People use the phrase “wily like a fox” or “sly as a fox” for a reason. Foxes are very smart in ways that matter: finding food, surviving in weather extremes, outwitting predators, protecting their young. They’re smarter than most, but not all, dog breeds and on top of all…they are so beautiful!
For this portrait of a chimp, I did not use my sketchbook as I wanted to do a bigger painting and used instead a square sheet of watercolour paper .Searching for photos (copyright free) I found such a wise looking little chap that I adopted it straight away. It is strange sometimes to paint animals as they seem to take a life of their own. For this one particularly, I had even a name coming through my mind…
I am in the process of making a birthday card. I had in mind to use seagulls as a subject. I painted several of them from photos and started to cut them out to position them manually on a double spread watercolour paper. Well I have to think of a background and appropriate design now for the card…Not sure yet. I will probably play around with the birds before glueing them…
From my sketchbook this portrait is marking the last day of August with beach and beauties. Watercolour and pentel brushpen sketch.
A bit of sketching on the spot in Scotland.The drawing was done quickly as the weather conditions were cold and windy.I added the watercolour once in a warm and sheltered place.
Plein air sketching this morning in the delightful village of Odiham in Hampshire with some members of the Alton Art Society. We gatherered this morning at the centre of the village and after a tour of the alleys and the beautiful country lanes,we decided to start painting in front of a chosen subject. I noticed this very old cottage at the back of the church and set my folding chair to sketch it in my open sketchbook . I was accompanied by a gentleman artist who decided to do just the drawing of this quite complex subject.
I finished the whole painting in 2 and a half hours and joined the others in the local pub for a chat before leaving. The weather was overcast and I took some artistic licence to put more light. What a great morning spent with very nice people!
Mixing watercolour portraits and finding random words in the newspaper to make a double spread with a twist!
