Wildlife Painting in Watercolour and Gouache

Reference photo and drawing 

 

This delightful little hedgehog (hoglet as I believe the young are called) was a visitor indoors for one night last year, after we found him cold, wet and shaking in the grass following a horrendous day of pouring rain.  He spent the night in a large plastic box with newspaper on the base and a small towel loosely wrapped around him.  With some water and tiny portion of cat food he was left in peace and we feverently hoped he would last the night.  The following morning as I approached the box I could hear snuffling and shuffling noises followed by noisy chomping.  When I peeked in he was polishing off the last bit of cat food!  (It sounded like he was chewing with his mouth open).  He looked totally revived and we gladly placed him back where we had found him the previous evening.  On checking the area later in the day there was no sign of him, so hopefully he was fine. 

 

This painting, I think you will agree, is totally different to the monochrome canvas I showed you yesterday.  It was so enjoyable to do.  The majority of it was completed yesterday and today it was a few finishing touches.  The pale hairs on the cheeks needed pushing back with a very diluted dark wash.  Selected areas had more strong darks to make them recede.  Gouache has a tendency to darken and sink in once dry so some of the brightest lights were stroked on again for emphasis.  I shall let the photos show how this painting was built up in layers...  





 

Loose pencil drawing as guideline

Initial variegated watercolour washes over subject
and background

Continue with large round brush to introduce more
defined underpainting

Building up the layers, still watercolour

 

 

Background lower left strengthened to integrate
 hedgehog with background, also spatter for visual texture 

Now the fun starts - white gouache, tinted with watercolour,
for finer hairs and thick pale spines

Detail - translucency of watercolour and opaque nature of
gouache work beautifully together

 

Protection, watercolour and gouache

I am planning on entering this painting for the Wildlife in Art Exhibition which is also at the King's Lynn Art Centre, and runs parallel to the WNAA Small Works.  Hmmm,  I'm wondering now if I have time to create one more piece of work for it...  I have a lovely picture of a European Eagle Owl (taken during our trip to the Lake District - a rescue centre had a fundraising event), or camels at Banham Zoo... or what about the pheasant photographed on the patio last winter?

So many pictures, so little time.  If you are feeling inspired, don't make excuses, get cracking and who knows where it will lead?

 

Monochrome Painting in Acrylic

Polystyrene plate as palette for acrylic

Do not adjust your screen - the colour has not malfunctioned - I have been painting using just black, white and a smidgen of yellow ochre for this latest canvas.  There are two exhibitions fast approaching and I am frantically trying to complete work as suitable entries.  This piece was from a photograph I took two years ago on a visit to Narborough Hall, here in Norfolk (www.narboroughhallgardens.com).  The house was open, hosting an exhibition of work by Andy Warhol.  As I wandered round with my family my eye was caught by the gorgeous pattern of light filtering through the greenery outside the window, across the tall backed chair and splashing across the wooden floor.  The photocopy I printed off was originally in colour but I wondered what it would look like in greyscale.  I was inspired and couldn't wait to get cracking.    



Almost ready to paint the best bit...

I started with a diluted wash of black and then with a slightly darker mixture drew the basic composition using a flat hog bristle brush.  I find this approach prevents me from getting too tight and fiddly.  From this point I started with the back of the chair and then outwards, manipulating the tones from mid grey (sometimes warming the mixture a little with ochre) to the darks, which I kept transparent, through to the bright white.  As you can see from the photo above I saved the best bit until last.  Below, you can see how the opaque white shapes of the sunlight on the floor bring this scene to life!

Pattern of Light (Narborough Hall, Norfolk) acrylic on box canvas, 30 x 30cms

The West Norfolk Artists Association exhibition is titled Small Works and this is the third year it has been held.  The venue is the Shakespeare Barn at the King's Lynn Art Centre, an impressive large gallery space with white walls.  Small Works was conceived by Andrew Schumman (a member) who was interested in the rich painted walls of galleries in the past.  His idea was an exhibition where artwork measuring exactly 30 x 30cms would be displayed around the walls all on a midline, and equal distance apart.  Each artist chooses a rich colour to paint a square 60 x 60cms on the wall, within which the work is centred.  This format creates a stunning display and every small artwork is enhanced and becomes greater with a personalised backdrop to show it off.  The overall effect is quite dramatic.

Last year - the WNAA Small Works exhibition

This small painting was started at 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon and I became so engrossed that I kept going, until suddenly, it had reached a conclusion and I stopped.  It was 8.30 p.m.  Four and a half hours had passed!  My only problem now is choosing a colour for the painted square to set it off to best advantage.  Below you can see how I am using Farrow and Ball paint charts to try and make a decision.

Almost 'fifty shades of grey'...

Have been back in the studio again today working on something completely different, but I will show you that tomorrow...

Plein Air - Old Stable in the Paddock

Attempting plein air painting with water mixable oils again
 

After my disastrous attempt at plein air with water mixable oils in France I didn't want to leave it too long before having another go.  A bit like falling off a horse - get back in the saddle asap!  I have fancied the old stable in the paddock as subject matter for a while, and in the sunshine it looked very inspiring.  I loved the leafy shadows cast by the overhanging willow branches onto the old weathered wood.  

A very busy scene

As you can see by the photo there was a lot of detail that would need simplifying - I was definitely going for an impression.  It is very different attempting a scene like this from life compared to working from a reference picture.  Everything seemed high definition yet in a constant state of change as the sun kept disappearing behind clouds and there was a frisky breeze.  Mistake number one - the sun was very bright and very strong.  I should have used my easel umbrella to shield the canvas board, then paint colours could have been assessed more accurately.  Mistake number two - I probably needed to either work on a larger board, or, considered the composition more carefully and made the old stable a bit smaller to allow for more context to surround it.  A quick value sketch would have organised this.  Anyway I started brushing on a diluted wash of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt umber feeling very optimistic.

As I wanted to keep everything loose I decided against any detailed drawing and opted to lift out the pale shape of the old stable with kitchen towel from the damp wash.  

Mid tone wash with pale shapes lifted out
(apologies for the dark photo) 

A slightly more concentrated wash of the same colours was used next to block in and define the main dark areas.  At the time I was quite happy at this stage but with hindsight I would definitely have preferred more room for the foreground grasses.  This canvas board is A4 size and I have found these proportions tricky in the past, if I am working small scale my eye prefers the 8" x 10" ratio (20 x 25cms) for some reason.    

Main dark passages blocked in

My strategy was to have thin darks and thicker paint for the light areas so the work progressed through various shades of green (all made from blues and yellows, sometimes toned down with burnt sienna) and pale neutrals for the weathered wood.  I had to try and capture the cast shadows when the sun blazed, but tricky as they constantly swayed and danced.  By now I realised that this would not be a masterpiece... my heart sank a little.  In frustration I utilised a palette knife to apply linear marks with naples yellow to suggest some of the long blonde dried grasses and finally dotted in the pale blue 'skyholes' in the trees.  At least both these actions gave the work a little boost! 

 

The Old Stable, water mixable oils on canvas board, 21 x 29.5cms

So there it is.  I spent an hour and forty minutes out in the open air, totally engrossed, and although I ended up with a painting that will probably just get stored away somewhere I thoroughly enjoyed the process and learned a few valuable lessons along the way.  Somme, the Labrador, had a whale of a time.  He was either charging around the field or taking shelter in the shade, accompanied by several balls of varying sizes from his collection!

There is still something I find inspiring about this scene and I may try it again with my soft pastels, either working from life again or maybe directly from the photograph.  Perhaps this is an exercise you might like to try - work on a subject you have tackled before but in a different medium?

WNAA Summer Exhibition

It has been very remiss of me not to do a post about the recent West Norfolk Artists Association Summer Exhibition.  This event is the main showcase for the membership and once again took place in St. Nicholas Chapel, King's Lynn.  Artworks entered undergo selection and this year there was some exciting work on show.  Unfortunately, having helped set up the exhibition, I was unable to attend the Preview evening which I hear was a resounding success and even had one member and his jazz band playing!  I did two invigilating stints and always enjoy engaging with visitors.  An added bonus in the second week were lunchtime concerts featuring young musicians and singers, an inspiring sound in such a stunning venue.

I had entered 3 works, and was delighted that they were all selected.  Some people were quite surprised by my acrylic canvas featuring beach huts and the watercolour of honeysuckle.  It made me realise that there is definitely a shift happening in the work.  It does all seem to be in a state of flux.  My more traditional animal portraits are on the backburner and all sorts of experiments and creative avenues are being explored!  It's a bit like throwing balls in the air and seeing where they land.  I may be investigating blind avenues or find that my creative voice evolves into something else.  I do know that I have long felt a desire to find a way to bring together more abstract passages with the representational aspect resolved in selected areas only... only time will tell and I shall follow my instincts for now and see where it leads.  I'm having fun anyway!  Here are the paintings I had in the exhibition and whilst a sale would have been welcome just taking part, and getting work before an audience, is valuable experience.

Curious, mixed media, 36 x 30cms

The mixed media involved in this one was a watercolour underpainting created with a roller, dip pen and ink drawing, then soft pastel scumbled over the surface.  The inspiration was from a photo I took in Wales on a bright sunny day.

Heaven Scent, watercolour, 36 x 30cms

This was painted from life - a sprig of honeysuckle from my garden - and created without any preliminary pencil drawing.  I just had fun with colour fusions and shapes and encouraging soft edges by touching clean water into select areas to encourage a 'bleed'. 




Evening Light, Hunstanton Beach Huts, acrylic on canvas, 41 x 41cms

This was a very free interpretation of a photo I took at the sketching evening back in June.  As we were leaving the beach a lovely low evening light bathed the beach huts and some long blond grasses lifting the ordinary into another realm.  There is a plenty of visual texture as I tried to let the history of its making show through the layers.

Holiday Sketchbook in France

Creating a watercolour sketch in Le Crotoy 

Bonjour!  I have returned from an amazing, relaxing holiday in France.  Just an hour from Calais, on the outskirts of a town named Rue, in an incredible Chateau for a whole week.  Bliss.  When will I realise how much easier it would be to post more frequently?  With hindsight I could have explored the possibility of using my mobile phone to upload images and text to this blog.  I have quite a few images to share with you of work done in 2 different sketchbooks.  One was a gift from friend in the West Norfolk Artists Association - by Derwent (17 x 12cms) it has useful pockets inside the soft suede-like hardback cover to store receipts or collected ephemera.  I discovered that pencil and pen glide beautifully over the paper surface but light washes of paint soaked in immediately.  This sketchbook became ideal for quick line drawings when time was short.  The other sketchbook is from Stillman & Birn in the Delta Series (14.5 x 22cms).  I had read a lot of favourable comments about this brand and wanted to try it myself.  It's a little larger than A5, black hardback, and I found it takes watercolour, water soluble pencil and Inktense pencils really well.  This sketchbook then is perfect when time is more flexible and I can settle down with some watermedia. Here's the art kit I took with me:



Art equipment fits into small (stylish) shopper bag

  

Large pocket on front of handbag perfect for sketchbook & small pencil case

 



I shall not bore you with lots of words and waffle this time but hope you enjoy the following photos of some of the sketches I made during my week in France.  Oh, starting with a few from Dover as we stopped there the night before taking the ferry...

Two views from sitting on a bench in Dover

A few captured lines from studying the ever moving seagulls and pigeons on beach

The harbour gets busy with people and the local sailing school

 

Evening stroll, stopped to watch cattle by Chateau entrance

Inktense pencils - attempt to cope with all those greens!

 

Guess where I am...

Monet's House and Garden, Giverny

Not brilliant but looking at it brings the experience back fully - the receipt
 was from early lunch and yes, I had small Prittstick in my pencil case! 

 

The famous bridge - painted on a wet afternoon in the Chateau from my photo
 (the only one not from life)

Water soluble graphite pencil to describe misty start to the day



 

A second sketch with soft diffused watercolour washes

Looking out across bay at Le Crotoy

Pencil sketch - view across site Battle of Crecy, 1346

Visit to museum at Azincourt.  Overheard young girl whisper to parent "I saw a lady drawing in her book"...

Observing cattle just up the lane from the Chateau

 



The cattle quickly lost interest in me, and I was left in no doubt

Nell the Chateau cat is very old - like most of the fixtures & fittings in the Chateau!

Lovely way to spend an hour on our last afternoon in France

I have a confession.  I did try one plein air painting with water mixable oils in the week.  I stood in the delightful Chateau grounds and attempted to paint the building itself, framed by trees.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process despite struggling to depict the façade of the building and all the windows without getting fiddly.  However, I confess to it being a total disaster.  The painting looked very flat and unconvincing.  Take heart - it happens to all of us!!!  Nothing for it but to keep on trying.  And I have a cunning plan to keep me motivated and to continue working from life - a self set project in the pipeline.  I shall reveal all in another post soon.

Rear view of Le Chateau du Broutel