My Studio- Also known as the spare room.

Earlier this year my eldest son moved into his own home and while I miss him a great deal I immediately claimed his bedroom and gave it a make over changing it into my art room. Although it is only a small room after years of working in a corner of my lounge it's lovely to be able to leave my art materials spread out. I thought it might be nice to give a little tour.

This is the view looking into the room from the door. My drafting table is on the right next to a large storage unit which holds most of my art supplies. To the left is my small pencil storage rack. I was lucky enough to aquire a complete set of storage for pencils when my local art store was changing brands. Until recently these have been stored in the attic so it was lovely to be able to have them somewhere I can actually see and use them.

Moving round to the left you can see my small pencil storage which holds mainly prismacolour pencils, and the edge of my easel. The picture on the wall is a pastel drawing of Clinton when he was a puppy, sadly he died in January at almost 12 tears old so you can tell how long ago I drew the portrait. The photograph is another of my dogs, Chelsey, who sadly died far too young of suspected liver problems.

I'm not using my easel at the moment because I usually work on my drafting table when I'm using graphite pencils but I have plenty of space to move it around when I'm painting.

In the corner I have a full set of storage units which once held Karisma pencils but now hold my Polychromos spares and some Prismacolours.

Over my easel I have a couple of shelves which hold various books and magazines, plus various soft toys that I'm keeping out of the reach of Xena the puppy.
The other side of the room has the storage unit next to the drafting table. I also usually have a collie or two lying about but they were more interested in watching what I was doing so they were behind the camera rather than in front of it this morning.
Having shown my work area I have to say that when the weather is nice I usually work at my smaller drafting table which I left in my lounge. This is situated next to the patio doors which open onto my decking so that it's easy to take a break outside, not that I do that very often of course :)

Catch Up

'Trial Run'

Graphite on Fabriano Artistico

It's been a long time since I updated my blog, in fact I struggled to log in having forgotten my password.
My family suffered a tragedy early in March which put art on hold for a few weeks.

Since my last post I've attended three exhibitions, all of which were reasonably successful. The Yorkshire Game Fair held at Newby Hall near Ripon was the muddiest show I've ever attended, the mud was knee deep and tractors were needed to move vehicles on and off the field. It was an experience I'd prefer not to repeat.
Last week I attended Patchings Art Festival, I always enjoy the social aspects of this show although sales were slow over the weekend.

We welcomed a new addition to the family a few weeks ago, meet Xena who is quite possibly the naughtiest puppy I've ever owned. Her hobbies include stripping wallpaper from the hallway, removing plants from the garden and carrying live bees about. We still don't know how she managed to carry a very large bee all the way across the garden without getting stung. However I can report that the bee flew away uninjured.

I've just submitted an article to Leisure Painter on drawing a peacock feather, it should be published in the August magazine out at the beginning of July.

I've started a series of graphite drawings of working dogs, The first one is 'Trial Run' drawn from one of my own reference photographs.

I do now intend to post much more regularly in the future.

Amur Leopard in Graphite

'Striding Out'

Graphite on Mellotex, 17.5 x 11.75 inches

I'm alive and well but have been really busy with real life happenings.

I have a new pencil practice article in this months Leisure Painter magazine (May 2014) on drawing weathered wood in coloured pencil.

'Weathered Stump' the subject of my latest pencil practice article

The next article will be in the July issue and will be techniques for drawing water.

I've marked plenty of assignments for the London Art College diploma course on drawing and painting pet portraits.

I'm in the middle of painting two large commissions of a lovely old Airedale called Joe. I had the pleasure of meeting Joe and his owners at Wetherby service station on a bitterly cold winter day so that I could take my own photographs and meet Joe in person.

Show season is fast approaching, my first show of the year will be the Harrogate Spring Flower Show which takes place at the end of this month.

I do intend to get back into a regular blogging routine as it helps me to focus on getting things completed.

Step-by-Step Guide to drawing a Brown Hare in Coloured Pencil

 

 An example of one of the diagrams included in the booklet.

My step-by-step guide to drawing a brown hare is now available, I have added a buy it now button on the sidebar and it will be available from my website.

The booklet consists of 16 A5 pages (approx 5.75 x 8.25 inches) printed on a heavy bright white printer paper.

The cost is £6.50 plus £1.50 post and packing.

For the colours used I have included a pencil comparison chart for Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils. I have not always found an exact colour match but have suggested a similar colour.
Anyone who purchases the guide can email me for help if they get stuck.

Please note that this guide duplicates the article that I wrote for Leisure Painter Magazine which was published in the November 2013 issue.

Review of 2013

Scotland New Years Day 2014

Wishing all my readers a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2014.

Looking back at 2013 I seem to have had a mixed year with some real highs but in other areas much less achieved than I intended.

The Highlights of 2013

'Big Red'

My finest achievement in 2013 was Big Red winning the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery prize for best in show at the 2013 Society of Feline Artists exhibition.

Objects drawn for Leisure Painter Magazine Articles

I started writing for Leisure Painter magazine and so far I've written the following articles:-

• Coloured Pencil Techniques
• Pencil Practice : Hare
• Pencil Practice : Metal
• Pencil Practice : Glass (to be published in the March issue)  

 I will be continuing to write for the magazine every other month throughout 2014

My final highlight of 2013 was taking over the role of tutor for the Pet Portrait Course run by the London Art College.

I exhibited at the following shows:-

Spring and Autumn Harrogate Flower shows
Yorkshire Game Fair
Society of Feline Artists annual exhibition
Supreme Cat Show

I plan to attend them again in 2014 with the exception of the Supreme Cat show and the Autumn Flower show ( I'll be in Canada when the flower show is held)

 'Ladnar Kingfisher - Phenix'

I completed several commissions including a stunning champion rough collie, 'Ladnar Kingfisher'

Not Achieved in 2013

I was much less active writing my blog than I planned. My aim for 2014 is to write at least one post a week.

I didn't enter as many competitions or juried exhibitions as I originally planned but I did keep to my decision of not entering work that I didn't consider good enough.

I didn't produce as much original work as I originally thought I would but writing for Leisure Painter and my tutor role did take quite a lot of my time.

My next post will be looking at what I aim to achieve in 2014.

The Supreme Cat Show - 23rd November 2013

Work in Progress - Jaguar in Graphite Pencil

I know it's been a long, long time since I updated my blog and I'm not promising that I'll write more frequently this year but I do have things to share in 2014.

I'm working on my next techniques in coloured pencil booklet which should be available before the year end. It will be 'How to draw a Brown Hare' in coloured pencil. However it is  basically the same tutorial that appeared in the November issue of Leisure Painter magazine so if you bought the magazine it's probably not worth buying the booklet as you will already have most of the material.

I will have a stand at The Supreme Cat show which is being held tomorrow at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. It will be my last show until next spring so if you're visiting or exhibiting please come and say hello.

Coloured Pencil Techniques in Leisure Painter Magazine

 The October issue of Leisure Painter magazine which is currently on sale includes my article on coloured pencil techniques. The article includes a little about the materials I use, a small demonstration on drawing fur and a section on troubleshooting. I'll be uploading a file of this first article in PDF format to my website soon.

The November issue of Leisure Painter which will shortly be on sale includes a step by step demonstration of how to draw the hare shown above. It also highlights the struggle I had to take the reference photograph.

I'll be writing regularly for Leisure Painter throughout 2014.

If you draw or paint animals the October issue also includes the first part of a tutorial on drawing an Elephant in pastel by Bob Elcock and painting a miniature in watercolour of a lowland gorilla by Tracy Hall. 


My other news is that I am now the tutor for the Pet Portrait Diploma course run by the London Art College.

'Big Red' is Selected for the Gallery Prize at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery

'Big Red'

While on holiday in Canada I found out that my painting Big Red had been selected by the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery to receive their gallery prize for best in show. The painting is one of four I am currently exhibiting as part of The Society of Feline Artists annual exhibition in London.

Having recharged my batteries while on holiday I'm really looking forward to getting back to painting. I have hundreds of new reference photographs to choose from including both grizzly and black bear, elk, small mammals and many birds. I also took many photographs of trees, rocks, streams etc which will come in very useful.

I was lucky enough to see a humpback whale from the ferry when crossing back to Vancouver from Vancouver island, that was a very special couple of minutes.

I'll be exhibiting at Harrogate Autumn Flower Show later this week, probably still suffering from jet lag!

Early Summer Catch Up

'Merlin'

Coloured Pencil and Acrylic on black pastel paper.

I hadn't realised I'd been away from my blog for over a month but I have so here's a catch up of what I've been doing.

Patching was successful as I got commissioned to do some work. I don't want to share the details just yet but all will be revealed later in the year.

I don't accept many commissions so I'm now booked up for the rest of the year and have my first one booked for 2014. I'm looking forward to that one as it's a pencil drawing of a game bird.

I've been accepted as a member of the Association of Animal Artists (AAA) and hope to be exhibiting at their Animals in Art Exhibition. This exhibition will be held from 27th July to th 15th September 2013 at Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, Lancashire, UK.

I've been on several reference gathering trips for both wild and captive animals including visiting Chester Zoo to photograph their delightful tiger cubs.

I've spent more time gardening than painting over the last few days making the most of the sunshine.

I'll try not to leave it so long next time :)

Patchings Festival Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th June 2013

Dipper on the River Wharf - Acrylic on Board

I've done the printing, wrapping and bagging there's just the car to load and then set off for Patchings Festival.

Today is set up day and for once the weather appears to be behaving, it's not sunny here in Yorkshire but it isn't raining or windy which is a vast improvement on past years.

The festival takes places at Calverton, Nottinghamshire, UK and runs from Thursday 6th June 2013 - Sunday 9th June 2013, 10.00 to 5.00 Thursday to Saturday, 10.00 to 4.30 Sunday.

Link : Patchings Festival

If you visit the festival come and say hello, it's always nice to meet old friends and make new ones.

I'm not sure what I'll be working on, probably the pastel fox or two raccoons in coloured pencil.

Hare Today Gone Tomorrow

'Watching'

Pastel on Velour Paper

I finally finished the hare I'd been working on at Harrogate Spring Flower Show and finalised the limited edition prints.

While working on this image I frequently thought about my dad because one of his little saying was 'hare today, gone tomorrow'. Although he's been dead for over eighteen years I can still hear him saying it.

Having seen the media footage of the aftermath of the Oklahoma hurricane it suddenly struck me how terribly apt the saying was, we are indeed here today and gone tomorrow. It  made me realise just how important it is to live for today, appreciate what I have and not long for tomorrow.

Limited edition giclee prints of 'Watching' are available direct from me, I will update my website later today.
Edition limited to 350, produced on 100% cotton fine art paper.
Image size approximately 13.5 x 9.5 inches, the print is mounted/matted in white, mounted/matted size 16 x 20.

** Now available direct from my website**

If you'd like any further information please email me: gayle.mason@gmail.com

Sepia Cat Completed

'Hurry By'

Limited Edition Print

Mounted/Matted in white to 16 x 20 inches

I've finally finished the sepia cat and it's available as a limited edition giclee print. 

I decided to add a ladybird in colour to create another focal point. I called it Hurry By' because the cat hasn't yet spotted it but it could at any moment.

If you're interested in buying a print please email me and I can supply all the details, gayle.mason@gmail.com

I thoroughly enjoyed Harrogate Spring Flower Show with Made in Yorkshire, the first show of the year is always a great social occasion. Sales were up on the same show last year so that's a step in the right direction. I was working on a pastel hare which should be finished in the next couple of days, it seemed to be popular with the visitors.

I have more or less finished this years cat images for this years SOFA (Society of Feline Artists) exhibition so I'll be back to concentrating on wildlife.

Monochrome Cat

I've decided to try and be early completing my images for this years Society of Feline Artists exhibition.
I'm drawing this one using a Van Dyck Brown polychromos coloured pencil which is slightly warmer than sepia.
The image will be 16 x 12 and I'm using an Arches board which I'm finding good to work on.

Next week I'll have a stand at Harrogate Spring Flower Show so keep your fingers crossed that the weather is better than it was last year.

Exhibiting - 10 Things Artists Hate to Hear

My newest painting, 'Irish Setter'

Most of the people I meet at exhibitions are a pleasure to talk to but there are others who either intentionally or not are at the best unthinking, at the worst rude.
I usually laugh the comments off as all exhibitors have had their share of 'those' people but a friend of mine has decided not to exhibit any more as she found the comments affected how she viewed her art.

So here are 10 of the comments artists hate to hear:-

1. 'How much', said in a shocked voice, swiftly followed by John, Sue or Bob only charges a fraction of that, I wouldn't like to pay that much.
2. 'I wouldn't pay that much' you can buy paintings for £10 at .......
3.  I like the ones painted by the artist over there better.
4.  Why do you paint cats they're horrible animals (insert animal of choice for cat, I've had the same comment for dogs, horses, birds etc)
5.  My friend, wife, sister etc is really good, said while looking at your art then walking away with a slight shake of the head.
6.  Why would anyone want to hang a painting of an animal on their wall.
7.  If I had the time I could paint like you
8. Are you using crayons, I used to use those at school . (if I'm using coloured pencils)
9. It's like painting by numbers
10.  How long has it taken to paint that (perfectly reasonable question) but after telling them 100 plus hours they follow it up with, it only takes John, Sue or Bob 10 hours and they're really good.

Exhibitions - The Hanging Dilemma

So far this year I've entered five exhibitions/shows and at four of them I'll have my own stand.

Each year I try to improve on my display so that I show my work to the best possible advantage.
In previous years I've used velcro to attach prints to the exhibition panels. This works well but because of the weight it is only possible to display mounted/matted not framed prints. Even so if the marquee is on grass the damp sometimes causes prints to fall off, usually at night which means the paper buckles by the time they're rescued in the morning.

This year I decided to look for a hanging system so that I can display framed prints and originals, this didn't turn out to be quite as easy as I thought.
I had to make sure that whatever system I went for didn't damage the exhibition panels and obviously I couldn't fix to the wall or ceiling. My initial searches only turned up fixed systems which were either wall or ceiling mounted. It was only when I had a lightbulb moment and entered 'exhibition picture hanging'into the search engine that I started to find what I was looking for.

I settled on using picturehanging.co.uk who were very helpful in sorting out what I needed. This was just as well because I was totally confused when I initially looked at what was available.

I did need to email the exhibition organisers to ask the width of the panels as the screen hooks are made to measure. I also needed to weigh a picture and calculate a total weight per cord.

When everything arrives I'll have a practice run and post some pictures just in case anyone else has the same dilemma.

The Borzoi - A Fact You Might Not Know

'William' the Borzoi

 

The reference photograph I used for William was kindly provided by his owner after I expressed a desire to paint him.

I met William at a show a couple of years ago and was impressed by his sweet nature, his elegance and his dignity so when his owner sent me some photographs of him I put him on my 'to do' list. It's taken me a long time but he's finally finished. The original painting is mixed media on hot press watercolour paper.

Before I draw or paint any animal I like to find out about them. I study the anatomy, coat, features etc but I also look for any interesting facts. This brings me to the fact you might not know about the borzoi.
They rank 75th in Stanley Coren's book The Intelligence of Dogs and fall into the category Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence.
The classification is partly based on understanding of new commands and the percentage of times they obey a command first time.
Reading further borzois would appear to be selective learners who become easily bored and can be stubborn if not motivated. I'm not sure that I would class that as unintelligent!

No one will be surprised that the border collie comes out top of the list as the brightest dog.
For anyone interested in the full list this is the article :-The Intelligence of Dogs

Limited edition prints of William are available from my website
 'William' Limited Edition Giclee Print
or you can contact me direct gayle.mason@gmail.com

Dipper in Acrylic on Board

This is about a third of my next painting, the final size will be 8 x 16 inches and it's acrylic on board.

The river Wharfe which is not far from home has a healthy resident population of dippers so I've managed to take quite a few photographs of them over the years.

Amur Leopard - Mixed Media

'Vantage Point - Amur Leopard'

16.5 x 11.5 inches

This is the first piece of completed artwork for 2013, an Amur Leopard in mixed media. It is mainly watercolour with some of the details added in coloured pencil on Arches hot pressed watercolour paper.

The leopard on my reference photograph was lying on a shelf so I substituted a rock from another of my reference photographs.

Photographic Reference of 2013 Week 2

I've been suffering from flu so didn't really have anything to post last weekend as I stayed in and felt sorry for myself.

This week the snow was the major event and as my car doesn't manage snow very well it remained on the drive all week and I

 

walked to the office a couple of times.

I can walk virtually all the way through country lanes which were very pretty but really icy.

 

A pied wagtail visits the garden every now and then and it became a daily visitor last week arriving mid morning and staying around for an hour or two.

This afternoon we went for a drive to see if there were any red kites about. I was lucky enough to spot one sat in a tree so I took lots of photographs and then caught it just as it flew away.

At one point we had seven of them flying above the car.

Photographic Record of 2013

 

I want to keep a photograph record of 2013, updating every weekend.

The first photograph is Clinton in Scotland. He forgot his arthritis when he saw the snow. He doesn't look bad for his age, he's 11 in March.

We had a day of sunshine and showers at the beginning of the year, the second photograph is one of many rainbows that appeared that day.

The third photograph is the lane I walk down most days. I took the photograph this morning and intend to take the same view several times over the year so that I can record the changes.