Graphite and Coloured Pencil on Drafting Film (Polydraw)

I've been experimenting with doing a graphite drawing on one side of drafting film and then turning it over and working with coloured pencils on the reverse side.

This is the start of the graphite drawing. I used harder pencils 4H, 2H and just added a little B in the very darkest areas because the softer ones would smudge on the polyester surface.
I drew in the cat's eye and some of the surrounding fur making sure not to smudge the graphite.
Once I'd done a couple of inches of I turned the drafting film over and started working in coloured pencils.

You can see the graphite showing through the area not yet worked in coloured pencil. The graphite acts as a grisaille and has really increased the contrast of the piece.
Because the graphite is on the other side of the drafting film it doesn't smudge and muddy the colours.
One thing I need to keep in mind for next time is that I need to draw the graphite image in reverse so that when I turn the drafting film over I'm working the right way.
The final image is replacing the white backing board with a black one, a mid tone will work better but I can't find one at the moment.

Red Fox continued

Just a quick update.

Red Fox - Take 2

I have been getting more and more disatisfied with my fox. I'm not sure if it was the ear, the muzzle, the colour, I just don't know what it was I didn't like about him. He looked more like a Corgi than a fox to me.

After spending several more hours on him I did what I should have done when the doubts set in, I started again. I know paintings go through an ugly stage but I'm usually right when I decide it's not the ugly stage, it's the terminal stage. So he was terminated and I started on Arches paper rather than board, same size, same reference. I'm much happier with him, I will add the dark background, probably after I do the eyes. The fur this time looks more like my work and he is already looking more 3D.

By the way you aren't seeing things, I'm still having trouble with his ear, I'm thinking of making hiom a battle scarred fox :)

Rather than doing another post I thought I'd just add the update. You can't really see the colours in the background, but they are there, honestly.

Kitten Finished!

I managed to finish my kitten, add the feather and make it to the printer.

This is the final scan for the prints.

You can purchase the giclee print from my website or by emailing me

Still More Kitten

I've been really busy with my 'day job' so painting has had to be left untouched.

I did complete a bit more fur today, I do want to finish him over the weekend because I'm taking it to the printer on Tuesday.

I've been throwing feathers in the air today to see how they float to the ground, I knew the ducks would come in useful for something.

Macro Cat on Clairefontaine Pastelmat

I have been wanting to try my new Clairefontaine pastelmat. I cut a small piece and drew a macro tabby cat as I wanted to try the surface more than worry about drawing. So far I'm really liking it, it feels like a cross between velour and colourfix. It takes layers well, you can blend and burnish and the fur has a soft look to it.
I'll be doing a more detailed review when I finish the piece.

Stoat in Coloured Pencil

I've been continuing to work on the stoat painting. I've added the stoat itself and you can see the scale. When I was watching the stoat on the Loch side running in and out of the huge boulders I couldn't help comparing its brief lifespan to the endless eons the rocks had been in existence. That was my concept behind the painting, a tiny bright spark in a large monochrome landscape.

Goldcrest and Stoat in Coloured Pencil

I've started drawing my stoat from the photograph I took in Scotland.

So far all French Grey on Arches Hot Press paper, 20 x 8. I am going to paint the stoat in full colour to provide a bright splash.

Todays bird is a Goldcrest which visited the garden several times, it only stays for a couple of minutes each visit so I was lucky to catch it in a good pose.

Jack Russell in Coloured Pencil and a Treecreeper

Now that Christmas Day is over I can share some of my commission work.

This Jack Russell was a pleasure to draw she had such a sweet little face. Plus I took the photographs which made it easier as I'd seen her personality.

The owner asked that I use French Grey coloured pencil with colour for the eyes, the same technique I've used for cats.

It's on Arches hot press watercolour paper.

My bird of the day is this Treecreeper which was attracted to the fat we've rubbed in the bark of one of the Silver Birches.

It's not the sharpest of photographs but I was so excited my hands were shaking. This is not a common visitor to our garden.

Snow Leopard in Coloured Pencil

I realised that I was not going to finish the large Snow Leopard painting in time for the weekend, which is my deadline. I've started another one which is smaller and on blue colourfix which I find slightly faster to work on.

It will be about 14 x 12 depending how much of his body I draw.

Demonstrating for the UKCPS at Art Materials Live

I spent Thursday and Saturday helping the UKCPS with their stand at the Art Materials Live show which is held at the NEC. I was demonstrating the use of coloured pencils on various surfaces.
I was joined by several other demonstrators all working with coloured pencil but producing very different effects. I have to mention both Peter Woof and Suzy Herbert as I spent more time with them , I absolutely loved the pieces they were working on.
I think the demonstrating role was far easier than running the workshop, the members there worked non stop helping people have a go using coloured pencils. Hopefully those people will go on to become members of the UKCPS and create art using coloured pencils.
Once again I lost count of the number of people who were astonished at the effects you can achieve with a "crayon"
A special mention for Rachel who I never saw stop throughout the whole time I was there, and she was attending for the whole four days.
Hello to all the people who stopped to talk to me, I really enjoyed meeting you all.
Thursday was a major disaster for me as my husband managed to spill a full cup of coffee over the commission I was working on. Not only did the pristine white background suffer, so did my legs, feet and bag. I'd spent around 10 hours on the work up to the coffee incident so I was ever so slightly upset. However my husband was so sorry that he bought me the entire set of Luminance pencils so I recovered a little after that.

I thought that on the whole there were slightly less people visiting than last year which some of the traders agreed with. However they felt that individuals were spending more per head than last year so didn't think takings would be down.
I hope to be helping again next year as I really enjoy it.

Ground Squirrel Demonstration - Part 3

I haven't done very much over the last couple of days, but hopefully enough for you to see the difference between the area where I've added acrylic and the area of pure coloured pencil.
I have added a wash of raw umber over the two darker stripes. Then I've painted fur in a dirty white (I don't clean my brush after adding the raw umber) on the lighter stripe and a mix of raw umber and paynes grey on the darker. The bottom of both stripes is pure CP. I've also added some washes of acrylic to the head.

I add the acrylic to give more depth and more punch, the washes add the depth and the individual strokes the punch. I then repeat using alternate layers of coloured pencil and acrylic until I'm happy with the result.

I have received confirmation that I have been allocated space at the Supreme Cat Show so for the next few weeks I am aiming to paint a few more breeds. I just have to find the cats to photograph now! Amazingly they don't tend to pose for me when I'm walking the dogs.

Ground Squirrel Demonstration - Part 2

I'm including a photo of my drafting table so you can see how I work.I usually have the image showing on my laptop which I place at the top left but I was using it for something else this morning.

At the right you can just see my home made Mahl Stick which I rest my hand on to stop the acid from my hand spoiling my acid free paper. Basically it's a piece of foam wrapped around each end of a piece of garden cane.

I always have my Gray Scale and Value Finder close, even if I'm using colour.

Also at the right is a scrap of Arches paper which I use throughout to test colours, fur patterns etc.

I've drawn my Squirrel on the same paper as the graphite version, Arches Hot Press and I will use my drawing rather than the photograph to check values.

This first image is all coloured pencil, finding values and fur direction and laying down a base.

Here I'm starting adding acrylic to the head but the rest is pure coloured pencil.

On the last one I'm working in both acrylic and coloured pencil, going backwards and forwards until I achieve the depth I want.

Later I'll post a close up of the fur.

Rough Collie Painting

We had a real health scare with Clinton last week although he is completely recovered now. It made me realise that I drew him as a puppy but I hadn't done an adult portrait of him. I felt the need to paint him once we knew he was going to be alright.

I decided to use a photograph of him looking over the fence into the garden. I have already used one of Juno from this shoot to produce

'Wait For Me' Clinton is acrylic and coloured pencil on Arches HP watercolour paper.
It makes a change to be painting a dog again, it seemed strange to be painting long fur.

Clinton is lying under the drawing table, doing his best to add touches of fur into the wet paint.

Monochrome Cat with a Splash

I have abandoned everything else to complete another cat.
This is mainly coloured pencil with touches of acrylic on Arches Hot Press Watercolour paper. It will be about 16 x 8 inches.
It has more colour than the ones I've done in French Grey, but I am sticking to the monochrome colour scheme.

There will be a surprise addition to the picture once the cat is finished.

Watch this space.

Continuing the Snow Leopard

I started to draw the features of the Snow Leopard and realised that:-
1. I didn't like the right ear position
2. the eyes were crooked.

Therefore I used the ear from the next photograph as the Leopard had flicked it forward, and alsoadjusted the eyes. The grid lines made this an easy task, they also enabled me to see that the nose and mouth would line up correctly.

I then painted the eyes in acrylic and started working the fur using a mixture of coloured pencil and acrylic.

It is the scan that is crooked, not my lines!

Mixed Media Deer

I've worked a little more on the deer, trying to create the feeling of recession. I have a lot of adjusting to do, but once I put the antlers in I hope things will start to come together.

I'm using Caran D'ache Neocolor for the distant hills, I will work over this base coat in coloured pencil if needed.

Red Deer in Mixed Media

I had one of those days yesterday where I didn't want to do anything serious, I just wanted to experiment.

I've found out that all being well with my pre-op tests they've moved my operation forward to this Saturday, that threw me a bit.

I have some lovely photographs of Red Deer that I've taken over the course of several years visiting the Highlands of Scotland. I have been planning a large Deer painting for a while, so yesterday I decided to do a Deer study.

This is an old stag and I wanted to leave his grey fur as it gives him character. It is on Ingres pastel paper and includes Neocolor, Coloured Pencil and Acrylic.

I'm not sure I'll finish him but it helped me to see the potential problems.

After rushing round all day to get things at work sorted out I got another phone call from the hospital to say they don't have a bed for me this weekend, I'm back to where I started, oh well.

Almost Completed Mastiff

I was trying to post the final stage on this one, but I've been so slow that I thought I'd better show you an almost completed version.

I had to have a blood test today prior to going in hospital at the end of the month. Getting blood from me is every nurse's worst nightmare. Today I really excelled myself, nurse 1 had four attempts before passing me on, nurse 2 had 2 attempts before admitting defeat and sending for a Doctor. The Doctor ignored all the usual places and went into the side of my wrist where he hit gold and creared a positive torrent. It never ceases to amaze me that if I get the tiniest paper cut I can soak everything with blood in seconds, show my veins a needle and they sink out of sight refusing to yield a drop.

More Mastiff in Coloured Pencil

Still no progress on the tiger but I have been working on the Mastiff puppy.

Rio has found a new sport, catching wasps, not only catching them, but then very noisily eating them. I'm not sure where they're coming from but he had three this afternoon. As soon as I see him bouncing round the Conservatory I know he's found another. The other dogs are horrified, Roxie thinks they're nasty dirty things that she wouldn't touch with Clinton's paw. Roma watches with a mothers anxiety, Saska can't see them (or hear them) and Juno bites Rio in the excitement. I spent my time trying to prevent Rio getting stung.