International Dog Day
Today I am looking back on all the wonderful dogs I have had the honour of painting this year. Read on to find out what I discovered.
Swift on the heels of International Cat Day, today it is our Canine friend's turn!
International Dog Day was created in 2004 by Colleen Paige an animal welfare Advocate and Pet Lifestyle Expert.
Why 26th August? This was the day in Colleen's life, aged 10, when their family adopted her first dog. And a big part of today's purpose is to raise awareness about the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year. It is also a celebration of all dogs both mixed and pure in race.
I have been on a portrait painting rollercoaster since last January which has introduced me to some wonderful dogs, many of them mixed breed and rescue cases.
Today I am looking back over my journey so far. Whilst each dog was particular in their personality and character, all were unanimously irreplaceable and special members of their families.
Each played a powerful part in the family dynamic, whether that was entertaining, keeping in check, caring, supporting, reassuring, energy giving, protecting - they were all ultimate loving companion / best bud / accomplice!
I am constantly moved and inspired by the stories of these animals and the daily impact they make on their owners' lives. I like to think of each portrait I do as a visual celebration of this powerful bond.
If you would like to find out how I can help you celebrate the dog in your life do check out my commission service by clicking the button below.
Wishing dogs and dog lovers alike a cheerful and treat-full day!
Another Work in Progress - The Dinky Aston Martin
Discover what is on the ‘digital’ easel this week and watch a video showing how I start my paintings.
My work on the Dinky Auto Union is still ongoing, so I thought I would share with you another work in progress today, namely a painting of a very handsome Dinky Aston Martin.
Like the Auto Union, I am painting with a stylus and pressure sensitive Wacom tablet, working in 'digital' oil paint on canvas.
The video below shows the very early stages where I am keeping my brush strokes loose, creating first a rough guide line, then blocking in the main areas of colour and tone.
Once everything is where it should be I will really start diving into the detail of surface patina, which is what I like to think of as a deep meditation on the quality and modelling of these beautiful toys.
I'll post another update soon with my progress! Wishing everyone a great weekend ahead, especially those on the hunt for some Dinky Toy treasure!
An Admin update - Introducing my New Business Card!
Check out my new Business card range; a long overdue update, finally accomplished!
Today I'm sharing a little admin 'hurrah moment' 😊
I finally got round to designing and expanding my business card range to include some of the recent animal portraits I've been doing.
This was the result, beautifully printed and boxed by Moo.com who always provide a top notch service!
Take a look at the full line up of designs the video below.
In Celebration of the Honey Bee
Find out the full story behind my tribute to the Honey Bee, in celebration of World Honey Bee Day.
Honey Bee Tribute, digital oil on canvas
Did you know a spoonful of sugar (2 tsp of white granulated sugar mixed with 1tsp water to be precise) can offer a bee a brilliant boost!
The 21st August was World Honey Bee Day and here is my painted tribute to it with a little twist to acknowledge the dangers of pesticides, habitat loss and climate change that today's bees face.
It was another Rebelle 4 experiment using oil brushes and drips to build up a rich textural surface. It was also in many respects a deep meditation on the beauty of a honey bee!
Check out the mini time-lapse below to watch the creative process in action!
Aside from teaspoons of sugar, also try planting a native wildflower, like a Primrose, Buddleia or Marigold in your garden / window box. They are nectar rich plants that bees really thrive on!
A Work in Progress
Today I talk about what I’ve been working on this week and give you a behind the scenes look at my progress so far.
Today is a behind the scenes sneak peek of something I'm working on at the moment.
I was set a lovely challenge to have fun with this stunner of a Dinky Toy. You'll get the gist of how I'm approaching it in the video, but I shall wait to reveal the whole thing once it is finished :)
To give you a bit of context, I've been painting in oil on canvas for over 20 years now and am continuing to apply these skills to digital painting, where I am using the brilliant Rebelle 4 software which replicates the texture and feel of oil paint and canvas beautifully.
You'll see my setup at the end of this video, where I'm working free hand with a pressure sensitive Wacom tablet and stylus to 'paint' with. I have my reference images up on the screen next to my 'digital easel' and am constantly looking back and forth between one and the other as I work.
If you have a much treasured diecast car or object you would like to celebrate in paint then do get in touch or check out my commission service page by clicking the button below.
Celebrating World Elephant Day
A little dive into the world of Elephants in celebration of World Elephant Day (19th August). Using my painted allegory ‘A Little Help’ to ask a few questions. Read on to discover what I found out.
Another animal day of celebration paying tribute to the Elephant, this time with one of my toy paintings called 'A little Help' (oil on canvas 60 x 60 cm).
The painting itself was an allegorical play on ideas like 'the elephant in the room' and 'whistle-blowing' and I think it fitting to offer it up today as a way of asking the question:
How are elephants getting on in our world?
This is what I've discovered so far
🐘Elephant facts
They are the world's largest land animal, have a super thick skin (2.5cm in most places), a voracious appetite, an extraordinarily agile trunk, and are very keen walkers, so much so that they are up and walking within 20 minutes of being born.
🐘Problems
They are also under massive threat with an estimated 415,000 wild elephants left in the world (around 90% less in number than a century ago).
These dangers include poaching to supply ivory trade demand, loss of habitat and an increasing strain on human-elephant relations with migratory routes now shared with agricultural developments, human settlements and infrastructural constructions.
🐘Solutions
Building awareness, changing perceptions and reducing commercial demand for ivory, helping local rangers enforce measures to protect existing elephant populations and promoting local education whilst exploring the application of new technologies to improve human-elephant interactions.
Highly recommend checking out
WWF website for more info🤓
A New Experiment in Tribute to World Lion Day
Read about my continuing exploration of new digital mediums with my latest animal portrait in celebration of World Lion’s Day.
From domestic cats into the wild! Here is a new experiment of mine, undertaken in tribute to World Lion Day
This was another dive into the Rebelle 4 painting software I've been exploring recently.
To date I've been focusing mainly on oils, but for this I wanted to try out their soft pastels instead.
I have kept my approach much looser than normal, in part because I wanted to see if I could say less with more and I was working to the clock! :)
In a way the constraints of a time limit can be a brilliant tool, forcing focus like nothing else can!
See below a mini time-lapse of how I started, working in loose line & blocks of colour, making myself step back from detail more.
I have also included a close up of the eye to give you a sense of how this software really captures the texture and feel of the pastel medium.
Clover, the Loyal Sprocker
Introducing my latest portrait of a sprocker called Clover. Read all about her story and watch a small time-lapse of this portrait in progress.
Clover, Digital oil painting
Happy to share my new portrait of a kind and loyal sprocker called Clover.
She’s accompanied her owner Rachael through every kind of adventure, be it moves, job pivots and most recently a pandemic pregnancy, where she remained tucked up by Rachael’s side, ever supportive, patient and reassuring.
Hard to really sum something like this up in words. At the heart of it, I suppose, is a quality of love that is beautifully pure, innocent and freely given.
Have you got a loyal dog in your life? What’s one memorable act of support they have given you over the years? I find these stories so insightful, so please do share in the comments below.
Rachael describes Clover as the ‘dog of a lifetime’ and ‘her soulmate’ a fitting tribute to a wonderful animal.
In the time-lapse below you can watch a summary of how this portrait progressed, starting loose and gradually refining into detail.