June's studio

Funny face amongst the hydrangeas

2012-01-28T20:33:00.000Z

'Funny face amongst the hydrangeas', watercolours, around 7 by 9 ins., watercolour paper. Posted in WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. One of the images was a whimsical photo of a bird-toy beside some hydrangea flowers, and it took my fancy. This is a small sketch... I may do another version in a larger size later...if I still feel like it.

Cat's eyes

2012-01-22T17:19:00.001Z

'Cat's eyes', watercolour, 4 by 6 ins, approx., on paper. Posted in the WDE this weekend...from a photo of a stray cat by Dewi. I only managed a small watercolour sketch of the cat's face but perhaps I will do it in another medium later in the week as I like its colours...a tricolour cat.

I need to order some paint today...running out of Burnt sienna and French ultramarine in watercolours. I usually use Winsor & Newton artist watercolours. I have some cheap watercolours by Reeves but they are chalky- more like gouache.

Girl with rainbow hair

2012-01-19T16:45:00.000Z

'Girl with rainbow hair', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins approx., watercolour paper.

I did this as a companion piece to 'Girl in a red waistcoat'. I haven't added pen scribbles over the acrylics in this one...I think I will leave it as is for now.

This girl is the orientation of the original B&W doodle I worked from. The red waistcoat girl (see below) was the reverse image.

Barn owl in a graveyard

2012-01-14T13:51:00.000Z

'Barn owl in a graveyard', watercolours, 8 by 12 ins approx., Fabriano paper.

My post for the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. The stimulus was a photo of a barn owl on a handler's arm.

This was my final painting after 3 hours. I did 2 practice attempts ... around an hour each.

I was inspired both by the barn owl photo and by looking at Casper David Friedrich's paintings of owls in graveyards.

It looks fairly monochromatic, but I used 4 colours...Q. gold, Green gold, warm sepia and violet.

Girl in a red waistcoat

2012-01-10T15:04:00.000Z

'Girl in a red waistcoat', pen and acrylics, 8 by 12 ins approx., canford paper. Quite a few layers of glazing on this one.

Toby on his Christmas 'Blankie'

2011-12-27T14:00:00.002Z

This is Toby on his 'blankie':- his Christmas present from my sister. I think he likes it!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends!!

2011-12-25T12:07:00.003Z

Small green statue

2011-12-24T13:58:00.003Z

'Small green statue', acrylics, 6 by 8 ins., paper. This was partly inspired by a photo of a brown wooden statue in National Geographic, but I changed the idol, which was a mother and child, into this more tiki-like image. It also reminds me of a Buddha. Religious iconography suggested by the time of year.

I hope you are all ready for Christmas tomorrow and I hope Santa brings you all the things you wished for!

Puffin

2011-12-13T18:04:00.004Z

'Puffin', watercolours, 6 by 8 ins, paper. (This photo is a bit blue; the original is darker.)

I thought I'd continue with birds in watercolour for a while.
I don't have many reference photos of birds (apart from water-birds at my local park), so if I decide to do more bird studies, I need to search wikimedia, etc. for material.

master copy George Edwards- toucan

2011-12-12T13:39:00.001Z

'Toucan', watercolours A4, cartridge paper. A copy of a watercolour by English artist George Edwards. For a project on wetcanvas. I enjoyed painting this endearing bird: possibly because it is so brightly coloured.

George Edwards, 1694-1773. English watercolourist: painter of birds and other animals. His masterpiece was called 'A natural history of uncommon birds and animals'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Edwards_(naturalist)

I would love to do an A-Z of birds in watercolour sometime.

Preacher

2011-12-10T17:28:00.001Z

'Preacher', pen & acrylics, 8.5 by 12 ins, Canford turquoise paper. For a project on- http://www.wetcanvas.com/

This green version was interesting to do. Perhaps I will do a warm colour version later.

2011-12-03T22:21:00.001Z

'White puppy'. Pen & wash, 7 by 9 ins., watercolour paper. For the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. Lots of animal photos in the photopaintalong at WDE this week. I chose to do this white puppy because it looked so clean and crispy white...also to work in watercolours which I like a lot.

South Pacific Dream

2011-12-01T08:02:00.000Z

'South Pacific Dream', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins., approx., on Daler canford paper.

I looked at some figures from my painting 'Joy' and came up with this new combination . It reminds me of my time in the South Pacific...NZ, Cook Islands, OZ.

The dreamer is the female figure on the left and there is a kind of TIKI figure hovering over her. On the right, there is a kind of warrior figure and a lion. I once had the privilege of cuddling a lion cub in a nature reserve in NZ.

Listen to your guardian angel!

2011-11-24T13:48:00.000Z

'Listen to your Guardian angel', 8 by 12 ins, acrylics on Murano paper.

The red aye-aye

2011-11-16T19:47:00.002Z

'The red aye-aye', pen and acrylics, 8 by 12 ins., paper.

The aye-aye is rather unique in looks (my coloration is abstract not realistic). A prosimian primate (lemur)from Madagascar, it eats grubs and insects living under tree bark. It cocks its head to the side, Taps on the bark and listens to locate grubs wriggling about. Then t scrapes a hole in the bark -with its specially adapted long middle finger -and picks the grubs out. Rather like fishing for its food.

It is said that the people of Madagascar fear this primate as it is associated with death. Check out this link for videos and more info about this lovely lemur:-

http://biochemicalsoul.com/2009/02/adaptation-of-the-week-the-aye-ayes-freaky-finger-ive-been-cursed-by-an-aye-aye/

Page of hearts

2011-11-13T16:19:00.000Z

'Page of hearts', watercolours, 12 by 16 ins. paper. For a project on wetcanvas.

Cat and bird

2011-11-07T16:19:00.000Z

'Cat and bird', graphite, cartridge paper, 5 by 8 ins.

Early for Christmas

2011-11-05T08:19:00.000Z

'Christmas angel', pen & watercolours, 8 by 11 ins, paper. Can be sent as a free e-card on 123-greetings studio.

http://www.123greetings.com/profile/artbyjune/

I made an early start on my Christmas card design this year!

Time-out

2011-10-31T13:55:00.000Z

'Taking time out to sniff the roses', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins approx, canford paper.

Experimenting with a bit of splatter technique.

Sands of time

2011-10-30T15:30:00.000Z

'Sands of time', watercolours, 6 by 8 ins. One of my posts in the WDE this weekend. An attempt at surrealist image from various photo references.

I hosted the WDE this weekend so the photos were my own.

Usually, I do my whimsical paintings from imagination, but today, I enjoyed the challenge of working from unrelated photos to find a concept. I'd try it again but will probably paint a larger image and in acrylics, next time.

Dog days

2011-10-27T16:48:00.000+01:00

'Dog days', graphite, cartridge paper, 8 by 10 ins.

Happy Hallowe'en

2011-10-26T17:08:00.001+01:00

'Happy Hallowe'en, Kitty', pen, cartridge, 5 by 8 ins.

Two doodles

2011-10-24T18:07:00.000+01:00

'Artist and model with lollipop', pen, cartridge paper, 5 by 8 ins.

'Hitching a lift', graphite, 5 by 7 ins., cartridge paper.

Doodles done last night.

Out for a walk

2011-10-23T11:44:00.000+01:00

'Out for a walk', graphite, 4 by 5 ins, paper. Doodle in my sketchbook.

I have a backlog of whimsical doodle-drawings which I hope to get around to scanning in over the next week. I like to do a few of these doodles and then choose the ones I think would make interesting paintings.

Brampton clock tower

2011-10-06T15:30:00.001+01:00

'Brampton clock tower', pen & wash, 8 by 12, watercolor paper. From a photo in WDE at wetcanvas in 2010.

It has been fun painting buildings, something I never thought I'd say! Now I feel like a change: different subject and different medium. After the weekend, onto something new.

A village street in France

2011-10-02T15:50:00.000+01:00

'A village street in France', pen & wash, A4, cartridge paper.

A lovely sunny street in France for the WDE at wetcanvas this week. It reminds me of Bridgenorth in UK. Bridgenorth is full of similar narrow winding streets, churches, ruins of monasteries, and it is built on 2 levels near the river Severn.. There's a funicular railway between the 2 parts...fun to go on.

Watercolour version of Blake

2011-09-19T16:37:00.000+01:00

Here's a colour version of my copy of William Blake's work: 'When the morning stars sang together'. Since I worked from a pc print-out, I have no idea if the colours are true to the original. It would be good to see the Blake original but I think it is in USA.

Study/copy - William Blake

2011-09-18T17:17:00.000+01:00

'When the morning stars sang together', by Wiiliam Blake. The original can be seen at:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Blake_-_The_Book_of_Job_-_When_the_Morning_Stars_Sang_Together_-_WGA02228.jpg

My study-copy is in pencil, A4 size, cartridge paper. It is for a project on wetcanvas. I hope to get around to a colour version of this sometime.

I like the way Blake exaggerated the poses, such as in the upturned faces of the people below. And the symbolic figures of the sun and moon beside the creator...very nice. Lots of rippling muscles in the figures!!

Room with a view

2011-09-16T14:58:00.000+01:00

'Room with small table', ink sketch, A4 cartridge paper. For a project on wetcanvas this month.

Late night drawing

2011-09-14T13:33:00.000+01:00

'Chanteuse', graphite, A5 cartridge paper.

I did this one on Tuesday night. I have another one to post but the blogger is acting up. I'll post later.

Is that dragonfly edible?

2011-09-04T16:29:00.000+01:00

'Is that dragonfly edible?', acrylics, 12 by 16 ins, Fabriano paper. For the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend.

Off we go

2011-09-02T12:28:00.002+01:00

'Off we go', acrylics, 8.5 by 12 ins., Fabriano paper. This was from a small drawing I did years ago. But I changed the background to include mountains inspired by the study/copy of a Fra Angelico painting I did a short time ago. I don't know if I like this background with these figures...and so later, I may redo them with my original background of much starker mountains.

Jugglers at twilight

2011-08-26T12:48:00.000+01:00

'Jugglers at twilight', acrylics, paper, 8.5 by 12 ins.

Another acrylic version of a small graphite drawing. I am persevering with these paintings in the hope that I become a tad faster at finishing. They take a long time to do at the moment as I explore colour mixing and colour combinations etc.

I may do a second version of this as I would like to see a version with less sky and more grass.

Gorilla

2011-08-22T06:41:00.000+01:00

'Gorilla', oil pastels, 9 by 12 ins., pastel paper. Posted in the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. Left this as a loose sketch.

Fleur de lys

2011-08-17T13:55:00.000+01:00

'Fleur de Lys', acrylics, 8.5 by 12 ins., Fabriano paper.

Possible post for the symbolism project on wetcanvas. The lily symbolism refers to the Madonna nature of the image, ie., woman with a baby. But my lily symbol has been transformed into feathers.

Artslant showcase

2011-08-10T16:18:00.001+01:00

Just a note to let you know my small surrealist painting 'The red jacket' is featured as one of the showcase winners in the August round of painting competitions on artslant.com.

Here's the link

http://www.artslant.com/lon/showcases/showcase?sublist=17%5Epainting

White cliffs of Dover 1

2011-08-09T17:58:00.002+01:00

'White cliffs of Dover 1', acrylics, 11 by 14 ins., paper. (And below is a cropped version, which is for a matt surround of 8 by 12 ins.)

This is a painted version of a small pencil drawing, done a few years back. The painted version was for the 'Symbolism' project on wetcanvas this month.

I am working on a second version.

Waiting for chook to lay an egg

2011-07-28T14:52:00.004+01:00

'Waiting for chook to lay an egg', pen, 6 by 8 ins approx., in my sketchbook. I did this in the wee small hours, listening to an Elvis CD. (This image is possibly influenced by a photo of a rooster which appeared int in the WDE (wetcanvas) at the weekend and by the fact that I once kept some Bantams)

I like scribbling with pen these days instead of using pencil...mainly as a result of wanting a clear black & white image to reproduce on the Net. Pencil doesn't always come out as well as a pen sketch.

Having said that, yesterday I was really excited by my arrival of art supplies, which included a battery-operated pencil sharpener (I was getting fed up with my hand-helds as they chewed the wood and were a pain to use). Why didn't I get a battery sharpener sooner. It is great. I sharpened pencils all day.

I also got some new colours in 'Murano' paper (by Daler): cool colours which include some beautiful blues and I am looking forward to trying them out,

Oliver

2011-07-26T14:29:00.004+01:00

Study-copy of illustration by George Cruikshank for the Oliver Twist book by Dickens. This shows part of the illustration where the artful dodger is teaching Oliver how to steal, or pickpockets. I did this for a project on wetcanvas.

My copy is around 6 by 7 ins (but on A4) cartridge paper, using pen and ink wash.

Here's a link to a gallery of Cruikshank's work.

http://www.cruikshankart.com/georgecruikshank/index001.html

Saving the swan's egg

2011-07-25T07:35:00.001+01:00

'Saving the swan's egg', acrylics and pen, 12 by 16 ins., Murano paper.

Painted version of a pen drawing. I did this acrylic version last week and may do another version later.

Hawaiian ceremony

2011-07-24T16:20:00.000+01:00

'Hawaiian ceremony', graphite, A4, cartridge paper. For the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend.

A map of West park

2011-07-17T12:58:00.001+01:00

'A map of West park', OP on Murano paper, 12 by 16 ins.

Using oil pastels is a relaxing way of working for me, so no matter if the image turns out well or not, I always seem to enjoy the process. I like the slightly larger size of 12 by 16 ins too and so I think I will now do more in this size....in my other media, watercolours, acrylics, etc.

Unfortunately, I have a problem photographing the larger sizes well (maybe I need to upgrade my camera?) and this has made me limit previous artwork size to around 8 by 12 ins .....which fits on my scanner.

I would love to get an A3 scanner in the future!

Falkirk wheel

2011-07-08T19:39:00.000+01:00

'Falkirk wheel', 12 by 16 ins., oil pastels on Murano paper.

Inspired by an engineering structure at Falkirk, Scotland, my home town. It is a huge device for lifting boats from a high level to a lower level. A tourist attraction.

http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/

The red jacket

2011-06-19T14:47:00.000+01:00

'Red jacket', acrylics, 8.5 by 12 ins., on watercolour paper. Another in an illustrative style. From a small graphite drawing done a few years ago.

Bears might fly

2011-06-17T07:46:00.000+01:00

'Bears might fly', acrylics, 8.5 by 12 ins., watercolour paper. From a small graphite drawing I did a few years ago. Reminds me of circus characters.

Study/copy of Fra Angelico work

2011-06-03T18:01:00.000+01:00

Study-copy of part of background scenery from Fra Angelico's 'Beheading of Saints Cosmas and Damian'.

My copy is in acrylics, around 8 by 10 ins., on paper. I was only interested in the scenery and so I left the people out of this small study. I admire the precise nature of the work of Fra Angelico. Its for a project on wetcanvas.

Flight of the Phoenix

2011-06-01T15:10:00.000+01:00

'Flight of the Phoenix', acrylics, 8.5 by 12 ins., paper. From a drawing in a series on 'flight'. The original drawing was pen on hand-made paper, around 3 by 5 ins perhaps. I think it was on Thai paper, the thin tissue kind with leaves and so forth embedded in it.

Travels with a pet cockatoo

2011-05-20T12:46:00.001+01:00

'Travels with a pet cockatoo', acrylics, around 8 by 12 ins., paper.

When I scanned this one in, it seemed to be too orange compared with the original, so I added a magenta filter (photoshop) to make it more red in hue. I hope its not too magenta-ish on your veiwer.

I outlined the drawing with purple felt-tip (waterproof) and then started out with thin multi-coloured layers as I usually do on my whimsical acrylic paintings...but the purple ink outlines were so dominant, I decided to use a thick paint layer instead.

Girl with a bird toy

2011-05-18T08:58:00.000+01:00

'Girl with a bird toy', graphite/pencil, A4 size, cartridge paper. Continuing to enjoy using pencil.

WDE- Pekingese

2011-05-08T15:25:00.001+01:00

'Pekingese', graphite, 7ins square on cartridge paper. Posted in the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. This breed is revered for its lion look but as I was sketching it, I thought its muzzle was rather monkey-like. A cute breed.

Mermaid and sea monkey

2011-05-04T07:51:00.001+01:00

'Mermaid and sea monkey', acrylics, 9 by 12 ins., Murano paper. Underwater fantasy. If you can have sea horses, you can have sea monkeys. And I just found out that there is a species of shrimp called sea-monkeys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-Monkeys

An unconventional beauty

2011-04-21T15:13:00.000+01:00

'An unconventional beauty', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins., on paper.

Trying out spatter techniques.

Lion tamer

2011-04-20T01:25:00.001+01:00

'Lion tamer', acrylics, 12 by 16 ins., Canford paper. I once cuddled a baby lion at a zoo. It smelt of baby powder...to me.

Dancing

2011-04-18T17:08:00.000+01:00

'Dancing', acrylics & pen, around 8 by12 ins., paper. An 'odd couple' dancing. I rather like the different shapes of the people here.

This painting was done with my ordinary system3 Daler acrylics. I ordered some heavy body Daler acrylics...looking forward to trying them soon.

I have been doing artwork over the week- mainly pen doodles in my skecthbook- I just haven't managed to scan in the backlog!

Back to coloured doodles today.

2011-04-05T17:17:00.000+01:00

'A sunflower for the parakeet', acrylics and pen, 8 by 12 ins., canford paper. The only link with the others this week is that its a female and she is wearing a hat.

Fur coat

2011-04-04T15:48:00.000+01:00

'Fur coat', watercolours, 8 by 12 ins. Had a few problems with trying to paint when layers not dry in this. But it can be thought of as a first try-out. (Maybe that's why she looks rather glum!). Its from a photo reference on wikimedia.

Is the photo uploader fixed?

2011-04-02T15:14:00.001+01:00

'Pixie hat', watercolours, 8 by 12 ins., Saunders paper.

For a project on wetcanvas:- 'Women in hats'. This was from a black & white photo and I was experimenting with using purples for shadows on the skin.

Let us go then, you and I.

2011-03-20T13:25:00.001Z

'Let us go then, you and I', acrylics and pen on Canford tangerine paper, 8 by 12 ins.

Partly inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem, The lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock. A poem we studied for English exams in high school, many moons ago. I always liked it though. A bit of romance for March.

Chatting

2011-03-05T13:16:00.000Z

'Chatting', pen, 4 by 6 ins., cartridge paper. One of my doodles from this week.

Girl with cat

2011-02-25T18:07:00.000Z

'Girl with cat', pen drawing, 4 by 6 ins., cartridge paper.

Small pieces of paper are fine for sitting doodling whilst watching TV. I did this one watching an episode of 'Lewis' last night.

More pen & wash

2011-02-24T16:15:00.000Z

'Woman in hat with small dog', 8 by 12 ins, Fabriano paper.

Caricatures

2011-02-23T08:19:00.000Z

'My dog and me', pen & wash, paper, 8 by 12ins.

For the caricature project on wetcanvas. I loved doing the scribbly dog fur.

Problems with my pet portrait site

2011-02-22T17:01:00.000Z

I am experiencing difficulties with my pet portrait site on webs.com at the moment. My old address at, www.apaintingofyourpet.com/ seems to have been taken over by some other general pet site which is nothing to do with my work.

I am thinking of cancelling this web address actually. Meanwhile, I have put my site on the general webs.com carrier and so if you are looking for it, it is now at http://apaintingofyourpet.webs.com/

O boy!

Pen and wash

2011-02-21T18:16:00.000Z

'Female artist', pen & wash, 7 by 15 ins, paper. Doodling with pen & wash this morning. This was the first one I did, three in all. I like the elongated format of this one. The photo is not too good unfortunately but you can get the idea of it.

ATC

2011-02-13T14:38:00.000Z

Cardinal 'lovebirds', or 'A rose for my love', watercolours, ATC. Posted in WDE at wetcanvas this weekend.

Staffy dog

2011-02-07T14:59:00.002Z

'Buddy- staffordshire bull terrier', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins., on paper.

One of my posts for the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. Its a first attempt at a realistic portrait of a rather handsome dog...photo by Melisa. I hope to do the final version soon.

Tabby by the window

2011-01-30T16:08:00.000Z

'Tabby by the window,' watercolours, 8 by 12 ins., paperwave paper. A watercolour sketch for the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. The photo was of a tabby cat known as DAVE. I liked this pose/ cat because he reminded me of my old tabby (RIP) who as a very super character. He loved to play at swing-around in the laundry basket.

Sand for texture

2011-01-27T17:00:00.000Z

'Two ducks by the water,' acrylics, 7 by 9 ins., paper.

I had a piece of paper with textures created by sand mixed into the gesso and then painted over in primaries. I superimposed these 2 ducks and worked on the tones to produce the image.

This is a post for the 'photo-paint-along' project on classical at wetcanvas for this month.

Metallic paints

2011-01-26T18:41:00.000Z

'Birds in farmers fields', acrylics, 9 by 12 ins on paper. This started out as an enlargement of a small pen drawing and originally had a figure in it as well as the 2 birds.

I planned to do it in my usual rainbow of intense colour but then I changed my mind half way through and decided to tone the colours down with metallic washes. I also added some muted opaque colour in the background.

I found that a wash of green metallic paint over the birds 'de-intensified' the colour. Gold paint was used in the background.

I rather like the muted colour effects and might try this again with a different subject matter. Experimenting.

Dog in the window

2011-01-23T13:55:00.000Z

'Dog in the window', watercolours, around 11 ins square, paperwave paper. This was one of my posts for the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. The photo of the little terrier dog in the window was too much to resist.

Apart from this, I have been working on a small oil painting of a group of sheep. And watching art programmes on TV.

Last night I watched a programmme on the 'Glasgow boys' which was very interesting. I liked a painting of a girl marching some geese off to pastures new. I think it was by 'Guthrie', but I'd need to check as this was my first introduction to the group of late 18th century Scottish painters.

old king

2011-01-21T03:33:00.000Z

'Old king', acrylics, 12 by 16 ins, paperwave paper. From a small drawing done a few years ago. Two versions.

Two figures

2011-01-02T08:54:00.000Z

'Two figures and a leaf', pen & acrylics, about 4 by 6 ins., paper. A small abstract-figurative work, using some metallic paint.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:04:00.000Z

All the best for the New Year, 2011!!

Two rag dolls

2010-12-27T14:36:00.001Z

'Two rag dolls', pen & wash study, 8 by 10 ins., paperwave paper.

My post in the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. Hastily done, but I am thinking of this small sketch as a prelude to a large painting. I hope I can get around to that soon....whilst I'm still in the mood for painting these lovely antique rag dolls.

Merry Christmas.

2010-12-24T15:16:00.002Z

'Merry Christmas- polar bear', mixed media, around 6 by 8 ins., paperwave paper.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebration. Lots to eat. Lots of fun. All your Christmas wishes come true. See you later!!

Merry meercat Christmas.

2010-12-22T11:31:00.000Z

'Have yourself a merry Meercat Christmas', pen, about 7 by 9 ins., cartridge paper. Card design influenced by study of Walter Crane illustrations. May colour this later.

Don't feed the baboons!

2010-12-17T13:44:00.000Z

'Don't feed the baboons!', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins, on paper.

There are notices about not feeding the animals at most UK Safari parks and zoos, but people love to feed the animals, especially the monkeys. Trouble is, they don't always feed them the right things. In NZ and in some USA zoos, you can buy special food for feeding. I think that's a good idea. Then the animals get the proper food and people get the thrill of feeding them.

Lampoon a classic painting

2010-12-07T16:34:00.000Z

'The three Graces, crocodile-style.' Acrylics on paper, 8 by 12 ins. For a project on wetcanvas. A bit of nonsense for the holiday season. I used grey tonal underpainting and one glaze layer.

Study-copy - Richard Doyle

2010-12-06T13:01:00.000Z

'Thumbelina'...a quick study-copy done this morning of an illustration by Richard Doyle. My version is around 6 by 8 ins, watercolours, on paper. I am leaving at this pale/delicate stage rather than going on to a richer colour scheme as in the original by Doyle. I think delicate suits the 'fairy' nature.

Its for a project on Doyle in the classical forum at wetcanvas for December.

Toby

2010-12-04T19:55:00.000Z

'Toby'. My dog caught with his tongue hanging out. Flash has made his eyes look glarey. He is enjoying the snow we're having now but I am not because its so slippery...

Cuddling the little dog

2010-12-03T12:13:00.001Z

'Cuddling the little dog', acrylics and pen, 8 by 12 , paper. I had an underpainting waiting for something to be done with it. I found this doodle of 2 figures cuddling a dog and it seemed to go with the underpainting. The little dog is of course a Yorkie, my favourite.

Exercise from book

2010-12-02T13:03:00.001Z

'Nile memory', acrylics and crayons on paper, 11 by 15 ins. This was from an exercise in Mary Todd Beam's book: 'Celebrate your creative self'.

I used metallic acrylics which is why there's glare on this photo. But its too big to scan. I usually paint around A4, mainly because I have an A4 scanner.

I like Mary's book because I am slowly getting interested in texture and mixed media and this book has lots of exercises using mixed media.

The long document

2010-11-22T17:41:00.000Z

'The long document', acrylics and pen on paper, 8 by 12 ins. I put the finishing touches to this painting today. I'd left it at a rather flat stage last month. Now with extra dark tones, it looks more 3D, or rounded in the forms.

Other than this, I just gesso-ed some paper. Oh... and started a little Christmas shopping.

Still life- pottery jug

2010-11-22T07:16:00.002Z

'Pottery jug', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins, beige Murano pastel paper. I did 2 versions of the still life set-up for the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. I am posting the second one here...as I tried putting a texture base with acrylic gel on the paper before painting to see how it would look. I think it might be interesting to use the gel paste for texture in my fantasy works.

BTW, thanks for visiting and commenting. To wetoilpaint, Lori and Wanda. I loved using the gel to create some texture for this painting.

My blog isn't letting me sign in to make comments...(on my site and on some others too)...and I haven't figured out how to correct it yet. So I am adding them to the main text!!

Collage

2010-11-13T16:13:00.000Z

'Three fish', a collage of torn and cut painted papers, 6 by 8 ins. This was posted in the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. The inspiration came from a few photos of underwater scenes by this week's host.

Since joining the lovingmixedmedia site, I was keen to try mixed media work and so that helped me focus. I have been in an tourist submarine in NZ waters, I loved to watch fish in the shallows on holiday in the Cook Islands, I have visited the underwater worlds attractions, and of course, I've kept goldfish. All in all, I rather like fish.

Joining art sites

2010-11-11T07:14:00.000Z

I joined a couple of art sites yesterday. One is a community site for lovers of mixed media techniques. Its on the NING group of sites and you can find it at:
http://www.lovingmixedmedia.com/

I also put some artwork for sale on a UK gallery site at:
http://www.artgallery.co.uk/artist/june_walker

Mothers

2010-11-05T13:27:00.001Z

'Mothers', OP, 12 by 16 ins, Murano pastel paper. I did this one by electric light last night. I used the ribbed side of the paper instead of the smooth which I normally use and so I used the silicone blender/shaper tool for some of the details.

If you are wondering where the other painting of the lemur family is...I am hoping to get a better photo and will post it later.

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

2010-10-31T12:19:00.002Z

'Walking skeleton', wax crayons and OP, 12 by 16 ins., red Murano pastel paper. One of my WDE posts on wetcanvas for the hallowe'en weekend.

Feature

2010-10-23T15:13:00.001+01:00

My painting 'Bird in the hand' is featured on the home page of http://www.fineartamerica.com/ for the next couple of days. So that's very nice. It seems to be a favourite at the moment and the comments seem to focus on the humour. So all that has made me feel good, particularly as I like painting up my tiny ink doodles in this style.

Dog star

2010-10-22T14:05:00.000+01:00

'Dog Star', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins. approx, on paper. A child with a pet dog...from a small ink doodle. I may do another version of this one later.

Bird in the hand

2010-10-12T17:56:00.000+01:00

'Bird in the hand', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins, paper. Another painted version from a small ink doodle.

Study /copy - Macke still life

2010-10-11T12:41:00.000+01:00

'Study of August Macke- still life', acrylics and OP, paperwave paper, 7 by 9 ins. For a project using oil pastels (OP) on wetcanvas.

Sunflower Westie

2010-10-09T13:37:00.000+01:00

'Sunflower Westie', mixed media, 7 by 11 ins., paperwave paper. For the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend. A quick pen, crayon and watercolour sketch that combined 2 reference photos to give a 'new' image.

Spaniel portrait

2010-10-06T13:35:00.001+01:00

'Spaniel profile', atelier interactive acrylics, paper, 10 by 12 ins. Inspired by a photo on wetcanvas (RIL). An impressionist-style portrait of a very lovely dog in the reference library at wetcanvas. Palette included: french ultramarine, burnt umber, a primary yellow, and a bit of burnt sienna, and white. The atelier interactive acrylics are good to use as they stay mixable/blendable for a while and the effect is similar to oils.

Study /copy - Mucha poster

2010-10-03T12:10:00.000+01:00

Mucha's 'La Danse'. A quick study-copy of a poster by Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha. My copy is in pen and wash, 8 by 12 ins, paperwave paper. For a project on wetcanvas/classical forum.

Boots

2010-10-02T15:52:00.000+01:00

'Boots', watercolours, 8 by 12 ins., paperwave paper. Posted in the WDE at wetcanvas this weekend.

Combing her hair

2010-09-28T17:36:00.000+01:00

'Combing her hair', pen and acrylics, 8 by 10 ins., green paper. I left this one quite rough with broken colour areas and a colour combination that was random and also in the blue-green range instead of my usual red-orange range. Its a hit and miss approach at the moment but enjoyable. Call it experimenting!

Family and bird

2010-09-27T18:50:00.001+01:00

'Family and bird', acrylics and pen, about 5 by 7 ins., paper. Continuing to do painted versions of doodles ...

Sunflower for my love

2010-09-25T14:37:00.001+01:00

'Sunflower for my love', acrylics, 6 by 11 ins, paper. A bit of whimsical nonsense for the WDE (wetcanvas) this weekend.

Dog from doodle

2010-09-24T16:09:00.000+01:00

'Patting dog by moonlight', acrylics, 8 by 12 ins., paper. From a teeny pen doodle. I tried enlarging for a change. The original doodle was probably around 4 by 6 ins.