Summer Holiday

Summer Holiday

9x12 inches

Coloured Pencil on drafting film

 

When we first start out as artists, it takes a while to work out what our own personal style is and this can be the hardest struggle of all. Over the years I have dabbled with a whole range of subject matter and materials, but quirky, colourful realism is what I always come back to and the thing that makes my heart sing. I am always grateful to have commissions and illustration work, but every now and then it is lovely to focus on creating art from the heart.

Goddess of the Sea - Trying out a new surface

Goddess of the Sea

8 1/2 x 11 inches

Acrylics and Coloured Pencil on Wood

As many of you may know, I love trying out new surfaces and experimenting. One of the things I hate most in preparing for exhibitions is the framing process. I stumbled upon a small stack of pine bread boards in a clearance sale the other day, and thought I would use them to try out a different surface, with the idea of possibly hanging them in exhibitions with no frame at all, but just as they are. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the wood accepted the coloured pencils (the softer ones such as the Derwent Coloursoft were more receptive than the harder Polychromos that I usually prefer), particularly on the face where I had done a very light undercoat with white acrylic.

I know there will be some exhibitions, where this type of presentation would not be accepted, but still thought it was worth a try. I was reading about an American artist (I can't recall his name) who draws on wood, then applies two coats of fixative, followed by three coats of gloss varnish.

The other thought I had was that clients might like their commissioned portraits done in this way, which means they don't have to worry about getting their portraits framed, and offers quite a unique gift. Watch this space :)