Owl Sketches & Painting on the Patio

Tawny owl & long-eared owl - taxidermy specimens.

These two visitors have been gracing my studio recently. They are taxidermy specimens (borrowed) and offer a great opportunity to study these beautiful owls. However, when working from taxidermy be aware that there can be discrepancies to the real thing - in this case both suffer from flattened feathers as they usually live in a local school and have been stroked a lot I think! The long-eared owl also has a rather alarming list to one side which I tried to correct in my drawing...

Tawny owl sketch, pencil.

Tawny owls are woodland birds and make the characteristic owl hoot. Several years ago I was fortunate to spy one sitting in a tree in the front garden at dusk. 

Long-eared owl sketch, pencil.

The long-eared owl does often have the long, thin appearance of this specimen and feature head feathers which are known as ear tufts. These are not actually ears, but get raised when the bird is alarmed. I have never seen one in the wild although they do live in Britain but don't seem to be as common as the tawny or barn owl.

Pericallis 'Senetti', charcoal on A3 cartridge paper.

Today I was determined to have a play with art materials and as the weather was warm and sunny I decided to work on the patio. To 'warm up' - artistically, not physically - I started with a charcoal drawing of a delightful potted plant. I was attracted by the simple flowers with long curvy petals and the leaf shapes. I blended charcoal onto the paper surface first to create a mid-tone and then used a charcoal pencil for the line work with an eraser to lift out the lights. The work builds quite quickly with this method and helps prevent fiddly detailing.

Fern in a patio pot, placed on the table for easier observation.

After a break for a cup of tea my eye fell upon this fern which lives in what I call my damp 'woodland' area of the patio... actually it's just a dank corner which never gets any sun, but the ferns and hostas seem happy there. I have added some logs, rocks and pebbles which have been colonised by mosses to support the theme. I began again in my 8x8" sketchbook by observing the curve and unfurling of several stems in pencil. Then moved into watercolour, initially using just the brush and paint but this seemed rather weak in terms of an image so I introduced pencil once it had dried.   

Fern drawn in pencil in sketchbook.

Fern in watercolour,
drawing directly with paint.

Added pencil to strengthen work,
but seemed lost on page...

Extended pencil work beyond
painted areas and finally
a rather wobbly 'frame' to anchor on page.

As I had hoped to get into actually doing a painting of some sort I decided to continue with the fern and taped two A4 size sheets of 140lb Bockingford watercolour paper (Not surface) to a board and placed this on a metal easel. As I wanted to get away from a totally representational image I chose to work with less realistic colour in a limited palette. I worked on both paintings simultaneously but present the sequences as Fern 1 and Fern 2 so the stages are easier to follow. 

Fern 1 - watercolour variegated wash & when almost dry
spattered clean water to create visual texture.

Fern 1 - added some strokes of colour with pastel sticks
then brushed clean water over this to disperse.
Once this layer had dried I began to draw with pastel pencil. 

Fern 1 - continued to build up fern motifs
until I felt I had 'said' enough.

And finally Fern 2...

 

Fern 2 - watercolour underpainting,
again spattered with water to create mottled effect.

Fern 2 - sweeps of pastel sticks then water brushed over
which creates drips and granulation. Once dry, pastel pencils
to describe fern forms.

Fern 2 - continue to build up painting
with addition of more pastel pencil.

Having experienced a bit of a drought on the creative front recently I am pleased with the results of this afternoon. I enjoyed working in the sketchbook first and certainly feel observing and sketching the fern before attempting the two mixed media paintings helped to create a looser interpretation. I certainly won't be exhibiting or framing them but feel there is some merit in the layering and textural qualities that appeal to me.   

If you also feel stuck in a rut or the creative well has temporarily run dry, take the pressure off and give yourself permission to be side tracked by small studies and experiments... who knows where they might lead?

Fun with Pen and Wash

Winter Heather and Statue, 32 x 24cms
Edding permanent pen and watercolour
on Fabriano 5 HP watercolour paper. 

I think the most popular media this Autumn Term, in the Mixed Media Class, was using pen and wash.  I planned two sessions - one either side of the half term break.  The first was using a permanent pen, which leaves a fairly uniform line even when using a 0.7mm.  The second session I introduced a dip pen and Indian ink which enables flowing calligraphic lines, and a more hit-and-miss approach.  I find the loss of precise control can lead to bolder, fresher work.  Whichever method, many people like to start with a simple pencil drawing to establish the composition, it gives confidence when starting with the pen as it cannot be erased - so any mistakes have to be incorporated and lived with! I suggest setting off with a bit of urgency when first going over the pencil lines in pen, working too slowly and deliberately can produce a very static line.  People are often surprised at how they unconsciously go on to embroider more details once they get going, and with surprising confidence. At any point the pencil lines can be erased to leave a clean pen image before introducing passages of watercolour.

The subject was quite open in that I suggested 'holiday' as a theme for exploration.  This could range from the broad holiday view of a scene captured on camera as a memory, to a close up detail of something of interest.  The example I worked up for the session (I usually photograph the stages and print off to show the progression) shows a weathered stone statue from a winter walk last year, the heather framed it so beautifully.  The cropped close up view below shows how I had to think about what sort of marks could be used to portray the various textures.

View close up - variety of marks to describe various textures.

For the session using the dip pens and Indian ink I chose to incorporate working from still life.  As an added interest I suggested looking at the illustrations used to advertise Worzals, a local garden centre/farm shop/cafe.

Adverts for Worzals Farm Shop.

Studying these illustrations closely showed not only the beautiful quality of line but also that some printing had been done using actual leaves etc.  A marvellous opportunity to have a go at another approach...

Calligraphic lines using a dip pen and Indian ink,
plus some leaves of the purple sprouting broccoli painted with ink
and used to print on Fabriano 5 HP watercolour paper. 

Ink painted onto head of purple sprouting broccoli
before used to print texture on the paper.

All very hit-and-miss,
loose lines added to enhance leaf prints, ink blots welcomed!

Watercolour washes added - free approach kept going
with paint not restricted by line and more spatter.

I also had fun with a second offering,  I couldn't resist these beetroot when I went shopping.  I think my enjoyment of the subject matter and treatment shows in the work itself!

No pencil drawing this time - straight in with the dip pen.
Beetroot cut in half to make print bottom left.  Brush also used to add ink as shadows. 

Watercolour washes added.

The feedback from the sessions was very encouraging and in the final session of term, when members can work on something of their own choice (or finish off work from previous weeks), many opted to have another go using one of these methods.

I also had another stint using the dip pen recently, this time with Quink Ink.  When diluted with water this ink tends to separate out into blues, greys and ochre - all by itself!  It is perfect for using in sketchbooks, but be aware that it is not very lightfast.

Studies of natural objects with dip pen and Quink Ink. 

Time Lapse Video - Watercolour of Mountain Gorilla

Through the Looking Glass, watercolour, 75x58cms

The Eastern Open 2013 exhibition opened at the weekend and the photo above is of large watercolour painting I entered.  Unfortunately neither of the paintings I put forward were accepted but with a large number of entries from 7 counties I am only one of many who received rejection slips.  However, having experienced the task of being a selector for the WNAA Summer Exhibition on two occasions I have some insight into the whole process.  I would encourage any artist to take up the opportunity to be a selector/curator if the chance is there - you will certainly never take rejection personally!  Fortunately all entrants to the Eastern open have their postcards displayed for sale in the Old Warehouse.  I popped along to the Art Centre yesterday to have a closer look at all the work and the exhibition does have a cohesive flow to it, with several stunning artworks on display.  It is good to see so many drawings selected.  The Best in Show went to a photograph.  It was interesting walking round and trying to visualize if my work could have sat in amongst them.

Anyway, I thought you might like to see the process of this watercolour painting as captured via a time lapse film.  The original reference photograph I took at Bristol Zoo last month.  I was lingering in the indoor area of the mountain gorillas when this big silverback ambled right up to the glass where I was standing and hunkered down for a few minutes.  I was fascinated by the animal itself but also with the reflections in the glass.  Once the painting was finished, although I gave it an official title, I always mentally referred to it as Egghead!  You can probably see why...   

Drawing on full sheet watercolour paper, Not surface

The following time lapse film is in 2 parts - I have yet to learn how to join the two sections together (I couldn't see how to do it directly in YouTube, think I might have to find a video editing programme to load on the computer so I can add titles etc.) so I do apologise.  I did discover how to add audio, Part 1 works fine in terms of duration but Part 2 finishes rather abruptly.  Hope you enjoy my efforts anyway - it's all a steep learning curve.

Part One

 

 

Part 2

Not sure if this painting will be seen in an exhibition any time soon - but I had a great time creating it!  If you are in King's Lynn between now and 30 November I do encourage you to visit the Eastern Open 2013 at the King's Lynn Art Centre www.kingslynnarts.co.uk.  Enjoy the selected work, and see if you can spot my two postcards, on sale for £20 each.

Preview Evening - Mari French

Mari French at the preview of her new exhibition, Beyond the Surface
at Greyfriars Art Space

A new exhibition has just opened at Greyfriars Art Space in King's Lynn.  Beyond the Surface is an aptly named exhibition of extraordinary contemporary mixed media paintings by Mari French.  I attended the preview evening yesterday, the gallery was buzzing and I came home feeling energised.  Her inspiration is mostly from the landscape of the Norfolk coast and the moorlands of North Yorkshire but there are also a few paintings of the decaying buildings in Venice and two impressive interior interpretations of Castle Rising.  Mari's work varies in scale from metre square canvases to smaller intimate pieces but they all share the same qualities of atmosphere and texture.  The paintings are multi layered with texture paste, acrylic and sometimes open weave fabric gets trapped and embedded.  Tools are used to scratch and scrape, revealing colour from previous layers, and marks applied with the transfer of paint from items like bubble wrap.  A delightful visual feast, beautifully orchestrated.  The work is essentially abstract; the viewer can bring their own imagination, experiences and interpretation.  There are passages of bright light and high contrast suggesting sunlight bouncing off the water filled dykes between fields and the creeks of the saltmarsh.  Others have muted sweeping vistas and a brooding tension, you can almost feel the wind whistling across the expanse of moorland.  Evocative is the word and I love this exhibition!

The exhibition opened today and is on until 5 October 2013.  The gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10am - 4 pm (www.greyfriarsartspace.co.uk) and you can find out more about Mari and her work at www.marifrench.com.  I urge you to visit.  Mari will be present most of the time and will be more than happy to chat about her inspiration and techniques.

Exhibition Round-Up and First Effort at Time-Lapse Video!

WNAA 'Small Works' exhibition in Shakespeare Barn, King's Lynn

The latest art exhibitions at the King's Lynn Art Centre are now in full swing.  All four galleries are showing work by local artists - so much talent in West Norfolk!  I have already done several sessions invigilating and always enjoy meeting visitors and getting feedback on any of the work on display. 



Pattern of Light, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 cms
My painting with selected grey background square in the
WNAA Small Works exhibition

Almost everyone comments on the novel approach to display in the WNAA Small Works exhibition.  I find it fascinating to see which colour each artist has chosen to enhance their work.  It is amazing how each becomes a little jewel in its own setting.  We have had a few people asking what the accompanied paint colour is called (perhaps inspired to use it as a feature wall in their home?) and in a previous year one artist who sold his artwork was invited to paint the square too.

'Wildlife in Art 2013' exhibition in The Fermoy Gallery, King's Lynn

A very different display for the Wildlife in Art 2013 exhibition - not an easy task to create an exhibition that flows with such an array of media, styles, shapes and sizes.  Congratulations to Peter, Ann and David - you did it!

In the photo above you can just about make out my owl painting.  I treated myself to a little camcorder a few weeks ago and made sure it was one that had a time-lapse recording function on it.  This enables a long period of time to be condensed into a much shorter time frame by only capturing snatches of images at pre-set intervals.  I have had a go at this while painting Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl.  I am offering this short video to you for viewing, but apologize for any frustration it may cause - unfortunately I ran out of battery before I even started working on those gorgeous orange eyes!  I had been playing around with the camera and getting used to the various functions; I should have charged the battery before filming the painting session.  Learning a lesson the hard way...

To try and make amends I finish with a photo of Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl.  My original reference photo was taken when Paul and I were in the Lake District and while exploring Kendal we came across an owl recue association promoting their work that had some of their magnificent birds with them.  Paul had the opportunity to have a large leather glove on his fist and Monty sat there quite content while I took some photos.  We left a healthy donation to support their work!

  

Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl, acrylic on canvas, 
(copyright Tod Evans) 

The exhibitions at the King's Lynn Art Centre www.kingslynnarts.co.uk continue until Sunday 15th September, closing at 5pm, so if you are visiting the area I urge you to go along and have a look - there is something for all tastes and you will definitely come away inspired.  You may even be tempted to purchase some original art to hang in your own home.

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?