The Power of Dance
Today is International Dance Day and I wanted to mark it with something special celebrating someone who, both in dance and spirit, I am truly inspired by. Read on to discover the amazing dancer this digital painting pays tribute to.
Ezgi Zaman, Dance Allegory, Digital painting, April 2021
Today is international dance day and I wanted to mark it with something special celebrating someone who, both in dance and spirit, I am truly inspired by.
Before lockdown I was dancing several times a week but over the course of the last year, dance gradually became an absent friend. That is, until I signed up for Ezgi Zaman’s zoom classes a few weeks ago.
Since then I have rediscovered what joy and magic dancing can bring, especially when guided by Ezgi’s amazing energy and warmth.
Her classes are as much a lesson in dance philosophy as technique, creating a space to talk about the roots of salsa and our experiences of it. It was one of these conversations that triggered the idea for this painting. Namely how dance helps us to wind back the clock to our childhood when movement is uninhibited and a fully integrated part of our self-expression.
Ezgi says it beautifully (to visit Ezgi’s instagram page CLICK HERE):
Dance is a way to understand who we are! It's not for success in society! It's just a way to find peace in our souls and with all lives around us!
Dancing is not movement which is well matched to the music; dancing becomes real when you take the music out from your body, the melody from your heart always tells the truth.
You can see these thoughts in shining life when you watch Ezgi dance.
In an attempt to capture this spirit, I used a freeze frame of her dancing as my reference point. As such I had to keep my brush strokes much looser, as the detail was out of focus. It was the overall energy and gesture that I was looking at. The background design is very much rooted in this energy and the ideas Ezgi’s dancing and teaching inspired in me.
Watch the timelapse below to see how this painting evolved.
World Burlesque Day
Read all about the collaborations that led to today’s digital painting which celebrates World Burlesque Day!
I am excited to share with you my latest digital painting, literally just finished, of the wonderful dancer Corina!
In celebration of World Burlesque day I reached out to Corina for this collaboration.
This painting was actually based on a circus themed performance she did and, whilst you can't see it, the rest of Corina was on stilts!
So whilst not strictly speaking a Burlesque, I nevertheless felt the razzle dazzle mix of sequins, feathers and general va va voom still hit the mark, hopefully you think so too!
It was a lovely opportunity to really explore ‘drama’ in costume and makeup and what an amazing mood it can conjure.
Watch the time lapse below to see the action unfold.
Millie, the Mountaineer
Today’s digital painting celebrates Millie, a little Patterdale, Jack Russell Terrier mix with a lot of tricks up her sleeve.
Read on to find out more and watch a full timelapse of this painting in progress.
Today’s digital painting celebrates Millie the Mountaineer!
Believed to be a Patterdale, Jack Russell Terrier mix, but she was recued by her family 6 years ago, so no one is entirely sure.
Originally a circus dog, Millie can army crawl you under a table. She is also an enthusiastic walker (with a couple of mountains under her belt) but will happily sleep all day if you let her.
She is a little shy, very gentle and, according to her owner, is ‘as good as gold,’ so much so that she was awarded ‘best small dog’ at her village dog show.
I have painted her here in her mountain gear and very much enjoyed losing myself in the reflections of her eyes which gave a little glimpse of a wonderfully snowy view.
Have a look at the video below to see the full timelapse of how this painting progressed.
Bobby the Corgi Clown
Today’s furry Friday friend digital painting celebrates a young Welsh Corgi, called Bobby. Read on to find out more about him and watch a timelapse of this painting in action.
Today’s furry friend digital painting is of a bouncy, young, tri colour, cardigan, Welsh, Corgi, called Bobby.
He is a little over 6 months and is very much the clown of his family or as owner Emma describes him ‘a little bit of chaos on short legs.'
A big fan of everyone and everything, he is a dog that embraces life to the full, even delighting in the occasional munch on cat poo!
The more animals I paint the more I am tuning into the musical rhythms and colours of their fur. The mix of colouring around Bobby’s ears was particularly beautiful and took me on a rather meditative journey.
See the timelapse below to watch this journey in progress.
Still wondering what these digital paintings might look like on the walls of your home?
I will soon be sharing a series of fun videos showing the full journey of a digital painting from conception to framed print on a wall, so keep an eye out!
Any questions in the meantime do let me know in the comments below!
Boris the Unicorn
Today I offer up my painting of Boris the cob to celebrate, in a rather quirky way, National Unicorn Day. Read all about this very unconventional unicorn and watch a video of how this painting progressed.
Today is National Unicorn day, and my furry friend digital painting has taken a little twist on the theme. I present you with Boris the cob, not your conventional interpretation of a unicorn, but a happy, somewhat shaggy, salt-of-the-earth alternative.
He is gentle and sensitive in nature, with a peculiar fear of plastic bags, which on one occasion caused him to spontaneously jump sideways onto a car.
Full charge in a hunt, he is nothing if not enthusiastic although he has been described as a ‘slightly malcoordinated tank’ by his owners, with his tendency of not paying much mind to obstacles and being a little on the clumsy side.
Boris is the first horse I have had the pleasure to paint and I was completely mesmerised by all the shifting textures of his winter coat!
Jeff & Corina
Today I am sharing my newly finished portrait of the wonderful Jeff & Corina. Read on to hear about the back story to this artwork and see a timelapse of the painting in progress.
Today I’m putting the spotlight back onto the theme of dance with my now finished digital painting of the wonderful Corina (@corinabailarina) and Jeff (@incognito_dance), who have taught me so much over the last few years about salsa.
I started working on the idea for this painting back in July last year, when I was just beginning my digital painting journey.
I ended up recently reworking my original efforts, being more confident in the medium than I was back then. My ultimate aim was to try to capture the spirit and energy of the dancers and something of what the idea of dance represents to me.
A big thank you to the awesome Darryl (@bgumedia) whose photograph was the initial spark that set this painting in motion!
I am keen to build my portfolio of dance and performance inspired paintings and incorporate this into the commission service I will soon be launching.
It is my hope to use my skills and knowledge of dance and performance to help others capture their special moments in artworks that act as joyful reminders of an occasion, an idea or even just a feeling!
If any dancers and performers out there reading this would like to work with me to help celebrate your moments in a painting feel free to get in touch.
Lambkin, The Easter Lamb
In the lead up to Easter I went in search of a lamb and found Lambkin.
Read all about him and watch a video of how my digital painting of him evolved.
In preparation for Easter I went in search of a lamb to paint and was fortunate enough to find this little fella, who goes by the name of Lambkin.
He is smaller than his other pet lamb companions but also incredibly determined, always being the first in line at feeding time. Neither is he shy and happily chases his owner’s children around the garden.
My reference for this painting was a photo of him in said garden, around sunset. There was something tender and slightly comical about his expression that I found poignant, along with the way the warm glow of the sun’s light really brought his young textural tufts of fur to life.
I was recently asked how long these furry friend digital paintings take me to do and the answer is it depends on a few factors, like how furry the animal is, whether I am just focusing on the head or doing a full body portrait and what is happening in the background. Lambkin took me around 10 hours to paint and I would say generally it can vary between 8-15 hours depending on the complexity of the painting.
I am really happy to answer any other questions you might have about my digital paintings and welcome you to post any Qs in the comments below.
For now, wishing you all a happy and healthy Easter weekend!