Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Latest Commissioned Portrait - Loki


Loki
5x7 inches
Acrylics on Claybord
This is a commissioned portrait, and my first attempt at airbrushing and also using the claybord. I love the effect of airbrushing - although I know I need a lot more practice. In this case I used acrylic inks when airbrushing, but I notice they wash off quite easily, so would probably stick to watered down acrylics in future, unless anyone has some hints. The Claybord is beautiful and smooth to work on, however, the portrait has scanned badly, with all the highlights being over exaggerated (pinks and blues) and I would imagine this is due to glare. Back to the drawing board - but oh what fun it is to experiment!!!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Latest OSWOA - Whistful

Whistful
4x6 inch OSWOA (Original Small Work of Art)
Graphite and black pencil on drafting film.
This is my latest 4x6 inch artwork. I will now be offering graphite pencil commissioned portraits from my Ebay, Etsy and Artfire stores. This original is available for sale now on ebay.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Entry for the Illustrators Australia 9x5 Exhibition


20/20 Vision
9x5 inches
Acylic on Plywood

This is my entry for the Annual Illustrators Australia 9x5 Exhibition where the theme for this year is '20'. How strange it was to go from working in miniature to working on such a large scale - a very interesting exercise!!!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

More samples on Rtistx Panel

Fishing at Greenwell Point
7cm x 9cm
Watercolours on RTX300 Rtistx Panel


Celebrating Australia Day
7cm x 9cm
Watercolours on RTX300 Rtistx Panel
I have uploaded these two artworks, which were done last year, to give viewers more examples of what is achievable on the Rtistx panels. They are great for doing smooth washes and for painting fine details. There is actually a panel specifically for watercolours, but it is more like a cold-pressed finish. These two artworks were done on the smoother RTX300 board, and are currently on display at the Australian Society of Miniature Art National Awards Exhibition.


Mini Portrait - Reece in Acrylics

Reece
8cm x 11cm
Acrylics on RTX300 Rtistx Panel
Recently my nephew, Reece, expressed disappointment that there wasn't a portrait of him on my website, so with his birthday looming soon, I thought it was a good time to remedy the situation. Still experimenting with acrylics, I dug out some Rtistx Panels that I bought a year ago to do watercolours on. For anyone who hasn't come across these panels before, they are an absolute delight to work with. They come in four different surfaces, and the ones that I purchased were the RTX300 which are suitable for Oils, Acrylics, Pen & Ink and pencils. They are sturdy 3mm boards with the finest tooth surface, and I have to say I am a bit happier with the end results of the acrylics on this board over the colourfix paper. For more information on Rtistx visit http://www.rtistx.com/.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

"Mirror Image" ACEO Acrylic Painting

Mirror Image ACEO
2.5 x 4.5 inches
Acrylics on Colourfix Paper
Here is my latest ACEO. I must say I find doing the acrylic paintings much slower than the coloured pencil on drafting film, but it is always good to try new mediums. I am interested whether visitors have a preference for one medium over another with my art. I find it easier to get a crisp, bright image with the coloured pencils on drafting film, but I feel sometimes those buying art value paintings more. This little painting is available to purchase from my ebay store.
Cheers to all :))

Sunday, August 9, 2009

New OSWOA - Portrait of a Tabby


Portrait of a Tabby
4x6 inches
Acrylic on Colourfix Paper
I have recently been introduced to the world of OSWOA (Original Small Works of Art) (thank you Vic) and am interested to test the market when compared to ACEO's. I like the fact that they can fit into a standard photo album, or small frame, without having to get a custome frame. Being a miniature artist, I actually find this size HUGE - LOL - but it is great for a change. Also new for me, is the medium of acrylics. Having never really worked with them much before, I was initially frustrated with the speed at which they dried. But since using the wet paper towel on my palette, having a spray bottle of water on hand, and with the help of some mediums, I am slowly getting used to them. This painting is available in my Ebay Store.

Friday, August 7, 2009

OSWOA - Muhali, Baby Gorilla


Muhali, Baby Gorilla
4 x 6 inches
Acrylic on Colourfix paper
On Monday, we took our youngest to Sydney's Taronga Zoo, and one of our highlights was this eight month old gorilla, who stole our hearts. It was fascinating to watch the gorilla's behaviour and the parrallel's between them and we humans. With four sons, and three of them in their teens, I was amused to watch two adolescent gorillas wrestling with each other and struggling for dominance, whilst their silverback father looked on with mild interest. I lost track years ago of the number of times we have asked our boys to stop wrestling in the loungeroom (usually just as the news started!!!)

Monday, August 3, 2009

Slightly larger paintings.

Can anyone tell me what the acronym is for the miniature / small paintings that are slightly larger than ACEO size. I know I have seen them listed under a specific name, and would like to do some slightly large paintings than ACEO, but just want to do some research on the size requirements for this category. Any help much appreciated :))