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. 

A favourite Art book - Making Color Sing

I often get asked to recommend art books so I'm going to add a few of my favourites here. Please let me know if you have a special book you love.

Making Color Sing, Practical Lessons in Color and Design by Jean Dobie was first published in 1986. My copy is over 20 years old - it's very well used and has been a constant reference in my Studio. after being out of print for some years a 25th Anniversary edition was published, with updates by the author.

The content has stood the test of time and provides excellent information on colour which can be applied to any medium. In particular the chapter on "Mouse Colors" is so useful when mixing diverse greys.

The content has stood the test of time and provides excellent information on colour which can be applied to any medium. In particular the chapter on "Mouse Colors" is so useful when mixing diverse greys.

Showing how wonderful greens can be mixed. 

Glazing colours for vibrant results.

*Please note that this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. This means that if you purchase an item through the links provided, I may receive a small commission – there is no cost to you.

I have decided to discontinue the Google+ advertising on my blog. I felt that I wasn’t able to control the content as I wished and could be seen to be promoting products I could not endorse.

All the books and products mentioned on this page are ones that I have bought, and are those that I use and recommend.

A day out sketching

On Wednesday I did something I haven't done for ages. I went out sketching with a friend. We started our morning with coffee and a sketch of an interesting tree and house nearby.

I remembered seeing an impressive church in the area so that was our next stop. A large tree provided shade to add to our comfort. Corpus Christi Catholic Church Nundah was opened in 1926, replacing an older wooden church in the area. It was built in the Romanesque Revival style with polychrome brickwork. The massive copper-sheeted dome topped by an octagonal lantern. 

Since I was rather out of practice, I decided to start with the lantern before moving on to tackle the dome, then finally the front facade. It was the ideal opportunity to use my Perfect Sketchbook.

                                

Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Nundah - The Octagonal lantern ink and watercolour in The Perfect Sketchbook. 

        

Copper-sheeted Dome - ink and watercolour Zeta sketchbook 

Front Facade - Corpus Christi Nundah ink and watercolour in The Perfect Sketchbook.