New Zealand Traditional Art

Well, how cool is this! 

ArtRba Photograph: blank greetings card with New Zealand Art on front cover

All the way from New Zealand courtesy of the lovely Barbara and equally lovely Rhiannon. They also sent me a stunning 'Clare Reilly' New Zealand Calendar 2017 that I will probably photograph and showcase when it's in place on my wall.  I met Barbara and Rhiannon while enjoying a coffee in a little Italian Cafe in Wales. 

As for the above piece of art; I love what was used to create the image, and the  3D effect that has been achieved, on what is after all just a flat surface. The artwork is both awesome and relevant to the short mark-making course that I recently attended and enjoyed.  It's yet another way for the artist to express themselves.

African Elephant

All framed and ready to gift. Watercolour on 12 x 16 inch Arches rough Block using a variety of mark-making techniques.  The frame was off the shelf at Wilko. 

ArtRba Photograph: Elephant in watercolour 

(Don't forget, if the image is cropped, click on the photo for full size) 

Venice, Inktense Pencils on paper

This is today's output, well when I say today, I mean finished today after two hours per week for six weeks. It's an image of the Grand Canal Venice, drawn in Inktense Pencils on a piece of old discarded paper at MIND that was probably heading towards being thrown out.

ArtRba Photograph; Venice, Inktense Pencils on paper

(Click on the image to open it full size)

This one is a gift for someone who attends the same weekly art group as me.

Elephant using various Mark-Making Techniques

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolours on Winsor & Newton Artists' 300gsm acid free A5 size watercolour paper.  Original idea taken from an old edition of 'the artist' magazine' and three tester versions subsequently worked up by yours truly using Derwent Inktense pencil over this Summer. 

ArtRba Photograph: Elephant, Watercolour on watercolour paper 

(Click on the image to open full size)

This is the first time that I've painted this image in watercolour albeit I've put together a similar image with Inktense Pencils over the summer.  But the Inktense ones were more about brilliance of colour, speed of work, and mark-making through pencil strokes.

In terms of Mark-Making this image has:

* Masking fluid lines to preserve the white of the paper

* Masking fluid dots again to preserve the white

* Dry brushing on rough paper to achieve broken edges

* Wet surface and then wet on wet watercolour painting

* Dry surface and then wet on wet watercolour painting 

* Wet to dry and wet over dry watercolour painting

* Brushed lines including some overlayed on the previous line

* Splatter technique using a brush 

This particular painting is intended as a gift for some African friends who live in North America.  As I have four black African friends now living in the USA and Canada, I'm loathe to say which country; as that will spoil the surprise of having the painting land on the carpet or deposited in the post box outside of their home.

I've now sketched out and laid down the masking fluid on another version using 12 x 16 Arches paper.  On that example I've gone for a two tone yellow background using the wet on wet technique applied to a wet surface.  This 'on the go' painting is also a gift.  This time for a Greek friend who's partner is Nigerian.    

Malta and the Sky Landscape Artist of the Year 2016

Well not being part of this years; "Sky Landscape Artist of the Year" (2016) Competition, doesn't stop me whittling up my interpretation of a Maltese landscape.

ArtRba Photograph: Malta, Acrylic on plywood.

(Click on the image if needed to open it up full size)

Whilst this one was finished earlier today and ready to be gifted to a friend; I have several other pieces of art currently on the go. Well, I sort of write 'several', almost tongue in cheek.

There's an A4 ish sized watercolour of Venice, in which I am about 3.5 hours in, when I just had to set it aside and wait until I'm back in that zone.  There's the construction lines for something around A3 size, depicting the Old College and Sky from a close and low viewpoint.  This one will be drawn and painted using Inktense Pencils.  There's another Inktense and Watercolor Image of an African elephant on 14 x 10 paper, but alas like the others this is also unfinished.  There's something around 10 x 8 in watercolour of the Thames and one or two bridges.  Setting this one aside created a problem, as the dried masking fluid tore the expensive paper and damaged the surface.  In the soft pastel range; I have a portrait (yes unfinished) and a landscape which I set aside half way through.  There's also a repaired huge canvas that nothing has been done on, and there's the detailed 'Grand Canal' scene in Inktense that turned from being a 'labour of love' into just labour.  

So 'pushing on' with the Malta image over the last few days has been a rewarding experience.  Using a palette knife can be so liberating.  Better still; the image fits in with some mark making stuff that I've been doing.

Landscaping in Palette Knife

Well, to link in with the theme of the last post.  Which is something that I haven't done for a while.  It's only fair to mention that my feeble attempt at applying for the Sky Landscape Artist of the Year Competition 2016 was a failure.  None of us like rejection, and like many others I felt the full force of the disappointment.

It took courage to decide to enter, and to find amongst my shed load of art, some pieces worthy of consideration.  It took even more courage to fill in the convoluted Application Form.  Only to find out that my chosen image sizes were all wrong for the Online Entry.  It all became a tad stressfull, and I debunked from the process and paid someone to re-photograph the art and thereafter produce it in a file size that lay between the minumim and maximum megabytes permitted.  Before regaining the courage to submit the work and press 'Send'.

I don't regret the Landscape Artist process, because I gave it my best shot.  My unworthy submissions included a watercolour of the wake of a cruise ship leaving Venice, a mixed media scene of Venice with some washing hanging out that was not too disimilar to the scenes that were often painted by Whistler (but I hasten to add, that I'm no Whistler), and a pencil drawing of a sunken boat, that was included to simply show that I could draw. 

What would I enter today, if indeed the Sky Landscape Artist Competition was beginning instead of currently broadcasting weekly on television?  I think that it's a given; that my 'after' Turner, 'Fishermen at Sea' painting (which I completed in acrylic), would be my 'prove that I can paint and draw image'.  The pastel drawing on the watercolour base of a sort of Aberdyfi scene would be a likely contender, along with my charcoal take of John Piper's 1939 sketch of 'the Lower Pirian Falls' on the Hafod Estate in Wales.  Maybe the Inktense Pencil drawing of the coastal light house scene would appear instead of the Aberdyfiesque image.  I don't really know, as it's all choices, and I'm not particularly good at making them.

The thing being; that my failed attempt consisted of a watercolour, a pencil drawing, and a mixed media of mono printing, chalk, and ink.  Whereas a current attempt would consist of an acrylic painting, a charcoal drawing and either a soft pastel over watercolour or an Inktense Pencil drawing.  Now, I don't think that you can get more diverse than that!  And in many ways that diversity sort of sums up where I am with the arty thing at the moment.

If it isn't Inktense Pencils, then it's watercolour.  If it isn't watercolour, then it's watercolour markers.  And if the markers aren't out, well that means that maybe the soft colouring pencils are.  But that doesn't mean that the Acrylics have been put away.  Nope, good old 'Cryla' and its variants get an occasional run out as well.

Here's the current piece being worked up in Palette Knife, using Acrylic on Gesso prepared Plywood.  

ArtRba Photograph: Palette knife on board 

Although the larger areas have been completed, in many ways this image is still in its initial stages.  There's a fair bit of artistry that needs to be applied to the central theme. And as such the amount of work left to do; will far outweigh the time taken to get to this stage.

Landscape Artist of the Year 2016

Landscape Artist of the Year 2016.  Series 2, Episode 1: at blinking last. 

The three paintings chosen in this episode as the 'Heat Finalists' were worthy of the accolade. And for me, this has been the first time that I've agreed with their choices.  In the first series, I quite often felt that the programme was worth watching for art tips and ideas; but that the judging fell short. 

But that was not the case tonight on my recorded episode. Nope, it was absolutely brilliant. Well edited, well executed, and well chosen. 

I really look forward to the next instalment. Gone are the giveaways, gone are the disillusions regarding work that doesn't quite look finished, because it simply ain't finished! Nope, it's all come together and Sky Landscape Artist of the Year is shaping up to be a good fight.  

All we now need to top it off; is a neutral 'wildcard' winner.  A winner that is taken only from the unique wildcard entries and not by someone knocked out of the competition proper.  The case in point being, that tonight's wildcard winner was also a worthy champion.  And in the absence of anyone else, I would be happy to see him progress. 

Water Color Markers now being used

Well, the pack of Winsor & Newton Watercolour Markers have been used for the first time!  Along with a 'Seawhite of Brighton' watercolour postcard.  Both items were combined to make a thank you gift for a good friend of mine who showed me a kindness last Thursday.  

ArtRba Photograph: Winsor & Newton Tin of 12 Watercolor Markers 

If you can't see a particular image properly, click on it to open full size

I bought the 12 x Watercolour Postcard pack when we were recently in Malta. So it was lovely to combine these two new things to create some art.  The Watercolour paper is 350gsm so it's a tad heavier than what I'm used to, and as such, it has different handling qualities.  The thicker paper makes for a better posting process as the artwork should hold up better when travelling through the postal system.  Although I must admit that I address the postcard and write on the back in the usual way, but also pop it inside an envelope to address and stamp that!

Winsor & Newton Watercolour Markers

Awe what a lovely surprise when I got back from town and found that these Winsor & Newton Watercolor Markers had arrived today!  

Photograph ArtRba: Winsor & Newton Watercolour Markers

This is really good news on several accounts; as (1) I am really enjoying the original three markers that I already have (and which were gifted to me by the lovely people in Art Shop on Pier Street, Aberystwyth), and (2) we had popped home earlier in the day and they weren't with the post.  

I had forgotten all about the modern thingy of a courier service.  So disheartened, I went back to town; while unknown to me, the delivery chappies continued to work in the background.  

My experience so far; suggests that these Watercolour Markers can't be classed as the perfect water-soluble thing, but they can be classed as the perfect 'something different'.  I've read online that they are Cotman standard, and I would wholeheartedly disagree with that statement.  Don't get me wrong, their not Professional Artist quality Watercolour, but they ain't Cotman either.  Nope, the pigment is to vibrant to reduce them to that level.  

Now I need to find my level with these Watercolour Markers, by trying out some new techniques, trying out some new reference images, and then see how we get on.  They sell these in 6's, as single units, this 12 and I've sen other variations in quantity with and without the relevant Marker Pad.  I'm using different kinds of watercolour paper to see how the product handles and to find out what watercolor support if anything works best for me.

Oh ps they retail these at circa £44 but I sourced this set at £26 including delivery, so shop around!  

Watercolour Paper

Buying watercolour paper can, for the uninformed; be a tad confusing. So this little post is my humble attempt to sort of help you out.

In very broad terms there are three different kinds of watercolour paper.  Yes, we can talk about acid free, and mould free, and cotton, and whatever, which is all very good when you understand the basics and find some stuff that you like.  But for now, let's just keep it simples.  In no particular order of merit nor importance, the types of watercolour paper are;

(Type 1)

COLD PRESSED

CP

NOT

[They all mean the same]

The ideal stuff to paint a landscape or seascape in watercolour paint, or using watercolour pencils.  The 'NOT' stands for 'Not Hot Pressed', so watch out if you're in a class and a particular watercolour paper is recommended. You could mishear what's being said.  

(Type 2)

ROUGH

Great for a nocturnal scene, or a landscape or seascape where you want texture. This may be (but is not restricted to) imaging a rusty old fishing boat in part of the scene. The 'Rough' surface of this Cold Pressed/CP/NOT paper, catches the watercolour pigment when you are 'dry brushing' over a particular area of the paper.  This can also be beneficial when using watercolour pencils.

(Type 3)

HOT

HOT PRESSED

HP

Again they all mean the same thing.  I think that this is dreadful paper for landscaping and seascaping.  The paper simply dries out too fast and leads to cauliflowering. But of course it is great paper for botanical illustration.  The smooth surface of the paper aids the botanical artist to provide detail.  The rapid drying becomes irrelevant, as the artist is working on one area of the sheet, rather than right across the sheet. 

The quality of the manufactured paper can vary greatly between manufacturers.  Some are so badly treated that the surface is more akin to blotting paper, whereas others are a dream to use.  In all instances you can buy these papers; (i) loose, (ii) in a tear out pad, (iii) in a spiral binder, or (iv) with all four sides glued in a block, whereby you slit the edge to remove a dried sheet, in order to expose the next sheet for painting.