Drawing

Here is some digital art I really like. Imaginative and tongue in cheek. I'm posting the link rather than images as they are likely to be copyright.

https://9gag.com/gag/aZgxzNz?ref=pn

As we drift towards winter I thought I should take up my paintbrushes again.
Started with a relatively easy watercolour sketch of a famous waterfront as a warm up without bothering about details.
Has anyone done any painting or drawing over the summer? A vision of the apocalypse perhaps
or memories of holidays?

I based this painting of a busy, smoke filled French Café on photography by the brilliant Saul Leiter.
It reminds me of bygone years spent in that beautiful country. Gouache on A3 watercolour paper.

If anyone is interested, there is a new series of Sky Landscape Artist of the Year starting on Wednesday 18th October on Sky Arts.

A good first episode, recorded at picturesque Knaresborough castle.
There was a varied range of talent and styles on show which made landscape painting interesting for a change.
I look forward to episode two.

I bought some tubes of Galleria acrylics in a half-price sale earlier this year and decided to try them out by copying a Fauvist style self-portrait by Matisse.
The Fauvists used bold strokes of unnatural colours which were left unblended as in this portrait. The style is artistic Marmite, either you like it or you don't. It is a joy to paint in this liberated way especially as you don't need a preliminary drawing. Block in the colours and the image appears as if by magic.
I used a limited palette of four colours plus titanium white (Permanent rose, lemon yellow, Ultramarine blue and raw umber) on hot pressed watercolour paper.

I made this mono-print (based on a sketch by Valentin Serov) using black ink on thin wrapping paper.
The highlights were added with chalk. I've had to tape it to a piece of cardboard to stop it rolling up. Will paste it down later.
If you haven't a good eye for drawing, you might want to look into mono-printing as you can use a mix of tracing and craft techniques to construct interesting pictures.

I tend to find cubist paintings rather dull and somewhat confusing. Not so orphic cubism which combines cubism with the bright unblended colours of Fauvism.
My favourite exponent of this style is the American born artist Lyonel Feininger (1871 - 1956). His paintings seem to sing with the fragmented colour vibrancy seen in stained glass windows.
Here is my attempt at painting a version of his "Sailing Boats" using acrylic paints on hot-pressed paper.

I really like your "Sailing Boats" painting Foinavon.

Thanks SlippyBlue.

You are welcome Foinavon, I've just sent you a p.m.

Replied, Slippy.

A couple of months ago, someone, maybe Akabula, posted some photos of the new bridge across the Forth estuary.
I liked the elegance of the structure and the way the cable stays formed a series of regular triangles with the roadway. I thought this could form the theme for an abstract painting so tried this out yesterday. OK, it's not a painting of the bridge, it's an abstract for its own sake.

Another genuine fake in acrylics of a Lyonel Feininger original "Stille Tag Am Meer iii"
A similar theme to "Sailing Boats" (two pics above) although the calmness of the sea is depicted here compared with the dynamic swell of the other.

Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2018 is starting soon on Sky Arts.
Episode 1 to be broadcast on 16th January at 8:00 pm

The artists reaching the televised stages of this competition are of a pleasingly high standard and this is a must watch series for me. I hope some other forum contributors will be interested in watching too.

I saw some amazing photos on the internet of people skiing with a riderless horse  (Skikjöring mit reiterlosem Pferd). I though these would be a good subject for a dynamic painting.
I'm not all that familiar with horses and only have photos to go on so any feedback regarding the anatomy from someone close to horses (MD?) would be welcome.

You might recognise this location even if you have never been there. It is sometimes used as a backdrop on politics shows when interviewing local MPs like Ken Clarke and Anna Soubry.
The neo-baroque style council house was opened in 1929 and the statue of Queen Victoria was there from 1905 to 1955 when it was moved to a new location on the banks of the river Trent.
I've tried to depict it at dawn on a foggy day a lifetime ago.

Take "Shelley" a vibrant attractive woman with gorgeous healthy skin tones and highlights and produce a bland cardboard cut out portrait that does nothing for her. Just contrast that with the portrait of husband "Barry".
The only saving grace is the painting of the frock which is lovely.
That's my opinion, what's yours?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43036228

Certainly prefer the bloke's portrait.

Thanks for keeping the thread going Foinavon.  Always interested to see your art.

Thanks, Jack. Unfortunately, neither Velasquez nor Zorrostrikes care to post anymore and I always found their views interesting. Hank said last year that he hoped the thread would be kept alive and I note that it still gets a fair number of views so I keep posting. I'm in the middle of painting two portraits at the moment and it wouldn't be right for me to post them on here so it will be a few weeks yet before I have something else to show.

As the weather is warming up, I decided to have a go at a summery scene with my acrylics. Not entirely happy with it and could do a better job with watercolours.

I dashed off this cut down version of the poppies picture this afternoon in watercolour to compare with the previous acrylic painting. I'm a bit dubious about the sky and it might be better if the blue was cropped away.
I quite like how the flowers and the sun turned out.

Summer holidays are fast approaching. This beach scene was inspired by twenty-year-old holiday snaps of North Cornwall. (I left out the people).
It could be an alien landscape but it is real and out there for all to enjoy.

I'm ashamed to say that I've neglected this thread of late.

Some fabulous paintings, Foinavon.

I especillay love the poppies and the cornish beach and you have captured the power of that horse perfectly, it's a stunning painting.

I love Zorro's Sophia Loren, too.

You guys are so talented.

Thanks, MD. I find horses difficult to represent so I'm pleased you think it looks right.
The Cornish beach is Bedruthan Steps near Newquay and is only accessible at low tide. Most photographs you see of it are taken from the clifftops usually with sea surrounding the rocks. Unfortunately, my photo of the painting has some camera shake which I only noticed when reproduced on here, I took it on my mobile phone.

Did you watch "The Big Painting Challenge"? I thought there were some interesting subjects and good tips from the tutors. I hope they do another series.

I did watch it, Foinavon. I thought the judges were very unkind some of the time. I didn't enjoy this series as much as the last one.

I'm sure there will be another series next year. I agreed with the judges choice of the winner.

Yes, so did I. Early on I picked him and Anil as the best with Tilly as the best of the women. Anil did some good work early on but lost the plot towards the end and wouldn't take advice from the tutors. The handsome bricklayer was quite good too and I expected him to progress. Some of the others really struggled and being in front of the cameras under time pressure probably unnerved them. It would me.

Yes, I really liked some of Anil's work.

They were a really nice bunch of contestants.

A barn owl hunting.
I based this painting on a wildlife photo I saw in an old calendar. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the photographer.

I submitted a new picture on Thursday, still not approved 48 hours later even though it's no more controversial than the last one.
Perhaps they have all gone away on holiday.

The celebrated Russian artist, Ilya Repin (born in Ukraine) is well known for his realist portraiture, my favourite being of the composer Modest Mussorgsky which you will find here with a sensitive write up.
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/08/repin-paints-mussorgsky.html

One day in 1908 he painted a picture of his faithful old dog standing on a beach in the Gulf of Finland where he lived. He called it "Man's Best Friend (dog)". I love this painting which was done in a slightly more impressionistic style than his usual realism. Unfortunately it is in a private collection so cannot be viewed. I decided to try and paint my impression of it (impression of impression of a dog, hmm) for my own use.

I'm not an avid follower of football but couldn't help noticing on the news this morning that England are staying at Repino, a suburb of St Petersburg.
This is the place where Ilya Repin spent his adult life and the beaches are where he painted the dog.
The fishing village (as it was then) was called Kuokkala and was renamed Repino in his honour after his death.

Lovely paintings, Foinavon

Thanks, Makybe_Diva.

I've spent the last 12 months learning to paint with acrylics and started off on watercolour paper. The last few have been done on canvas board, which is a much more forgiving substrate when using undiluted paint.
At first, they seemed to be rather harsh in colour, but with a little practice you can achieve similar gradation to oils and it becomes a very easy medium to use. The drying time is quite short so you have to work quickly but errors can be overpainted multiple times as you adjust towards the result you are looking for.

You probably won't remember, but it was Velasquez on this thread who urged me to try acrylics, I'm thankful that he did.
I hope he looks in from time to time. Thanks Vel.

Still admiring the pictures!

Impressed by your range of materials and styles, Foinavon.

Still admiring the pictures!

Impressed by your range of materials and styles, Foinavon.

Thanks, Jack. Painting is a pleasant diversion from the cares of everyday existence as well as being a challenge. Everyone should try it, it doesn't matter how it turns out.

I might not have anything to post for a while, what with holidays and things over the summer but I'll never give up painting while I have the strength to pick up a brush.

Charcoal has been around as a drawing medium since man first made marks on cave walls and rocks.
It's great fun to use as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty and can quickly produce some lovely effects.
I painted this dog yesterday by covering a sheet of paper with charcoal then lifting it out with an eraser to reveal the white paper underneath. Afterwards, I put a few details back in using a thin stick of willow charcoal. It took me about an hour all told.
Many artists have used charcoal, none more so than the French surrealist Odilon Redon, and many of his black and white works can be found online.

This landscape depicts late summer in Britain. The colours were first blocked in using a palette knife, then detail added with brush applied glazes. It was quick and easy to do. Acrylic on canvas board approximately A2 size.

The blue looks more saturated on here in digital image than on the canvas but never mind.
The colours used were white, magenta, spectral yellow, cyan and burnt umber. The burnt umber wasn't strictly necessary but provided a mixing short cut to the darks.

very talented man Foinavon

Thanks Capt_F.
I don't do many rural landscapes being a city dweller, only when the mood takes.

lovely paintings and drawings  Foinavon 
you are lucky to have the talent and interest in art

It takes my mind of everyday things lfc, especially politics.

it’s good for the mind and...and soul : )

And then the is the whole history of art as well if you care for that it’s a great pastime

When you paint regularly, you begin to see things in a different way, become more aware of light and colour and above all, see beauty in ordinary things where you never saw it before.

I try to write a little of the context about each painting in the hope that it might interest people in other artists especially some they might not have looked at before. I also hope that some of you might take up drawing and painting, it's something you can do at any age and it doesn't matter if you make a hash of it, we all do at times. Just enjoy the moment.

I will definitely try it , painting intrigues me I think it’s a combination of this thread and fake or fortune on the tv that has got me interested again
keep up the good work foinavon

It might be worth looking to see what art groups there are in your area. It can help if you learn with other interested people. They will encourage you and you will pick up ideas from them.

There are also magazines and plenty of books on the subject although you tend to learn more by doing rather than reading "how to do it".

I was looking through some photos of the America's Cup race and an old black and white one of the 1899 race between Columbia and Shamrock caught my eye. I thought the cyan, magenta, yellow palette as used in industrial printing (and in desktop printers) would give the effect I wanted and added black and white for tonality.

Spent a happy hour this morning painting this stripped down cityscape. Not brilliant but what the heck.
Blends of magenta and yellow for the sky, burnt umber and yellow ochre for the foreground.

In 1980 the photographer Raymond Depardon was commissioned by The Sunday Times Magazine to take some photographs of Glasgow. Many of these show the grim reality of life for some of the poorer residents of the city. This is my impression of one of the paintings showing a post industrial view of dockyard cranes.
Apart from a couple of touches of colour, the painting was done using only mixtures of black and white.

What happened to Velasquez ?

His last post :
.
Velasquez • June 29, 2017 5:54 PM BST
ZORRO......IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRINT THEM ON PAPER?

We have heard from neither Velasquez nor Zorro for around 18 months. Very sad as many enjoyed their posts. I do wish they would post again. They were so alike that I had a suspicion they were the same poster.
Both Glaswegian,
Both trained artists at the Glasgow school(the one that burned down twice).
Both claimed to be professional artists
Both were religious fundamentalists.

I remember Val as being often funny but I thought Zorro was on the edge of a breakdown.....he was falling into a Religious Signs Vortex ( paranoid schizophrenia at a guess? )

Yes, cognitive dissonance by the look of it. He thought he was going to be "raptured" on a certain date which never materialised. He soon discovered a new date from the extremist websites he was reading. He then disappeared, so who Knows? He might be "up there" having fun and pitying us poor sobs toiling below.

Green can be a dominant colour especially the harsh greens which come ready mixed in paint sets and should be used carefully. It's much better to mix your own shades as I have done in this painting. Cyan gives particularly clean shades of green when mixed with spectral yellow and more muted tones with yellow ochre. If you want to tone down a green, use a red which is the complementary colour. The darker greens here have been mixed with a touch of magenta. The scene is countryside around Rivington in Lancashire.

Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2019 starts tomorrow at 8pm on Sky Arts. Many of the contestants are professional artists and there are some widely differing styles. I find it's worth watching even if I don't always agree with the verdict (that's most of the time).

This is quite close to home. Gas street basin is the northern end of the Birmingham to Worcester canal and is a quiet oasis in the heart of the city. The view shows the tunnel under Broad street leading to Brindley Place, a busy area of restaurants and bars. I tried to depict the almost mystical calm of the place at nightfall.
I needed a darker palette than usual with a bright red and yellow for the highlights and chose Prussian blue, burnt umber, cadmium red, spectral yellow and titanium white.
L.S. Lowry used Prussian blue in his cityscapes. It was the first synthetic blue pigment and has a very dark sombre shade as can be seen in the sky of this painting.

The idea was to paint a sunset at Bamburgh castle using a reference photograph. The problem is that the jetty cuts the picture in two and I've tried to solve this by using the reflection of masts from boats moored in the shadow area to tie the two bits together. Still not entirely happy with it though.

This might be a possible if drastic solution. Slice off the lower part with a craft knife. So far it's just a photo crop but I think it looks better.
Colours used were Prussian blue, Magenta, spectral yellow and white acrylic paints. The sunset was highlighted with orange and warm yellow gouache.

Thanks for the pictures again Foinavon. I love the colours in both.  Something quite special about the names of the colours.  Prussian, Cadmium, Titanium..

Green landscapes aren't my favourite, but I like the amount of sky you have included.

I think you have cropped Bamburgh with success.  It shifts our focus much more to the colours in the sky.
Maybe take some off the top too!  Half-joking there.  I suppose
we are normally fairly  traditional in our range of picture shapes.

I know Birmingham a fair bit and I guess the Tap and Stile is ahead on Broad Street.  My eye is drawn to the line of the
right canal bank which goes into the fairly bright (presumably backlit) tunnel entrance.  This detracts a little from the interesting fronts on the left.

Thanks again for sharing and I hope you don't mind my comments.

I very much welcome all feedback, Jack including constructive criticism. The tunnel recesses are indeed illuminated and perhaps I should have given it less intensity although the blue oval is the focus. The Tap and Spile is the building on the immediate left with the yellow sign and is on the canal side walk from the Mailbox to Broad Street. My own criticisms are that the cast light on the brickwork isn't convincing and isn't helped by my camera's poor red response and the chimneys could do with more definition.
I think the choice of palette is very important and mixing from a few carefully chosen colours gives a composition harmony and atmosphere rather like the choice of key in music. I could say a lot more but don't want this to be too long.
Thanks for confirming that the crop of the sunset is an improvement, there's no going back.

I'm going to have a little delve into the art world very soon . I've joined a fluid art meetup group , I'll meet them on Saturday . I'll maybe post a pic of my artistic creation . I Love Art , I believe through Art , you can find your Heart .

That sounds good, Culvin. Being with likeminded people you will improve quickly. Look forward to seeing your creations.

Foinavon , I love the charcoal of the dog , and the one in Glasgow with the blue umbrella .I'd buy both of those .

Thanks Culvin, much appreciated. I'm not trying to sell anything on here, it's against the rules.

Yeh , I know that Foinavon , I'm just saying I appreciate your art , and Thanks for sharing it .

Good luck with your group .

Thanks Foin . I'm going to need as much luck as I can get . I haven't painted or drawn anything since I was in school . 30 years and more , ago .

Foinavon , Here's a pic of the fluid art I did on Saturday . I like it .. I basically didn't have a clue what I was doing , but I did it anyway .

What’s that culvin ? !

maybe that's you in blue on the left , and a naked womans bottom and little sperm floating towards her and in between her legs ?

very good

Hi Culvin,
I've just seen your picture. You have some interesting effects there. How did you do it? Is it watercolour or inks?

Have just finished another expressionist industrial landscape from early last century. Essentially monochrome although the colour was produced by a blend of Prussian blue, magenta and various amounts of white.
I promise that the next will be more colourful.

Sorry , Foinavon , I didn't realise you asked me a question. I've not been well so I've not been here for a month or so . The painting technique or style is called Fluid Art . Acrylic paint is mixed with water and then poured onto a canvas . The canvas is then lifted up and moved around so that the fluid paint runs were you direct it to run . I also applied some of the paint with a brush , my fingers and a straw . It took about 40 mins or so to complete . The finished painting is nothing like the original I did though , because as I mentioned to trilby22 , what I painted is unrecognisable , because when I was cycling home from the gallery , a gust of wind blew the bl00dy thing off my bike . When I got home and looked at it , it had completely changed . I like what it turned into though , it's far better than what I painted .. Here's two others I've now done. I did these at home. All Best ,Foin .

I'd like to have a go at doing other stuff . If I do I'll put it here , if that's ok .

I like them Culvin and would like to see anything else you do so put them here. I've just started a watercolour where I put heavy washes onto wet paper and let them flow into each other. I'm going to add some positive strokes wet on dry in a few days time and will post the result here.

This is the result of the watercolour washes, Culvin. It's colourful but lacks meaning. I'm going to work it up into a painting when I'm ready or ruin it completely but at the moment it suggests a stormy seascape. We'll see.
The first one you posted yesterday suggests a shark in a coral sea, don't know what to make of the other.

I think Culvin has a future in the fashion industry.

Looking forward to your further work, Foinavon.

Thanks Jack.

I like your Watercolour wash . It has a Northern Lights look about it .

Jack , not sure if your fashion industry comment is a compliment or not . All I know is that I'm having a go and going with my instinct .. I hated almost everything at school , including art . It was all about copy this , copy that . Anyway here's another I've just done . I don't much care for this one .Thanks for comment anyway , Jack .

It has depth to it, reminds me of sea monsters. Have you tried using a spinner? You can get some colourful effects with those.

Culvin, it most certainly was a compliment.  I could easily see those patterns on a summer dress - particularly the second one.

The colours you used remind me of the Pre-Raphaelites.

I haven’t looked at this thread in ages. I really like your Gas Street Basin painting, Foinavon.

Culvin, I love your artwork!

I particularly like the colours of the one you posted at 15.01

Thanks MD, I like painting cityscapes.

I've now slapped on some Prussian blue to turn the washes into an expressionistic painting reminiscent of Nolde.
Have I improved it or ruined it? A matter of opinion.

Foinavon , It's dark and moody . I don't need dark and moody in my life , at the moment , but I like it ,.

Makybe_Diva , Thank you so much for your comment .

I came across an artist I'd never even heard of who is instantly one of my favourite artists:
"John Atkinson Grimshaw".
Google it, lots of night scenes but he captures them .. perfectly.

I love his paintings of the docks in Liverpool . I bought a poster for my Father , a year ago . He framed it and placed it on the living room wall . I'll post a pic tomorrow .

The painting was spontaneous Culvin, and expresses a transitory mood at the time. In painting there is no light without dark, a white sheet is perfectly bland. Anyone who loves a bet (I'm preaching to the converted here) knows that joy and anguish are complementary, a wealthy person can not bet in £2 units as he experiences neither.

Grimshaw's paintings are lovely and serene, not an ounce of angst as you might find in Goya or Munch but still required a lot of skill and patience to achieve.

A brightly coloured anodyne painting this time which might hopefully cheer you up Culvin.
This isn't just inspired by Nolde, it is a near copy of one of his works. I used watercolour and gouache paints in primary colours on 600 gsm paper for this.