Nundah Village Art Show at Honda Northside Nundah

The Nundah Village Art Show opens this Saturday. It will be held at Honda Northside, 1329 Sandgate Road, Nundah. The exhibition is accompanied by the annual Nundah Village Street Festival. This show includes a wide range of high quality artwork from local artists and I’m delighted to be exhibiting four paintings. All paintings are for sale.

There are two landscapes,and both are nostalgic in that they recapture my love for the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, rekindled by my visit in December.

Afternoon Light, Drakensberg - oil on canvas 900 mm x 900 mm

Escarpment Shadows - oil on panel 610 mm x 455 mm

Still Life with Lilies is something of a departure from my usual style, being more detailed and representational. In the end I’m very happy with the result. 

Still Life with Lilies - oil on canvas 505 mm x 505 mm

The Reader is a mixed media work, including collage, charcoal as well as watercolour. When doing Sktchy portraits I experiment a lot with different media, finding it a good way to loosen up and try new tools. I like this portrait with a matt and frame - it looks complete and takes on a new gravitas. 

The Reader - mixed media on paper 435 mm x 335 mm

Experimenting with digital

I can’t believe I haven’t spoken about the iPad 2018 yet!

This recent addition to the iPad lineup is most welcome. I’ve been eyeing the iPad Pro ever since it was launched some years ago and it’s always been out of reach. My budget just didn’t stretch that far. 

The 6th Generation iPad 2018 changes many things. It’s been created with educators and schools in mind, being a more affordable option while  still working with the Apple Pencil, another game changer. Schools and teachers are given a small discount and with the trade in value of my iPad Air, it was now affordable. 

The biggest difference for me is the change that the Apple Pencil makes to digital painting. Another difference is coming across a video explaining Procreate in a really clear manner. Sure you can flip through the Procreate User guide but it could as well be in a foreign language. James Julier  takes the User guide and goes through all the functions, demonstrating each process and brush setting. 

I’ve been doing a few portraits so I was pleased the RQAS Members Exhibition include a category for photography and digital art. This painting will be on show at the Exhibition which opens tonight Wednesday 27th June. 

This portrait of Kimberly (the reference is from Sktchy) combines two mediums. The portrait itself is painted using Procreate with pastel / crayon brushes and 6B pencil, superimposed on a watercolour painting Abundance painted last year.

Kimberley - digital painting 

And framed...

For the first time I remembered to take a photo of the framed painting without the glass - although I did manage include a shadow from the frame mouldings!

And a reminder of Abundance - watercolour on Saunders Waterford 

Sktchy30 - The halfway mark, meeting the challenge

There are plenty of challenges around. A recent one was #oneweek100 people; there's the 365 day drawing challenge; Celebrate ink in Inktober, etc. Frequently, I have started a challenge with enthusiasm and optimism only to abandon it halfway through. Sometimes it was due to the choice of prompts which were uninspiring (to me) sometimes other matters took priority.

When the Sktchy app came up with #Sktchy30 I thought that it was something I could achieve more easily than most of the other challenges. Each day a prompt from Sktchy arrives in my inbox. As an example, describe the rituals that get you creating; incorporating play into your work; the use of  colour; describe your workplace/studio environment.

Since the email arrives in Australia in the afternoon(early morning in the US) most of the day has passed before the prompt arrives. I prefer to start drawing early or even the day before which make using the prompt difficult. So I decided from the beginning to create my own challenge:

• to see if I could use a different medium or try a different technique each day.
• If time was an issue on a particular day then the sketch would be quick 5/10 minutes
• If I had more time on another day, and had already completed a sketch, I would start something more ambitious to complete another day.

If I'm working later in the day and I can incorporate the prompt that is a bonus. So far the prompts have been more motivational than a specific theme or subject and my plan is working. I also remembered a toned sketchbook that I had hardly used. Experimenting with various mediums on this surface has been an interesting exercise. I think I might even grow fond of the paper! 

Here are some of the work created during the last two weeks. 

 

Watercolour on Alpha paper

 '

Gouache on Alpha paper

Quick contour drawing - ink and wash

 

Digital drawing - Procreate

 

Colour added - Procreate

 

Gouache on Strathmore toned paper 

Experimenting with masking fluid and watercolour 

 

Mark Rothko - screenshot from a video about the artist

 

Portrait of Evelyn Nesbit - gouache on toned paper

Gouache on toned paper

 

Digital drawing - Procreate

 

Ballpoint pen, white ink and gouache

Aleksandar's portrait

If you're a regular reader you will know that I have been painting and drawing portraits using the Sktchy app for some time. It's quite addictive and the community of artists is encouraging and supportive. And it's really inspiring because there is so much excellent work so there's always a new technique to learn. 

Recently a sale button has been added where artists were able to make their work for sale. I was invited to add some of my work there as well. And then, yesterday, I opened up the app and discovered that my portrait of Aleksander Prokic had a 'Sold' button. 

                           

Aleksander Prokic - ink 8.25" x 10"

The portrait is in ink - for #Inktober* on 170gsm  Hahnemule paper. I used my Platinum Carbon pen which has the finest nib - essential to create the fine lines for that impressive beard. 

#Inktober* is a drawing initiative started by Jake Parker. 

This is what he says on his website:

"Every October, artists all over the world take on the InkTober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month.

I created InkTober in 2009 as a challenge to improve my inking skills and         develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year."

Please note: The paper is more off-white/cream rather than this slightly pink shade...

A Prize for Portraiture

Last night at the Nundah Village Art Show my portrait of Daniel received Second Prize in the Portraiture category. I had a giggle when I saw the painting displayed since the sash for the prize is almost larger than the portrait!

Portrait of a Boy - watercolour on Ampersand Claybord 250mm x 250mm 

In a recent post I discuss working on this portrait - you can read it here.

More about the process of commissioning a portrait is on the Commissioned Portraits page

WIP for Sktchy

This last weekend the #WAX - Weekend Art Extravaganza was #WAXwip - work in progress.

Coincidentally, in the Studio, I had a couple of artists working on small portraits starting with a colourful background. 

Often the fear of the blank white page gets the better of you and you need something to break that obstacle. My favourite solution is to "mess - up" the canvas with some random colour. Then I can go on and improve on the original under painting.

This portrait was done as a demo in the class. 

Two birds with one stone and all that...

So here are some progress shots from the demo: 

Random colour across the canvas

Quick lines to find the face 

Adding some values to find the dark/light of the portrait

On Sunday morning I worked on the portrait a little more - perhaps 40 minutes in total. By this time the surface had quite a lot of paint. I decided to stop and allow some drying time.

A lot more could be done - the fingers remain very vague and the eyes could also be refined but I've decided to post this so it's still a WIP. 

Testing the Mars Lumograph Black Artists pencil

When drawing with graphite and you are creating dark tones, as the values are increased by layering more and more graphite, the end result is often not black but a shiny grey. I've used the Mars Lumograph Blue range for sometime. Pencils marked 7B and 8B are different in that the graphite has a higher carbon content. The result is matte jet black lines.

The Mars Lumograph Black Artists Pencils are a new addition to the range of Staedtler pencils. These have a special formulation with a higher proportion of carbon like the Blue range. These pencils 2B, 4B, 6B and 8B now provide more choice. 

I used Mars Lumograph Black 6B for this drawing. The core is much harder than a 6B in other brands. A matte black finish can easily be achieved, and because it's not as soft as other 6Bs, it can be sharpened easily to a fine point. Marks erase quite easily which is useful!

Catie Daniel - image from Sktchy 

Mars Lumograph Black Artists Pencil on Arches 300 GSM Hot Press paper

Note: Art Shed Brisbane gave me a sample of this pencil to test. Stock of the full range arrived in Store this morning. I guess even though I don't need another pencil I'll be back to Art Shed for more in this range!

Monochromatic Portraits

One of my favourite mediums for portraits is graphite. I enjoy the meditative time spent hatching the lines, building up the values slowly working in tones of grey and black, and leaving the white of the paper as the highlights..

 

Valeria Panova - photo from Sktchy - graphite in Canson Cachet Sketchbook

Over the previous few weeks, the artists coming to my studio have been working on monochromatic portraits. They worked small - 8" x  8" canvas panels, using black and white photos as reference. I painted along with them - I started off with a rough outline in paint with a smallish round brush, adding a few brushstrokes in between helping the group. I didn't spend much time on each of these, working on them a little more after each class was over, refining the features.

The emphasis was on working in value areas - establishing the dark values first along with basic indication of placement of the features. This was done using a brush with no laborious pencil drawing first. Medium values went on next and then finally the lightest areas, trying not to think of features but rather looking for shapes.

When beginning a portrait it's important to check: 

• the tilt of the head i.e the angle of the eyes and mouth; 
• if the face is facing directly forwards or if there if it's a 3/4 view. Here it's useful to establish the line that runs down from the forehead, down the nose and ending at the chin.

The natural tendency is for our brain to want to view the face straight on, full frontal, upright and symmetrical. More often than not we see the eye as a symbol, rather like the way the Egyptians painted eyes. We draw the whole iris - round and bold, the pupil centre stage. In reality, the lid usually covers quite a bit of the iris so the top is flat. Usually the lids casts a shadow on the eyeball as well.

Detail: Raul Novleo photo from Sktchy - ink

Mykhel Simone photo from Sktchy - oil on panel 8" x 8"

This portrait below, also a class demo, was done on a panel that had been wiped. (The previous painting had been a failure so was wiped) The surface was toned with a wash of Burnt Sienna. It's useful to make a coloured ground thin and without a lot of solvent so that it dries quickly. Then you can get on with painting and the surface isn't too slippery. If you're working in acrylics the paint will dry quickly.

T.Lawrence Valentine - photo from Sktchy 8' x 10" oil on panel 

This collage of portraits below were done by the artists who attend my weekly Studio classes. I'm very proud of them, they all achieved a high standard. Most were completed in a single three hour session, with a few adjustments later.

Portraits by artists attending my Hamilton Road Studio 

Sophia - a Portrait

My portrait of Sophia graphite on watercolour paper with digital layers

Portraits on Etsy

Drawing portraits using the Sktchy app has been a rewarding experience. Some of these have now been added to my Etsy shop. These are listed in a section for Original Portraits. This is the link

Although strictly speaking this painting is not a proper portrait in the true sense of the definition it's one of my favourites.

 Leaping - watercolour on Canson Montval Rough 270gsm 10" x 11"

The portraits are done on watercolour paper and will be shipped unframed in a secure waterproof padded bag to keep postage costs down. 

An additional option is to commission a portrait using your own photograph. Please contact me directly to discuss this.

Nana's Portrait

When I asked my client what her Mother's name was, she looked surprised. She replied: "Her name is Phyllis but everyone calls her Nana."

Nana - oil on linen 16" x 20" © 2014 Carol Lee Beckx

This portrait was done from a tiny iPhone photo - she didn't want any other photos taken of her and when you are 91 then no-one argues with you - and in any case the portrait was to be a surprise.

However I was able to borrow the hat - Nana's Melbourne Cup hat. If you're Australian you will know about the race that stops a nation. Everyone, everywhere, frocks up and goes off to lunch. A hat or fascinator is obligatory.

Painting a portrait from a photograph can be really tricky but somehow the spirit of this remarkable lady came through and the painting evolved without too much of a struggle. The natural colour of the linen support avoided the usual "background" problems. It seemed logical to leave a lot of the linen unpainted so that the emphasis is on the portrait.

When I get to the finishing off stage of a painting I like to hang it in my living room for a while to assess what still needs to be done. Nana's portrait has been keeping me company for the last week - I'll miss her.