Wildlife Artist of the Year

I have made very little progress, in fact my art has suffered over the last few days, due in part to the hot weather and in part due to work commitments.

Yesterday we went to the Private View of Wildlife Artist of the Year. The event was in the evening at the Mall Galleries. It was really well attended and the 'red spots' indicating sales were appearing all over.
The Wildlife Artist of the Year award went to Pamela Conder for her mixed media work of Chimpanzees 'Reflections on Ageing'
I thought all the work was of a very high standard but my personal favourite had to be the work of Darryn Eggleton, Achromatic and In Motion. All the short listed paintings can be seen on line.
The exhibition runs until the 06/06 and is well worth a visit if you like wildlife.
For a much more comprehensive version of the evening see Katherine Tyrrell's post over on her blog 'Making a Mark'

Mallard in Mixed Media

I've got back to the Mallard at last. This is a terrible photograph as the light is poor but it gives you an idea of how she's progressing. There is definitely no orange tinge to the sky in real life and the eye is darker, the touch of charcoal reflected the flash.

Red Kites in Yorkshire

I went to a Game Fair at Harewood House today. Harewood is about 30 minutes from where I live and I always enjoy a visit because Red Kites are usually visible gliding overhead.

The Yorkshire Red Kite project began in 1999 and has been highly successful. Many chicks have been successfully reared and the Kite is now a common sight in the area. Today was no exception, in fact we got spectacular views of a couple of birds. This one will be appearing in a painting in the future.

Comparison of Pastelmat, Pastelbord and Fisher 400 paper

I have recently read several discussions among artists about using supports other than paper, so here are my experiences with the above.

'Eye to Eye'

cat on Pastelmat, for the 2009 SOFA exhibition in September

Pastelmat

Made by Clairefontaine, acid free, 360 g/m2, available in various colours as single sheets or in pads.

Two sizes of sheet available: 50 x 70cms or 70 x 100cm's.

Can be purchased in the UK from Great Art or Tim Fisher.

I have used both the black and the white.

I found the surface mid way between colourfix and velour, certainly much softer than either the Pastelbord or Fisher 400. It took several layers, you could get a nice sharp line and on the black it was possible to get a really white, white. I have found this difficult on some black surfaces.

I could not get as many layers as on the Arches paper I often use, but this didn't matter to me as the colour saturation was good.

Katherine Tyrrell has done a review of Pastelmat on her Making a Mark Reviews Blog.

'Aristocrat'

Cat on Pastelbord

Sold by the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery, London, SOFA 2008

Pastelbord

Made by Ampersand in the USA.
Ampersand Pastelbord is described as "a clay and gesso hardboard panel with a granular marble dust finish" The pastelbord is available in four colours, sand, grey, green and white.
I have not found a supplier in the UK, I have had to use mail order from America which makes it expensive.
I ordered samples of all four colours although up to now I have only worked on the sand one. The Ampersand website shows the four colours and gives much more information on the product, including the diversity of media you can use on it.
So far I have used acrylic, coloured pencil and neocolorII.;
This is the hardest of the three surfaces and can be framed without glass.
Again it takes several layers but I found it harder to get the fine lines for my fur than on either of the softer surfaces, it is possible, just harder to do. It is again possible to get white, whites and paint highlights in acrylic if you don't mind mixed media.
The benefit to me of the Pastelbord was framing without glass.

Fisher 400

I wrote about this in my last post.

Developed by UK artist Tim Fisher it is a sanded pastel paper.

Supplied by Tim Fisher in the UK, International customers are welcome.

I probably enjoyed working on this surface the best, it almost 'grabbed' the colour, was easy to blend and burnish yet retained sharp edges where I wanted them.

You can read an in depth review of the paper here by super talented artist Nicole Caulfield. Nicole also uses Pastelbord for her work, her portraits are stunning, especially the one she did of my son., 'Rob'

Links

The Ampersand website

Tim Fisher's Website

Great Art website

Nicole's blog

Making a Mark Reviews - the introduction

ACEO Cat on Fisher 400 Paper

I wanted to try my new Fisher 400 sanded pastel paper so decided to do a small work.

This is a small work, ACEO size (2.5 x 3.5 inches) using coloured pencils.

The paper was created by Tim Fisher, it is pale buff in colour and the surface is lightfast.

I found it took several layers of pencil but could burnish areas I wanted to.

I will definitely be doing a larger 'furry' piece on the paper.

The image is just about life size on my screen.

The original is now sold.

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.

More Kitten

Continuing to work on the kitten, this is all that fits on the scanner.

I have been wanting to take some photographs of a male mallard for a painting. The local duck population must have heard so this morning a pair decided to audition for me. My husband was not impressed with finding the garden pond playing host to them. They did not leave the water in the same condition that they found it.

The Jay

My bird for today is the Jay. These birds are quite shy so I was pleased to get some nice photographs of a pair of them in a local wood.

I will have an update of my art tomorrow, I'm just too tired to photograph or scan it tonight.

Coloured Pencil Kitten - Part 3

I decided I needed to ground my kitten but I didn't want a complete background. I've decided to sit him in a patch of grass. The shape of the patch will probably change as there is lots of space all round and I might create a few longer blades behind him.

I've included a close up of the grass, keep in mind this is larger than life size. First I create a dark underlayer, then I erase light patches, fill them with different colours to represent blades then repeat until I've got the depth I want. The close up shows various stages.

Coloured Pencil Kitten - Part 2

A little more work.

Dipper

The bird for the day is a Dipper which I photographed on the river near home yesterday.

Hopefully back later to share some artwork.

Pheasant and Phantom Pregnancy

It was a nice sunny afternoon so I decided to have a quick tour of the local lanes to see if I could get some photographs of Curlews. I can hear them from the garden, I love their long bubbling song as they glide above the fields.

On my way up to the moor I spotted a Pheasant standing on a wall in the sunlight. He allowed me to get near enough to rest my camera on a wall and we enjoyed a ten minute photo shoot.

I will definitely be painting this one.

Back home Roma is having a phantom pregnancy, she has adopted a burst football which emits a horrible squeal when she picks it up. Trouble is she picks it up, drops it in horror when it squeaks, looks horrified that it rolls away, so picks it up again. This has been repeated all day except for the few minutes when she hides it and forgets where it's been hidden. Then we all have to rush round finding it because she stands there crying, very, very loudly. Roxie asked for earplugs, Clinton has retired upstairs, Juno is sharing childcare and Rio is going to kill her.

Kitten in Coloured Pencil

I've started another of the 2009 cat series, this time a tabby kitten.

I'm going to add a feather or butterfly at the end to give the kitten something to be reaching for.

This is all coloured pencil on Arches hot press watercolour paper.

Burmese Cat - Finished

I just need to make a few small alterations and then he's finished. The title is 'Moody Blue'

I will post a demo of the eyes, but I don't have time today.

Burmese Cat part 2

More work on the Burmese, hopefully I'll post the eye demo tomorrow.

We have two ponds in the garden, the smaller one is about 5 x 3 feet. Imagine my surprise when I looked out of the window to see a pair of mallard enjoying themselves splashing about. I'm not sure the fish appreciated them quite as much as I did. Fortunately by the time my husband came home the water had cleared, he would have had the same impression as the fish. If they come back I'll take a photograph of their antics.

Burmese Cat in Coloured Pencil

I've started another in the 2009 cat series.
I took the photograph of this beautiful male Burmese in quite strong sunshine so the light on him is nice.

It is quite large, around 16 x 12 on Arches hot press. This time I'm burnishing between layers as he has such a dense plush coat.

I haven't started the eyes because I intend to do a mini demonstration showing how I complete them.

We visited Martin Mere again yesterday because I was hoping to see the Kingfishers. Sure enough they were visible round the hole they are hopefully going to nest in. I couldn't take any good photographs as the windows in the hide have been nailed shut to minimise disturbance. Once the birds have settled the windows should be opened again.

It was still a wonderful experience to watch these birds starting to excavate their nest hole.

I did take some nice photographs of a Heron in the sun.

Redpolls, Siskins and Wildlife Artist of the Year

The Treecreeper and Long Tail Tits have been replaced by a small flock of Redpolls and Siskins feeding in the garden. Usually moving about high in the Birch trees they have been feeding on the niger seed I put out. We've planted a small tree under the feeder in the hope of getting some more natural looking photographs.

Today the female Siskins were the most obliging, the males of both species kept hiding behind branches.

My other news is that the shortlist for Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009 is available to view on line.

There are some really excellent pieces and I am honoured that 'Hot Spot' is included in the short list.

All the paintings will be on display at the Mall Galleries from the 2nd to the 6th of June. I am hoping to be there at the private reception on the 1st.

Links - Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009

Cat on Pastelmat continued (again!)

I'm almost finished, just a little more on the right side then I need to decide how I want to crop him.

I've been experimenting with Claybord, watercolour, coloured pencil and then scraping the fur in. I'll share when I've a little more to show you.

Cat on Pastelmat continued

Todays bird is a Pied Wagtail which was having a drink in the river, for once the sun was quite bright on the water so I lost some detail.

More on the Tabby on white pastelmat, I still like the appearance of the fur on this surface,

Pastel cat on Pastelmat

I wanted to compare pastel and coloured pencil on Pastelmat. I also wanted to see how colours worked on the black as I always feel that black Stonehenge has a deadening effect on colours.

Here's a few stages in a little demo I did.

I like the pastel, the colours stay vibrant, at least for now, I'll revisit in a few days

Back to the Mallard and a Goal Achieved.

Earlier in the year I mentioned that one of my aims this year was to enter more competitions and/or exhibitions. So far I've entered three and I've been successful in the first one. One of my pieces has been shortlisted for Wildlife Artist of the Year. It will be on display at the Mall Galleries in London in June, more details later.

I've done some more work on the Mallard, mainly the boring bits, the background. The photograph isn't very good as today has been a day of really heavy showers so the light is poor. The little bit of colour I've added isn't showing up very well so I'll do a scan tomorrow.

Maine Coon Cats Continued

I'm working on the cats and the mallard so I'll show you thye update on the Maine Coon Cats today.

I'm painting an undercoat in watercolour then using the coloured pencil on top.

More Tabby Cat on Pastelmat

This morning we took all the dogs on the moor just as the sun was rising. I walked along the moor road looking for birds, I saw a couple of Curlews and then met the hounds going for their early morning walk.

Here are a couple of photographs.

Juno waiting for the ball to be thrown andthe hounds.

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.

Avocets and the Mallard

The Avocets are back at Martin Mere so we decided to have a trip to see them. First though we visited RSPB Marshside which is a mile from Southport to see if I could spot the Black Tailed Godwits. I've never seen Godwits but had been told that they were easy to see at Marshside. Not only did I see the Godwits but right in front of the hide were two Avocets posing for the camera. We also saw a Snipe and 2 Little Egrets which made up for the extremely cold wind blowing in our faces the whole time at Martin Mere. The hide at Marshside was nice and warm, with comfortable chairs and windows at a really convenient height for photography.

I'm continuing working on my female mallard but will post an update on the cats soon. I've added the touch of blue on the wing and a little colour on the breast feathers.

I'm still not sure if Roxie is in whelp but I am leaning towards thinking she is, she certainly thinks she is.

Mallard in mixed media

After my graphite and coloured pencil Woodpecker I decided to do another bird using the same technique. This time a Mallard, 16 x 12 on Arches. It is the first of (hopefully) a trio of Mallard drawings.

I've used a combination of two photographs that I took last year at Martin Mere.
I will post an update of the cats tomorrow.

Maine Coon Cats

I've been working long hours the last two days so not much time for art.

I have done a little bit though, here's a bit more of the three cats.

Crufts dog show is taking place over the next four days. I'm going on Sunday, Juno and Roxie are both entered but Roxie is staying at home just in case she is in whelp. I'm having doubts though, she's not really showing any signs so I think she's fooled us this time. I might have to resort to plan B, I just need to decide what plan B is.

The 2009 Cat Series

I decided I'd better make a start on my cat series which will be aimed at the SOFA exhibition in September.

This is watercolour and coloured pencil on Arches, approx 18 x 14. The finished picture will be a mother and two Maine Coon kittens. You can only see the bit that fit in my scanner.

I ordered some Fisher 400 paper today together with some Clairfontaine pastelmat in three colours. Artists who use pastelmat describe it as being in between colourfix and velour to use, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Graphite Woodpecker - Finished

Now I've posted him I can see one or two tweaks that I need to make. You need to ignore the blue cast from the scan it isn't there in real life.

Today a female Woodpecker visited the garden so at least there are a pair in the vicinity.

Bird of the Day - Goldcrest

Not much progress on the art today but I did get a great photograph of the Goldcrest that visits the garden. For once I was in the right place with my camera. This will definitely appear in a painting at some stage.

Lion in Pastel - part 2

I've been working on my lion. I did take time out yesterday to go to Martin Mere and then visit a friends litter of Rough Collie pups.

The lion looks a little like he's just been to the hairdressers, but I'll change that later.

Martin Mere was cold but I got some good photographs of a male Sparrowhawk. It landed on the ground and stayed for quite a long time with its feet in a shallow pond.

The puppies were lovely, our friends consistently breed quality puppies and these were no exception.

A Lion in Pastel

After the Chipmunk I decided I liked my pastels again. I have a love/hate relationship with them and have been in the hate phase recently.
So I started this lion that I photographed at the South Lakes Wildlife Park last summer.
I watched him for quite a while and took lots of photographs, but I like the way he's looking at the viewer with his head slightly tilted in this shot.
It is about 20 x 16 on blue haze Colourfix paper.
I'm laying a base coat with soft pastels then working with pastel pencils for fine hairs. I will finish with really soft pastels to add little highlights.

Graphite Woodpecker Continued

The Woodpecker is finished apart from a few tweaks, I need to work on the tree now.
Hope you all, including me, have a good week.

Chipmunk in Pastel

This has been one of those weeks you prefer to forget, as quickly as possible.

We took my younger son for an interview at the University he hopes to study medicine at on Wednesday. We set off in bright sunshine, ten miles down the road we were in the middle of a snow storm. My car doesn't do snow, it is rear wheel drive with sports tyres which don't tend to have a good grip. The next hour was rather tense.
We got home and the electrics died in it. Unfortunately they died when my husband had been driving, which meant I couldn't move the seat to reach the pedals.

Yesterday the boiler died in spectacular fashion, the circuit board started smoking, so no heat or hot water.

This morning my husband went to take my car to the garage to find not only had the electrics died, so had the car.

But, thanks to a very nice Mercedes technician the car was resucitated enough to make the garage and British Gas replaced the circuit board in the boiler.

The car may or may not return home today, and the boiler needs more work on Monday, but that will be a new week.

I found a piece of black Stonehenge paper and decided to do a small pastel. I know Stonehenge is the favourite paper of many coloured pencil artists but I don't like it. I prefer Arches or Fabriano for coloured pencil which is why I decided to use it for pastel.

This is from one of my photographs of a Chipmunk I saw last summer in South Dakota. It is only small, about 6 x 6.

Graphite Woodpecker Part 3

More progress on the Woodpecker. I decided to add a touch of colour with a watercolour pencil. I just wanted a subtle touch so didn't add too much and kept it to one pencil.

I usually do French Grey coloured pencil with a splash of colour so this makes a change.

My garden bird for today is a Thrush that was searching for food at the back of the garden.