Artists & Illustrators magazine

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Artists & Illustrators magazine has just posted in Facebook the link to an abridged version of an article I wrote for them a while ago on how to paint an imaginary landscape which follows a step-by-step progress through "Departure of the Bash Kadin".

Sentinel

After the exertions of producing a body of work to take to Illuxcon, I am now just trying a few experiments with some smaller paintings. Right back to when I was an illustrator I occasionally produced more textural paintings then in acrylic, whereby dark transparent paint is roughly painted on first and then highlights painted into it when it was dry. This worked particularly well with natural forms such as tree trunks. I have over recent years done something similar with oil paint except instead of painting in highlights I have have erased them with a small bristle brush dipped into turpentine. Whilst at Illuxcon I saw the work of Julie Bell who has been doing something similar although a lot more refined than my attempts so far and decided to have another go on a simple landscape. I chose a lonely Scots Pine with writhing roots on a hilltop against a cloudy sky, keeping it moody by lighting it quite low with no really bright areas. I am not overly happy with the results but it's a start, I'm not sure if I will continue with these or not...
Oil on board 18 1/2" x 18 1/2",
There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.

Sentinel - stage 5

After much deliberation I decided to paint some rich dark glazes over all of the bottom half of the picture, mostly warm browns but with touches of green and blue and then picking out highlights by erasing the glaze with a small bristle brush tipped in turpentine. 
Not sure where I'm going with this but it's good to be trying something a bit different and indeed good to be back painting.

Sentinel - stage 4

This is just to show what I have been able to do in a couple of hours this morning before I have to be away from the studio, back Thursday. I washed some transparent colour over the ground and rocks to knock them back tonally before deciding how to finish it on my return to the studio.

Sentinel - stages 2 & 3

Stage 2

On my return to the studio yesterday I painted in the basic shapes of the lone Scots Pine tree and darkened the sky with the previous mix of Raw Umber, Transparent Maroon, and Alizarin Crimson mixed with Liquin and turpentine.
Today I was able to paint in the sky and clouds as well as pretty much finishing the tree as far as where the roots start. I used mixes of Raw Umber, Zinc White, Ultramarine Blue, Raw Sienna and Lemon Yellow for the sky area. At this point I decided to stop as I need to think about how I'm going to tackle the bottom part of the painting, such as how much different colour should be introduced or should I keep the whole thing moving between browns and blues for instance.

Stage 3

Sentinel - stage 1

After recovering from Illuxcon and the lack of sales I am getting on with something different that has been been bubbling away in the background for while and that was rekindled when looking at the work of Julie Bell who was exhibiting at Illuxcon. This is just a trial and is only the first stage, it may need more variety of colour for instance but I will paint in the lone Scots Pine when I return to the studio on Saturday. It is then a question of painting in the clouds which will be soft and nebulous and sorting out the foreground textures etc.
This stage was "drawn" in with some battered bristle brushes using a mix of Alizarin Crimson, Transparent Maroon and Raw Umber thinned with Liquin and turpentine. The sky was put in with a rag using the same mix.

IX 10 Encore Show

Cold Constantinople

Whilst the unsold paintings are on the way back to the UK from IX 10 in Reading PA three of them are included in the IX 10 Encore Show that runs until December 31st. This internet show is to give a chance to collectors that couldn't make it to IX 10 itself to purchase paintings etc from where they live.
The three paintings are:
"Cold Constantinople"
"Midnight Keep"
"Faeral"

 

 

Midnight Keep

Faeral