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Well here is my last painting of the year. Despite a two week break over Christmas, I was able to dive back into painting and complete this image in 4 hours.
The red squirrel is such an adorable animal, and has so much more appeal than the grey. I wanted to do that red fur justice, and so used a mixture of orange, red-pinks and browns to give the rich hue seen on the paper. The tail is very dense, and so a dark shadow and layers of 'splattered' red and white inks helped give the fluffy texture.
The only problem I see with the image is the ears. I may have overdone the tufts a little. I think the image could have also benefited from a seasonal touch, by adding a sprinkling of snow and some pine cones to the branch. That will be something to bear in mind for a future painting.
So, aims for next year? I would like my paintings to gain more notoriety. I will enter more competitions which will hopefully help achieve this. I will also look into including more backgrounds. Nothing detailed, just expressive colours and brush-strokes so as not to distract from the main image. Lastly, I will aim to improve my photography, so I can collect a valuable library of reference material. See you in 2010....
It is always difficult at this time of year to find the time to sit down and concentrate on painting. I actually began this painting last weekend, but Christmas shopping and the shorter hours of daylight got in the way of completing it. Luckily, working in a school means I had a 'half day' on Friday, and I was able to race home and put paintbrush to paper.
I have attempted Badgers before, without success. Being nocturnal, it is very hard to collect good reference of them. Their lovely black and white faces are surprisingly difficult to get right. When I initially completed this image, I had got the white central stripe too thin, and as a result the eyes were too close together. Luckily, my artist parents were on hand to point out this mistake, and with a clever use of black watercolour and white acrylic, I was able to reapply the eyes and widen the stripe.
What I like most about this image is the fur. I layered flicks of black, brown, dark blue and white watercolour/ink. The result was a dense and textural covering.
When I eventually get the time to sit down with my paints again after Christmas, I will probably attempt another beautiful mammal, the Red Squirrel.
Veering away from the festive theme this week, I have instead enjoyed returning to the subject of British Mammals. The first fox I painted was at university, when I was illustrating the story of Chicken Licken. Foxes certainly seem to have a crafty reputation, which is highlighted in that children's book. They are however one of our most handsome residents. Living in London means I see them sneaking about most evenings, and they often stop to take a brief glance at you before disappearing, much like the dog fox in this painting is doing.
What I love about painting foxes is the great contrast between their rich orange and black fur. While painting this image I just let the black ink run into the wet orange. I also made sure his striking eyes where bright and full of curiosity, with a crisp white highlight.
This painting will most likely end up in the Haddon Gallery in Devon. Paul and Fiona Haddon have just signed me up to exhibit in their reputable gallery, which is really exciting for me. Hopefully they will also produce some prints of my work, which of course will help spread the word about my art.
Well here is my last painting of the year. Despite a two week break over Christmas, I was able to dive back into painting and complete this image in 4 hours.
