Logo Trio

Brushing up the hare.  Pun intended.  A logo that might be associated with hare brained or even magic rather than manic which I mean to be dynamic.  No one is ever going to figure any of this out.  But with companies called Orange and Egg what does it matter.  I used to draw rabbits all the time in my early twenties, yes odd.   I was actually born in the year of the rabbit.  Well I could ponder these things all day long.

Dog Portrait

I have always been unreliable in recording the time it takes to make a painting. I mean I have a rough idea but never own up to the actual hours.   Why?    Firstly I believe I should be quicker, and if I was farming out paintings left right and centre I would be a bit quicker.  Secondly typically I have a lack of conviction, or rather a wavering of conviction.  Perhaps I take all these hours to make a painting because I am not very good and if I own up to the amount of time it takes I will be found out. Yes I know it sounds crazy.  It is not just me, plenty of artists feel like this.  What an insecure bunch we are :)  

Gus was sketched a few times in rough,  then a good drawing done, and transferred onto watercolour paper. Then he was dunked in the bath for a few minutes, popped onto a board and stuck down and allowed to dry.  Then it took around 20 hours.  There I said it.

 

Hair of the Dog's Nose

Evidence that there is artwork with a dog in it well under way.

Birthday Present Dog Portrait

A bit of a scrubby looking sketch, but the general gist of a drawing of Guss scruffy dog.   The painting is well under way, but no posting of its work in progress here as I am going to keep the said birthday girl in suspense until it is finished (Lyn)!

Breaching my copyright.

I copied myself :) 

At Uni I was working in an impressionist style and produced this image in that style.  The original sold straight out of our end of year show.  Nice.  Over the past year or so my style has tightened up considerably.   I got myself some glasses and needless to say being able to see what I am doing has helped immensely with my enjoyment of the whole process. This revamped and revitalised design is about to get a real airing, going to get some greetings cards done up right now.

Children's Story Book Progress

 Lots of work being done now with renewed vigour. Getting through the middle of this all is the hardest, but now I feel that the end is in sight!

 

Kingfisher Strike from Rough to Finish

Development of the painting through some of the stages.  I should have planned the splash better but got there finally. See my gallery for a larger image of the finished painting : Other Work Myths/Animals 
Manic Illustrations Gallery

Kingfisher Strike

This sketch was part of the preparation made for a painting.  My attention waivered from my children's book project and the next thing I knew I was on my way to painting a Kingfisher strike.  In contrast to the book this work is more naturalistic.  

Here is the the jealous Kingfisher for the book.  The animals have human (anthropomorphic) qualities although I don't like to overwork their expressions. I do try to leave something to the imagination and not take too much away from their animalness...

  

Chrismas Eve - Mince pie and Mice.

Christmas mischief complete.  

Christmas is coming!

 

In amongst the muddle of sketches for a dummy book  in connection with the previous posting here I am distracting myself with a mischief of mice.

  

Things to come....

Back to business and a new story ready formed and a dummy in the making.   Here are a couple of snippets of finished work.

Dog and Duck

A story has settled in my mind but it is by no means complete.  I have reservations about the lack of beauty in this image.

Owl and Pussy Cat setting off to sea.

This painting is not a favourite if mine so has been relegated to WIP for the time being...

Trying out some colours.

Practice on papers

 Painting Sketches.

Owl and Pussy Cat Ready to Sail

Unfinished second painting, making fair progress, until it all goes wrong of course(!)

The Owl and The Pussy Cat Dancing

A snippet of  a recent painting.  A second one to follow.

Sketches365 blogspot page

Sketch for June 8th, one being posted every day on my Daily Sketches365 Page.

Sketches of a child.

Preparation for another image. But alongside this I will be concentrating  revamping my Children's Picture Book Portfolio....just need to research an old lady, a fish and fortune telling....

Balancing Act

   

Illustration in picture books - making imaginative scenes look believable.

Horse and Child

My fastest turnaround on a painting.   This is your story whatever it  may be.

Horse and Child

A fresh start with a new image.

Startled Horse Rearing

This image was posted in February but the foreground was unfinished - here it is finished at last.

Ruby.

Children's Pictures: Aardvark moment.

A quick piece to get me back to my Children's Pictures project. Don't leave small aardvarks in charge of your shopping trolley.

Toby Full Artwork Commission Revised and Finished.

On further consideration I had to admit defeat and throw down my brushes. The sketch from the phone photo of Toby could not give me enough information to do a decent job. So putting it down to experience and not having a second choice photo from the client, this is what I have produced from one of my own photos taken of Toby recently.  

Toby the Springer Spaniel

Toby final sketch

I am currently partway through working on this commission for a painting. Many of the features have been notably time consuming due to having to refer to several pictures to get the full detail which are not shown in the original photo.   It is not surprising that Springer Spaniels have differing features within the breed but it is surprising HOW different.  The same as with people, if you put someone else's nose or ears on an individual they do not look like themselves!  At last I feel this sketch is actually Toby himself.

Almost finished....  
This piece was inspired by Dorothy Hardy 1891-1925 and her fantastic action images of horses and other beasts.  For further reference see the  links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Loki_and_Svadilfari_by_Hardy.jpg
http://www.easyart.com/art-prints/artists/Dorothy-Hardy-1227.html

Portrait Painting of Toby

This is Toby.

I am going to produce portrait painting of him and have chosen two poses to explore. The first pose below is from mobile phone photo whose resolution does not give me enough detail to be sure Toby looks accurately like the dog that he is!  I have tried to compensate by using other photos of him too.

In light of the above I am also using a photo which I took of Toby recently for the second pose.

These are preliminary sketches to hopefully help us make a decision very soon.

Finished Piece - The Mountain Spirit.

Below is my painting of the Mountain Spirit of Korea, a shaman or sanshin associated with immortality, nature and trees.  The tiger here is deliberately larger than life to embue  the calm power of the Sanshin. This is a spirit of ancient times and is seen incorporated within Buddhist temples when they were built in the 4th Century in Korea. 

This piece was supposed to have been completed a couple of posts ago, but I had reservations about the bottom right corner.....I have promised myself to now leave it be.  

Click this link to see a typical korean image : Sanshin Mountain Spirit 

Korean Mythology - The Mountain Spirit

Workings -finding the right expression.

Owl strategy -the less he spoke the more he read.

Strategy for the year as follows : do not veer from the topic of Mythology for a series of paintings, work on Picture Book Project, undertake any commissions, and keep drawing. So here is a drawing. Did you know owls are seen as a bad omen in some cultures ... shame.

FYKM6CFJG3BV

Hare Scratching

Originally associated with the likes of Goddesses,
Christianity believed the hare to be the familiar of witches.

Cobra

Sanshin not quite finished but taking a break by starting to plan another piece of work.

A Snippet

Just a snippet of the Sanshin my current work in progress.

Preparation sketch spaniel

I have decided my next painting shall be my depiction of the Korean Mountain Spirit San-shin and his tiger.