Silver Tabby Cat in Oil Pastel

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I've had a set of Sennelier Oil pastels for quite some time but hadn't tried them out.
I always felt that I wouldn't enjoy them as they didn't appear to be something I could get the detail I like due to their nature.
However I decided to have a go at a cat.
I used Duck Egg Blue Ingres mountboard and the size is about 4 x 6.
I used the pastels themselves to lay down the colour and then blended with my little finger. I then added small dots and lines of colour and again gently blended with my finger.
For the finer detail I used a small colour shaper to move the colour about.
At the end I painted the whiskers in white liquid acrylic.
Although the oil pastels will not replace coloured pencil or acrylic I will certainly use them again but next time I will try a smoother surface, the mountboard had too much tooth which made getting fine lines hard.
I did enjoy adding the flecks in the eyes, the pastels were ideal as I could add tiny dots of colour.

Sleepy Cat in Coloured Pencil

Working on the background so that I can see how I need to debvelop the colours in the cat and tie the whole thing together.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, otherwise Happy Holiday.

I appreciate all the friends I have made through my blog, most of you are people I would never have met if not for the internet.

Thank you to the people who take time to comment I always value what you have to say.

PS. I still like this cat

Resting Cat in Coloured Pencil

I'm going through one of those periods when I get so far and then dislike the image I'm working on. I'm also going to have a change of emphasis in 2010 and move more on to animals doing something rather than portraits.

So I started this cat, coloured pencil on Arches Hot Press about 12 x 10. There is more of him but that was the bit that fit on the scanner.I'm blending each layer using a hard pressure and so far am liking the effect. Who knows perhaps I'll finish this one :)

Dogs in Snow and a Drafting Film Cat

I've just arrived home from a very long round trip to collect my youngest son from his University in London. There was an accident on the M1 so the journey home took around 6 hours.

It gave me plenty of time to think about where I want to go with my art in 2010, more about that later.

Yesterday the dogs enjoyed playing in the snow, Cody my mad puppy and Rio absolutely loved it.

I started an experiment on drafting film. I'm working on both the front and the back with coloured pencil and acrylic.

The background is airbrushed acrylic worked completely on the back so that I can now move onto the front to get the effect I'm looking for. I thought you might like to see the before, of course the after might be a disaster.

The piece is around 10 x 8.

Winter Tabby ACEO

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No snow here in Yorkshire but it's cold and frosty so I thought I'd try a seasonal ACEO.
This is mixed media on Arches paper.

Graphite Lion

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Went back to the graphite as I had some spare time today but no coloured pencils available.
ACEO size on Mellotex paper.

Ragdoll Cat in Watercolour

This is a bit bigger than my recent work, 8 x 10 in watercolour on Arches paper.

I took the photograph at last years Supreme Cat Show. It is a Ragdoll and I think it's coat colour is Tortie Tabby, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Ring-Tailed Lemur in Watercolour

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Another ACEO, but not a cat, this time it's a Ring-Tailed Lemur from a photograph I took at the South Lakes Wildlife Park

This time it's mostly watercolour with touches of coloured pencil, on Arches paper.

Another Tabby ACEO

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This is an ACEO version of my best selling print 'Eye Spy'.
Coloured pencil and acrylic on Arches watercolour paper.

I've been painting walls rather than pictures for the last week plus it's been raining for most of that time. What relation do those things have to each other?

Well rain means the dogs spend most of their time inside, with wet ocean spray coloured walls and lots of white gloss. Result, hairy paintwork and sable and ocean spray coloured collies.

Cody and Clinton have been the worst culprits. Cody because she hurtles round all the time bouncing off the walls, and Clinton because he wants to be with me so he gets between the brush and the thing I'm painting.

Perhaps furry walls will become fashionable at some point!

Maine Coon Cat on Drafting Film

I decided to do something a bit bigger than ACEO size and go back to drafting film.
This will be approx 10 x 8, coloured pencil and acrylic.
I've been invited to have a stand at the Shropshire Cat Club show at Bingley Hall Stafford in February so I'm going to try to draw some different breeds.

Long Haired Kitten ACEO

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I've gone back to Arches paper this time, mostly coloured pencils with a touch of acrylic.

Another Tabby Cat ACEO

I started another ACEO at the Supreme but due to work committments I've only just finished it.

To bid click here.
Thank you to all the people that made the Supreme Cat Show a really enjoyable experience.

Supreme Cat Show

To bid on my latest small print click here.
I'm not sure that I'm ready yet for the Supreme, but as it's tomorrow I've run out of time.
I created a new small work today out of the Great Spotted Woodpecker I drew a while ago.
At least it makes a change from cats.

Silver Tabby Cat ACEO

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Still getting ready for the Supreme, still creating ACEO's. This one is coloured pencil and acrylic on Arches hot press paper.

Small Works and another Tabby Cat on Fisher Paper

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Above is my latest tabby cat ACEO on Fisher paper. I spent most of my day doing marketing tasks or wiping hundreds of paws so I didn't have time to work on something larger.

Cody has decided to study plants judging by the amount of leaves she brings inside. She likes chewing them up and then spitting them out in little soggy piles, I'll leave you to imagine what the little soggy piles look like.

I added a page for small prints on my website today. The prints of ACEO's are proving very popular so you can now buy them direct from my website.
Small Works

Demonstration on How to Draw a Cat's Eye

I have adjusted my cat's eye demonstration.

The pack includes:-

A single laminated sheet with the instructions

Two 4 x 6 inch pieces of paper suitable for coloured pencils. On one sheet I have drawn the outline of the eye, the other is left blank.

I am planning to offer them for sale at £2.50 from my website.

The Supreme Cat Show

I've been busy printing and mounting/matting prints when I haven't been working this week. Next Saturday I will have a stand at the Supreme Cat Show at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) This cat is on sand coloured Pastelbord.

Art Materials Live

I really enjoyed demonstrating for the UKCPS at the NEC, it is always a great social occasion meeting old friends and making new ones.
The art materials section had been moved this year and was surrounded by craft and food stands. I thought there were slightly less visitors to the art section although the craft section was really busy.
The format of the stand worked well as it was long and narrow enabling visitors to walk down the line of UKCPS demonstrators. As usual there were lots of comments about what could be achieved with coloured pencil and several new converts.
My eye demo seemed popular and sold out on the third day, I will be printing some more when get some time.

I'm at the NEC again next weekend this time it's the Supreme Cat show, more details to follow.

Art Materials Live

I will be demonstrating for the UKCPS at Art Materials Live at the NEC on Thursday 5th and Saturday 7th. Come and say hello if you're visiting.
I will do some more work on the cat above which is the one my eye demo is taken from.
The eye demo is going to launch at the NEC.

Cat's Eye Demo Completed

I've been working on the cat's eye demonstration today, I have a few tweaks to make on the demo and then I can show you.

Here is the completed eye.

Tabby Cat Eye Study Number 3

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The third ACEO tabby cat eye study.

The birds are back in town, at least they're back in the garden. After a quiet summer the feeders are starting to get busy.
While sitting at my drawing board this morning I twice looked up and saw a Heron looking back. It was on the edge of the small pond looking for breakfast I imagine. We have a couple of large golden orf in that pond but fortunately there are still plenty of water lilly leaves to hide under. After the heron left there was a pheasant wandering about which sparked a barking frenzy in the dogs, (they had decided the heron looked to big to mess with). Then a flock of long tailed tits passed through.

Sleeping Tabby on Fisher Paper

Another ACEO on Fisher paper, this time a sleeping cat.

Book of the Blog

Just over two weeks ago I mentioned I had used blog2print to create a book of my posts from January 2008 to date (06/10/09). The book arrived today and the quality is excellent.

The book is properly bound, the paper quality is excellent and my images have reproduced really well considering they are only uploaded at 72dpi.

The title is printed on the spine and there is a picture on the back cover.

Delivery was almost 2 weeks faster than the estimate and the book was really well packaged.

I need to add that I have absolutely no affiliation with blog2print, I am just a very satisfied customer. I am going to plan future posts with the aim of having a book printed each year, and I am going to have my earlier posts printed so that I have a permanent record of my blog to show people who wouldn't see it on the internet.

link : blog2print

I would also add please make sure you read the small print if you are thinking of using the site.

Second Tabby cat eye on Fisher Paper

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My first tabby cat eye was successful so I decided to do another one. his is also 2.5 x 3.5 on Fisher paper.

Another Tabby Cat on Fisher paper: Finished

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I was going to paint a background but then decided that the colour of the paper complimented him quite nicely.
Final size 6 x 8, I added watercolour as an under painting in places, and acrylic as highlights in places. For the short fur I let the paper show through as it ties it all together.

I am finding the Fisher paper very versatile, it takes watercolour with no problems even

wet(ish) in wet.

Larger Tabby Cat on Fisher Paper

Coloured Pencil and watercolour on Fisher paper, 5 x 7. The watercolour worked really well on the paper, probably better than acrylic.

Another Tabby cat study on Fisher Paper

This is another aceo but I think I'm ready to go back to larger pieces now.

Study of a Tabby Cat's Eye on Fisher Paper

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Another ACEO, this time I used Fisher paper and was really happy with the result, especially as I found I was able to get my usual effect with far less layers.
I decided to make the highlight into a bird and call it 'I Spy a Bird'

Creating a Book of my Blog

'Sunny Spot'

I created another ACEO today, coloured pencil and acrylic on Arches.

The process was continually interrupted as I made frequent trips into the very wet garden with Cody. Why is it that on nice dry days she knows why she has gone out, yet when it is pouring down she pretends that I've taken her out to look in the ponds, visit the bird feeders, have a stroll on the patio etc. As soon as I suggest we go back inside she assumes the pained expression of a puppy desperate to go.

One of my cyber friends pointed me in the direction of a website where you can transform your blog into a book.

It's as easy as making a couple of clicks. I was very impressed when I had a go, so impressed I've ordered the book I created. I decided to include posts from 01/01/2008 to date. I thought it would be something to show people when they ask me how I work. The actual book will take up to a month to arrive, but I'll let you know what the quality is like when I actually see it.

Have a go, there is no committment to buy:-

www.blog2print.com

Cougar, Puma ACEO

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Another small one, this time a Puma, coloured pencil and watercolour on Arches.

This is the reason for time spent on art being a little restricted at present, meet Cody.

Cat on Ampersand Pastelbord

This is one of our friends Norwegian Forest Cats.

I took the photograph a couple of years ago and have been meaning to paint him ever since.

I'm using the sand coloured Ampersand Pastelbord, 11 x 14.

The background has an underlayer of Caran D'Ache Neocolor ll, it is indigo blue rather than black, the scan is not quite correct colour wise.

Tiger ACEO

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I seem to be stuck in the small mode at present, it has a lot to do with the newest member of the family, Cody.

Cody is a huge character in a smal body with plenty of energy and sharp puppy teeth. I'm sure Roxie was trying to work out how to put her in her sleeping cage and fasten the lock today.

This is my latest ACEO, with the original title of 'Tiger'

More Graphite Cat

Progress is slow but I'm slowly building up the layers. You'll notice the ear is still causing me problems, I know how I want to draw it, but my pencils refuse to behave.

Black Cat ACEO

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Another small one, again ACE size 2.5 x 3.5 on black paper.

This is a study for a larger cat I want to do using this technique.

ACEO Cat on Blue Pastel Paper

'Wish Upon a Star'

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I've done almost no art this last week due to a four footed addition to the family, I'll share some photographs soon.

I did have time to do this ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5, coloured pencil and watercolour on blue pastel paper.

Another Mixed Media Cat

I'm using this tabby cat to do another demo on painting cats eyes. I decided to put some fur in first round the eye to give it a setting.

As usual watercolour and colour pencil on hot press watercolour paper.

Book review: Natural History Painting with the Eden Project

I already own the two Botanical art books based round the Eden Project and am impressed with them, so when I spotted this new title I couldn't resist buying it.

Book Details

Natural History Painting with the Eden Project by Rosie Martin and Merial Thurstan

Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Batsford (3 Aug 2009)

One of the things I liked about the other books was the quality of the illustrations and again in this book they were very nice.

The emphasis is on pencil drawing and watercolour and the book covers each part of the painting process.

The book is divided into 15 chapters including 'Setting Up' which discusses materials and includes an exercise in drawing scales accompanied by some excellent drawings.

There is a chapter on colour theory which highlights colour mixing and has some examples of what can be achieved using limited colours.

As well as chapters on 'Bugs', 'Birds' and 'Sea Life'there are more unusual chapters on'Bones', Íridescence' and "Display and Mimicry'

I was a little disappointed there is very little on mammals but the rest of the content makes up for it.

I think the book will appeal to both beginners and more advanced artists as it is sufficiently different from anything else available at present.

The 2009 Exhibition of the Society of Feline Artists

'Moody Blue'

On Tuesday I travelled to London to attend the 2009 Society of Feline Artists Exhibition held at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery.

I had met up with my friend, fellow artist Katherine Tyrrell. Katherine has written an exhibition review on her blog 'Making a Mark'

My paintings were in the window and the first thing that I noticed was that 'Moody Blue' had already sold, in advance of the official opening.

The opening was exceedingly well attended and as in past years opened by the patron of the Society, David Grant, well known celebrity Vet.

As always the standard was high and the work diverse. You can see lots of photographs of the event on the Society Blog. These can be viewed as a slide show or photo album.

My personal favourite was 'Geoffrey's Cat' by Natalie Mascall, not surprisingly it was already sold.

For anyone interested in feline art the exhibition is well worth a visit, it runs until 18/09/09 and the gallery is open until 7.30pm Monday to Saturday.

I also discovered that The Cat magazine had used an image of 'Moody Blue' to promote the exhibition. The Cat magazine is the official supporter magazine of Cats Protection. That was the finishing touch to a very pleasant afternoon.

Tabby Cat in Graphite

Although I took a small set of watercolours to Canada I spent most of my time glued to my camera. By the time we got back to the room in the evenings I was ready for my art fix so I started a tabby cat in graphite.

This is about12 x 10 on Arches HP watercolour paper.

I'm going to the Private View for the SOFA Exhibition at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery tomorrow. If any of you are going to be there please come and say hello.

Home Again

I'm back although my luggage isn't.
We had a three hour delay in Vancouver and then a seven hour wait at Heathrow and now the jet lag has kicked in.
I'll be back with some new artwork tomorrow.

Black Bear at Banff

Look what appeared at the side of the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff.
I was lucky enough to see a Grizzly last year in Yellowstone but this was my first Black Bear. It was quite interested in having its photograph taken as you can see.

More from Canada

A scene and an animal.

Moraine Lake and a Hoary Marmot.

Today was warm and sunny so the water at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was a really deep turquoise.

There were plenty of Ground Squirrels and several Marmots enjoying the sun.