Reflection Study 2

Did this study just after the previous reflection study.  I did these studies to help with another image but I got distracted and only remembered that I still had to go back and apply some this learning a few weeks later. 

Pipes

Pipes

Trying out some other techniques. 
A really complicated home heating system.

Reflection Study 1

Reflection Study 1

Did a quick study to look at reflections.  Think this was done in an hour or so.

Beer

Beer

Tried out a different method - using channels to add colour.  Results of that experiment. 

Oils workshop - still life pt 6

Still Life Final

Worked on the final piece for the last two days of the workshop.  It was interesting to try some new approaches and push the image as far as possible. It was the first time I used black on the palette.  I used the smallest brushes I think I have ever used.  Used the most number of paints on a palette ever.  Lots of stuff I had taken on board as hard and fast rules to work by are not.  
I think everyone learned a lot and pushed their work to the next level with Matts guidance.  
Hope there is another workshop next year. 

Final work

Oils workshop - still life pt 5

Underpainting

Finally onto the final painting. An underpainting of raw umber and turps was applied adding pigment and rubbing out to give highlights.  This was a fast process but helped by obliterating the white canvas but keeping the drawing. 

Some more street art. 

Oils workshop - still life pt 4

Colour Study -Demonstration

On day 3 we got onto a colour study.  Matt did a demonstration of colour for the group. I was fortunate that he did the demo using the set up I was painting. It was great to have an opportunity to watch someone very skilled go through this process and be able ask questions.  This is Matts study finished.  This he referred to as a poster study.    Trying to the colours right without fussing over detail.

Oils workshop - still life pt 3

Value Study

The next stage was making a value study on a small canvas (5"x7").  Used lamp black. Yes lamp black.  The first time I have used black when working in oils.   

Matt did a demo first so we could all see the process.

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Oils workshop - still life pt 2

Transferred Drawing

After drawing the set up in pencil it was photocopied 3 times.  Size was reduced to fit two small canvases and size was adjusted for the final canvas.  To transfer the image to the canvases the reverse of the photocopied image was covered in a raw umber.  The outline and key information was transferred using a pen on the side carrying the image.  This is what I ended up with. 

The photo below is a shot of one of the Harland and Wolff cargo cranes I took from my hotel room one morning.  There are two, Samson and Goliath.   Shipyard is most famous for building the Titanic.

The second photo is of the black taxi terminal in town with some eye catching murals. 

Oils workshop - still life pt 1

Subject

The scene doesn't look like much but I spent a whole week trying to capture it in oils.  As I mentioned before I went to an still life workshop for a week.  The workshop was part of the Draw In festival. Matt Weigle was the instructor for the course and it was a great experience.  Julie Douglas the organiser has a write up on the week on her blog.

First day was a set up and drawing day.  Shadow boxes were already set up by Matt and Julie and arranged so they each had a single light source.  Had to choose some props and arrange them.  Have to say I took Matts advice and kept it simple so I could focus on technique. Kept it dark and moody. Drawing was pencil on paper. Out of practice on that so I drew the set up three times.  Also marked in the terminator lines (change from light to shadow). 

Little fella

Little fella

After all the serious intense work of late did this just to relax and have a little fun.  Back to to the learning.

Roses After Abbott Handerson Thayer -Study

After Abbott Handerson Thayer - Roses

Choose this because of the palette and painterly quality.   A copy can be found on the Google Art Project site. 
I did a study of this still life for practice and to get me thinking about still lifes in general. I had signed up for a 1 week course of still life in oils.  A big investment for me in time and money so I wanted to get the most out of it. The course was followed by a two day drawing workshop all part of Draw in in Belfast.  In the next few post I will show some work and talk about what the experience was like. 

Cloud Study -Lough Melvin

Cloud Study -Lough Melvin

(updated image)
Did a cloud study in oils (12"x 8").  Photo of the study is not so great.  Will try a take a better one and replace.  

Lough Melvin

Landscape Rocks

Landscape Rocks

First landscape since April! What have I been doing? This went through a number of iterations and still not overjoyed but as ever learned some stuff along the way. 

Torch

Torch

 Started off as a rough sketch but I wanted to try some different approaches so worked this one up to a better finish.  Started in greyscale then added some rough colour.

Clean Up

Clean Up

 A change from all the environment stuff I have being doing of late.  Started out as just a character but then decided to add in a machine of sorts.  Took me quite a while and I suppose it could be cleaner but hopefully will take lessons and apply in the next piece. 

Gate 2

Gate 2

  Just fooling around trying some stuff.

Portrait study 22

Portrait study 22

Portrait study 22

Did some portrait studies.  Started these off with a different approach starting off trying to identify the planes. 

Building B

Building B

Started out as a doodle.  

Belleek woods 2

 

Belleek woods 2

I had time to do some more involved work.  Did a similar forest scene way back in 2011.  This one is smaller 12" x 10".  Cant believe it has been so long since I tried the same subject in oils.  From what I remember this one was a bit faster to work on.  It still needs a bit of attention but that will be done at a more leisurely pace.

Launch

Launch

Something completely different.  Started out as a doodle and I revisited to try some effects and filters.

After Hubert Robert - View of the Port of Ripetta in Rome

After Hubert Robert  - View of the Port of Ripetta in Rome

 Stumbled across this artist Hubert Robert by chance.  What struck me about the compositions was the use of theatrical lighting. The work is a cappricio, an amalgam of multiple views juxtapositioned to make an appealing composition but not reflecting their true geographical location.  When taking such liberties with the subject matter it makes sense to throw out the lighting rules and go for theatrical lighting.  A greater treatise on this piece can be found here. 

Farmhouse

Farmhouse

Worked on this and a few other pieces at the same time which I think helped a bit.  Returning to each with a fresh eye.  This was an exercise in keeping the pallet to a few colours.

Building A

Building A

Working on this for a while.  Progress was not helped when I lost some progress by failing to save.  It all worked out for the best I think because I changed the foreground.  Anyway this was more a learning piece.  

Council meeting Spitpaint

Council meeting Spitpaint

Haven't done a spitpaint in a while.

Self Portrait oils

Self Portrait oils

Did this one as after a burst of doing portrait practice.  Looking very serious.  Entered it in the portrait artist competition run by Sky.  That was used more as a target to spur on the practice and deliver something at the end.  Sky got back with confirmation that I was not successful (no surprise). What they did was send a garbled message to me and about 400 other entrants. I know this because the email addresses were visible to all. What followed was a brief attempt be some of the recipients to get an impromptu show together.  That petered out into a hail of emails from peeps asking to be removed from the list.  The production company  was Storyvault Films. 

Skirmish-2

Skirmish

 Worked on this original doodle.  I was going to abandon it at the point below but pushed on to some sort of finish.  Seems like  I was working on this forever as I don't have a lot of time to paint at the moment.

Digger 1

Digger

Practicing oils.  Really need the practice.  This is about 12"x10" on canvas.  Took about 4-5 hours over 3 sessions. 

Encounter

Encounter

Started off as a doodle.  Not best pleased with it but anyway.

Still Life Speedpaint 2

Still Life Speedpaint 2

A still life speedpaint study inspired by the deviant Art group.  They had some photo refs but as it was still life I worked from real life.  Working from life is different to working from photos. Didn't take a photo of the set up on the day so there are differences between photo and study.  Yip my dog photo bombed.

Portrait 9

Portrait 9

 

 

 

This portrait from imagination for practice.  Haven't had a chance to do much study of late so what will be posted over the next few days is an eclectic mix of stuff.  A lot of it produced when I was fairly tired. 

Portrait Study 21

Portrait Study 21

Another study done in oils 12 x 10".  Still struggling with these.