Painted onto 20 x 20cm Canvass board using acylics
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Female portrait using Acrylic paints.
Using the reference file from image 12, we recreated the same view, but using acrylic paints. Whilst the acrylic gives a far more punchy image, the pencils have a delicate nature to them. As we’re still in the early phase of portraiture, the image is just another step in the practice of painting portraits.
When you are trying to learn a new and unfamiliar medium, it is important that you canvass a range of styles and techniques. Experience tells us that what works for one is not necessarily the one for someone else. Youtube is a great place to view other peoples styles and ideas, just bear in mind that learning is a process of trying and experimentation.
Pencil Portrait – This portrait was from a web image and created using Fabre Castell Polychromos coloured pencils. The paper used was Strathmore Vellum 300gsm. The paper is a 9 x 12 inch and the initial layout was from HB pencil grid. From this many layers of colours were then added. Unlike some wax base pencils, Polychromos as oil based. They are a lot hard and therefore hold a point for longer compared to softer leads. The downside potentially is that they are harder to blend. Other was based pencils can be blended through burnishing. Polychromos pencils require a spirit based medium to try and blend the layers. No blending was used in the production of this image.
Guy Martin Portrait
For this, the second portrait onto 20cm x 20cm board, we chose a portrait from the web from Guys road racing days. Similar format to image 10. With this one we did miss a small distortion in height. The original image was not quite square and thus we built into the finished portrait a small distortion in height. As we’re learning the medium, we accepted and learnt from the exercise. Next portrait we’ll use a grid to try and lock the proportions.
This image is my first step on trying out portrait painting. The canvass is a 20cm x 20cm and I started with an image of my later father outside their house. After viewing a couple of video files from Andrew Tischler (a professional portrait artist) I set about identifying 12 images that would be challenging so that I could learn more about this aspect of art.
The panel at first was given a light coat of ochre and once this had dried I then used the same medium to rough out the edge and so that I could then start blocking in the colours. No grid was used, the portrait was sketched out. Whilst I prefer this technique, if can and does lead to distortion. The result being that you need to continually review the image for accuracy.
Yes at present I have three new artworks underway.. One is an acrylic painting of a lady wearing sunglasses sunbathing by a pool )just head n shoulders, Number 2 is a watercolour of an old gentleman looking into the distance
The third is on offcuts of wooden strips of wood glued together. This will be sanded and then splashed with whitewash and then I thought I might use coloured thread to create an image.
Not sure which will be completed first, but this should bring our total up to 6 image when I get round to posting them all.
This one follows much the same style as image 1 and 2 (I guess I need to get this out of my system). In this image, I was actually aimed to take the mickey out of British motorcycles that always seem to leave a small puddle of oil wherever they are parked. If you don’t believe me, take a look round a motorcycle show (when they are allowed) and look how many have tea trays underneath them. Not a fault of the machine, they were pretty much all like this and it was just accepted. The tub of oil and funnel are therefore just exaggerations. However the cha with his thumbs up lends himself nicely to holding a flag.. and what better flag than the Union Jack. After this the Brexit and back in business title came very easily. It also brings forward the traditional British management style, but may that is a concept for another image.
We are now adding and updating progress on things to our twitter feed https://twitter.com/#52_art
First image of our #52 art challenge.
To create this image, the base linework was sketched out onto A3 paper. We then lined in the artwork, digitized it to computer and removed the white background. When we reached this point, we were then able to add in the text and colour the character and motorcycle. Already we have had feedback that the character could be holding a different flag or perhaps have a tray of scones on the back seat instead of an oil drum. Originally the character was giving the thumbs up, but this hand also lends itself to supporting the flagpole.