Sybil & Basil

I have not painted any fish for a while now. I went through a phase of painting Koi, which I really enjoyed doing. Koi have such lovely patterns and colours which suit my method of watercolour. In addition they are the perfect shape to arrange into beautiful and interesting compositions.
Before returning to Koi, I have painted a much smaller subject; 2 fancy goldfish. These two were living in an aquarium in my parents' living room, where I was able to get a few good photographs of them swimming around.
Fancy goldfish have extremely elaborate fins and tails. I actually struggled trying to get Basil's (the one on the right) correct. I'm still not sure whether I have managed to pull it off. I am however very happy with Sybil's colouring and shape. Her peppering of black, orange and blue was easy to recreate with loose watercolour. This was a quick painting to produce, only taking a couple of hours from start to finish. It just goes to show that the more you paint the more relaxed and confident you become. I also feel my observational skills are improving. I just wish I had the time and luxury to sit down and paint everyday!

Busy BumbleBee

To celebrate the welcome return of the warm weather, I have painted this little fuzzy garden visitor on a marigold. Insects are very different to my normal subjects, and therefore there is little room for anatomical mistakes. Bees are very intricate creatures, and while creating this piece I spent a huge amount of time getting the legs, eye and wings correct. I think I have done a pretty good job, but I am sure an entomologist could point out some corrections! What I am most pleased with is the fuzzy fur. I put down a flat wash of black or yellow, then layered splattered brown/white/blue using a paintbrush and dip pen. The flower was created by using wet on wet watercolour, and I let the red, pink and yellow mix together.
It is a sad fact that Bumblebees are becoming rarer in this country. It would be tragic to lose such an important insect, so to help them out I am planting lots of bee friendly plants this spring, including marigolds, honeysuckle, sunflowers, nasturtium and globe thistle.

Cheetah

Inspired by the success of my Tiger, last weekend I chose to paint a similar subject.I photographed both the Amur Tiger and this Cheetah on a visit to Marwell Zoo last year. This particular cheetah was lazing around in the sun, hence the laid back pose in this painting. Despite being a captive animal, the wild look is still evident in the eyes.
This was another quick painting to produce. I laid down a wash of yellow ochre and brown, then while the paint was still slightly wet, I blobbed on the black spots. I also splatted white, brown and black ink/watercolour on areas that needed extra texture. Between the legs, under the chin and on the ears being the main areas. Like the Tiger, I wanted the animal to fade into the paper, and not have solid, defined lines. I still need alter a few areas of the face. The pupil is not rounded enough, and I also think the edge of the nose is slightly too small. Once these changes are made it will be a complete painting that I am happy with, that I can go on to sell, possibly at the NEWA show later in the year.

Good News

As mentioned in a previous post, this year I entered the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year competition. Two pieces were submitted, my Green-wing Macaw portrait, and the Amur Tiger pictured here. Yesterday I received an email informing me that the Tiger has made it through to the exhibition and final judging on the 24th of May! I am over the moon, mainly because my work will be on show at the Mall Galleries in London, a prestigious gallery which showcases wonderful wildlife art exhibitions throughout the year. I attended the preview night last year, and the calibre of work on show was outstanding. I will no doubt be up against some very talented artists this year, so keep fingers and toes crossed for me. I will be more than happy just seeing my work on the walls....

Sanderlings

The cute little birds in this weekend's painting are called Sanderlings. They are a winter migrant to the UK, so can be seen anywhere along the British coast at this time of year. I have only seen them a few times, once on the beach in Hythe, Kent and a few times on the sandy beaches of Guernsey. They are very energetic little things, and run up and down the beach as the waves break and rush backwards, exposing the little crustaceans and molluscs that they eat.
I thought they would make a delightful composition, due to their speckled plumage. What I enjoy the most about this painting is the reflection in the sand. This was achieved by wetting the paper around the birds, then blobbing 'paynes grey' (my favourite and the most useful colour in my palette!) onto it with a thick, flat brush. I left some areas pale and added white inky streaks to areas that would catch the light around their feet and beaks. The finishing touch was the black reflection of their legs, again applied in small horizontal strokes to give that watery effect.
I really enjoyed painting these birds and I will probably try similar subjects in the future. I have often seen Turnstones on the beach in Hythe. These are beautiful little birds with striking summer plumage, which could easily be recreated with my speckled, flicking method of applying paint

Portrait of a Hare

Well as of tomorrow the half term is over and it's back to work. So I have made the most of my weekend by painting another Hare. Again, this was produced relatively quickly. I sketched the outline out in pencil yesterday, but the actual colour only took 3 hours to put down. I wanted to blend the Hare into the patch of grass it is sitting in, so I only added the hint of fur and the outline of it's long legs. The grass is also pale and very loosely applied to give a light and expressive effect. As with my last Hare painting, dark brown, black and white paint was flicked over a tan base to create the fluffy fur effect.
I much prefer this to the upright Hare portrait I produced last year. The pose is better and the ears are more pronounced and alert. Most importantly, I think this Hare has the 'flighty' look. He's been disturbed, is listening carefully, and thinking about making a break for it. The secret to achieving this effect to to paint a big bright eye, with a sparkling white highlight. It instantly makes the animal look 'alive'
Once Spring comes around, it would be great to go out and get some more Hare reference to help compose some more paintings. I would particularly like to capture some boxing hares, one of the best Spring spectacles. The only problem is trying to find such an elusive creature! The countryside around Brabourne in Kent where I grew up, will probably be a good place to start. Roll on Spring!

Silver Dorking

I have taken advantage of the first day of half term, by getting stuck into this proud cockerel. I used some reference gathered from Hackney Farm, where they had several breeds of cockerel strutting around with their hens. Thier cockerels were somewhat raggedy looking, so I made sure for the painting that I presented a sleek and healthy looking individual.
This painting was very quick to produce. I find that the more I paint the more confident I become with mark making and application of colour and water.
I think my favourite part of this image is the tail. I am fascinated by the green sheen that the black feathers emit in the light, so I layered turquoise over dark blue and black watercolour. By adding a drop of water the darker colours rushed to the edges of the feather, leaving the turquoise shining through. I don't use masking fluid on my paintings so I carefully work around areas I want left white, and then flick white ink or acrylic to create extra fluffiness (like at the base of the tail) or for extra highlight.
As I have a full week off, I will probably be able to get another watercolour done. My next subject is likely to be either some Sanderlings or a line of comical coots.