Portrait Practice with Paul J
These are the results of three portrait practice sessions with my mate, Paul. He even managed to stop talking occasionally, so I could draw his mouth!
Studio Practice
Collage Experiments
Still trying to let go of local colour and verisimilitude, so experimenting with collage using random colour shapes cut and torn out of magazines. Trying to channel Henri Matisse and his Jazz series of cut outs, whilst recalling to mind Robert Rauschenberg’s statement that ‘This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say it …
Monotype Experiments
Playing with monotypes today and trying to let go of hard edges and local colour (ink and oil stick on A3 paper 30cm x 42cm)
New Sketch: Trying to Paint Faster than Thought
This is another attempt to paint faster than I can think (shouldn’t be difficult, right? 🙄😉). It’s a random multiple figure composition which seeks to take inspiration from a diverse range of paintings; Le Joie de Vivre ( Henri Matisse); The Mud Bath (David Bomberg); Las Meninas (Diego Velázquez); La Dejeuner Sur L’herbe (Édouard Manet); …
New Sketch: Trying to Loosen Up Painting
I’m not sure I’ll ever be a ‘painterly’ painter but am still trying to loosen up my painting. I keep thinking about something Alex Kanevsky said in a workshop; ‘Paint faster than you think.’, so have tried to give it a go with this piece. Painting without thought actually made the activity much more enjoyable …
Welding Practice
I finally dug my arc welder out yesterday and had a go at running some practice beads across a piece of steel. I used 3 different widths of 6013 electrodes and experimented with different voltages, which goes some way towards explaining the variation in quality. Lack of experience and skill explains the rest, but it …
SkyArts Portrait Artist of the Week – Noel Fielding
This is my attempt at painting @noel_fielding in 4 hours whilst in the company of @kimberly_klauss. Yet another fantastic conversation with loads of things to mull over. Listening to it was like a meditation on being an artist. Fab! (Acrylic on panel 61cm x 61cm)
SkyArts Portrait Artist of the Week – Will Young
Is it wrong to hope that lockdown never ends so that @skyarts don’t ever stop running #PAOTW? It’s such great fun! This is my attempt at painting @willyoungofficial in 4 hours whilst being gobsmacked by the incredible speed and skill of @hoookart. I really struggled to get a likeness with this one, but Will was an absolute hoot to listen to, …
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Mall Galleries Quick Sketch
(Belated post…) I should have been working on a commission (sorry Tony!), but thought I’d have a go at a self-portrait for @mallgalleries #mallgalleriesdrawsourselves event. It was a bit of a rush in 1.5 hours, but good fun nonetheless! P.S. I’m not wearing eyeliner. I was just a bit heavy-handed around the eyes…
SkyArts Portrait Artist of the Week 4
Here’s my attempt at drawing @robbierinder in 4 hours whilst watching @garethreidart on #skyarts/#artistoftheyear ‘Portrait Artist of the Week’ live Facebook feed. Really enjoyed this one! Gareth gave a real masterclass on portraiture and even attempted to persuade Judge Rinder to hold a useful three-quarter view (without success, to be honest!) Still, Robert had a fascinating, sculptural face which was great …