muzzle here:

this is one of the supporting ref. photos supplied by Hector's Mum:    this is taken in natural light and just look at his colouring here:

Looks like a different beastie doesn't he?

So we're now going to be working on a compromise, between the two.     This is where I finished up today.    Again, colour/quality of photo is poor but at this stage I'm not going to waste time faffing around trying to 'tweak' it.     I'm hoping to finish this tomorrow (subject to client's approval) and crack on with the RAF portrait.

17/10: I'M BACK

We escaped to our house on Fuerteventura to have 5 weeks R&R and chill out after all the stress of the last few months.   The sale of Mother-in-Law's flat is still going through (fingers firmly crossed) but its moving very, very slowly.   There's no chain, no problems but British Law/Conveyancing is choked with red tape it seems.

Anyway we got back to Whitstable last Friday and since then I've been busy with a birthday commission (finished and despatched on Wednesday), a horse (nearly finished), another RAF portrait - to be finished early next week and also I've started on a course of dentist treatment which I've been dreading.     Had 2 root canal treatments in the week and another scheduled for Wednesday afternoon ... then the real fun begins with some jawbone augmentation which will mean up to 12 months on a soft food diet..... but its got to be done so no point worrying too much.

This little lady is a Labradoodle and she was a birthday gift for my client's husband.    I prefer to portray dogs with a ¾ profile, or at least a slight turn of the face to avoid foreshortening the face/muzzle.   But this sort of 'full front' pose was what my client wanted

Sorry, this was a quick photo and I didn't anchor the pastelmat to my drawing board, or crop the edges so its curled a bit.

I've used pastels (soft) with pastel pencils for finer detail on grey Pastelmat paper.

02/09: WORLD OF COLOURED PENCIL EXHIBITION

If you get the chance to visit the Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick (home of Derwent) the UKCPS has its 13th World of Coloured Pencil exhibition running 29 August to 3 October.

I'm pleased to say my 'Big Issue Seller' was one of 3 Highly Commended pictures and the Award winners can be seen on the UKCPS website     http://www.ukcps.co.uk/keswick_2015/index.php

The Big Issue Seller

 I apologise for neglecting my Blog of late .... and reading other Bloggers' posts but have been very busy sorting out Mother in Law's flat (for which we have a buyer now so fingers crossed for a smooth transaction) and also having a major blitz on our garden which has really gone to pot over the last year as we've had little time to look after it.     Its now been cleared of rampant ivy, bindweed, overgrown vines and weeds.   Had 2 tons of topsoil spread/dug into the beds and borders and now all the fences are about to be painted with wood protector.    

Once I get back to my artwork I have a horse commission to complete and some graphite portraits - as well as entries for next year's exhibitions so hope to be back on track by the end of the month.

13/08: The Deanery - Canterbury Cathedral

No artwork done for the last two weeks I'm afraid as we've been busy every day - today is the first day we've had at home with no obligations/travelling.    S*d's law it has been impossible to draw as the sky is black, we've got thunder, lightning and torrential rainfall.   This weather is supposed to last another day or so then we'll have clearer skies - I hope so as Mum is coming to stay for a few days so really need to be able to go out and about or we'll drive each other mad in the house!
 
I had a fantastic day with a few members of my local art group as guests of  The Very Rev Dr Robert Willis - 39th Dean of Canterbury.     The Deanery stands in the Cathedral precincts (which are very extensive).... Here's a link to a great website which gives more info about the Cathedral, its origins, more recent times and events through history - there is also a wealth of info about restoration -  (click on the stained glass studio link to 'meet' Leonie Siliger who I mention later in the post).

http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/conservation/history/


I was nervous about joining the others as I'm not a 'plein air' painter.  Actually I'm not a painter at all but was assured it would be OK to sketch with pencils (again something I don't often do as I've got into my comfort zone of working from photos/screen for my detailed portrait work) so was expecting to have to 'wing it' a little - and I was very keen to see these hidden gems at the Cathedral/Deanery.    I'm not a churchgoer but this place has such history.   Google the murder of Archbishop Thomas a Becket on the steps of the Cathedral in 1170 if you didn't learn about it in school.

The Dean gave us a personal tour of the Deanery building and its historic artworks, the gardens and several areas of the Cathedral not normally open to the Public.   I took lots of photos inside and outside but perhaps its not pc to show too many of the indoor ones as its the Dean's home as well as the place housing so many lovely old paintings and treasures. 

Just the one - a part of the entry hallway.    Every room was full of plants and flowers and lovely objects (oh and a few cats as well).

 
 We had a brief tour of some of the most precious and oldest stained glass and work being undertaken in the Cathedral. Leonie Siliger (Head of Stained Glass Conservation) showed us some of the current restoration works and demonstrated how this is carried out.    There's over 1200 sq metres of stained glass in the Cathedral - that's a lot of work to be done

Its so difficult to do justice to these fabulous windows

Showing how badly the glass is 'corroded' by the elements ... once restored, the windows will have protective plain glass panes installed to the outsides areas so the coloured glass doesn't get weatherbeaten

 This pic gives an idea of the scale of the operation - this is one small section of a large window

Work in progress by the conservationists

Now that's what I call a lightbox ... none of these 'girly' A4 machines here!

 We had a tour of the fabulous library/archives and were shown some of the treasures by the Cathedral Archivist Cressida Williams..  this is just one small section of the archives.    I wasn't allowed to photograph the artefacts close up

We were plied with food and drink throughout the day and Robert (as he asked to be addressed) and Fletcher spent a lot of time with us chatting and generally being 'down to earth' and lovely people - no standing on ceremony at all. We were invited to stay for Evensong but I had to leave so missed this spectacle.
 
The buildings are 15th/16th century (with repairs carried out after wartime damage). The gardens are lovely - and productive with beehives, fruit trees and vegetable gardens. They are very peaceful, obviously very mature - and teeming with 'pets'.

There is quite a menagerie with guinea fowl, chickens and 'fancy hens', several cats, tortoises, rabbits including a wonderful lop eared bunny.

The Dean, Robert, with lop eared bunny

closer look at lop eared bunny

Oh, and we managed to fit in a couple of hours painting/sketching in the gardens in the middle of it all.   I worked at a table on my own - further back from the main 'painting' group but wasn't lonely.     This is Tigger who parked herself next to my chair

and this is Leo, a handsome black/tabby with a playful personality.     He stood guard over my pencils whilst I sketched.

 Not one of my finer works but it made me realise I need to sketch from life a bit more and not fixate on nitty gritty stuff.

Black Hat Framed!

I realise I may have oversold the frame for this picture.

Actually, I first saw this sort of frame when I was demonstrating at the UKCPS exhibition in London a couple of months ago.     A lovely cp drawing of a moth was framed in a similar style and attracted a lot of attention.   It was quite small though.

Friends will know that David and I are voluntary workers for Pilgrims Hospice in Kent and we sell 'better quality' donated items on eBay to maximise profits for this charity.    A couple of months back I spotted a picture which had been donated and I bought it specifically for its frame which was similar to the one I'd admired in London.

Basically, the 'back section' of the frame is glass, instead of backing board, so when the picture is hung the background/wall colour influences the overall effect.

When I saw this frame it had a simple lily print suspended in the middle of the frame/mount.   So here we have the black frame and cream mount.    Two sheets of clear glass form the back and front of the frame and the main picture is suspended/glued in the middle.   Its laying on top of a white duvet which you can see through the glass. 

I drew my Spanish lady on dark grey pastelmat to a size which would fit exactly over the lily drawing .... I've simply overlaid the lily with the Spanish lady so she is suspended in this frame.

So ...... the picture itself is centred in the frame, surrounded by clear glass through which the background will show so this will probably need to be hung on a plain coloured wall.

I took so many photos, trying to cut out the glare on the glass - this one is taken in our bedroom, propped up on a dressing table, against the wardrobe wall (very light wood background)  You can see there is a black frame and cream mount then the clear glass just shows the light wood colour surrounding the picture which is 'floating' in the centre - coloured pencils on dark grey pastelmat.

With this one, I propped the picture/frame up against a white background - so we have a black frame and cream mount and the clear glass section just shows the white background (and the inevitable glare when photographing through glass)

 - this is much the same ... when assembling the picture and mount/frame we used a white duvet on top of our dining table to protect the wood surface and you can see what an interesting effect his makes when the frame is laid on top of it

A friend commented that this type of frame is dependent on having plain backgrounds  to hang the picture and I agreed .... but the picture is currently stacked on the floor in my studio in front of a cardboard box which is highly decorated and you can see what effect this has on the picture ... and I quite like it (ignore the glare from the glass)

I like the 'busy' background.   If this picture/frame was hung against a patterned wall I think it could be quite interesting.   What do you think?


anyway, I needed to move on to something different and David was keen for me to get back to drawing horses (which is pretty much how I started out)

We ploughed through the hundreds of photos I have in my archives and sadly he  favoured a photo of an elderly hairy pony .... I'd expected a glossy thoroughred model.      I have to say my heart wasn't really into this project which is probably why its so RUBBISH!   This Elderly pony was a real character (naughty) at the yard where my lovely old horse was stabled but I don't think the coloured pencil drawing does him justice so am now looking for the next model for entry into 2016 exhibitions.