Craft Fair 2018

Craft Fair 2018

I decided to show my animal portraits and drawings at this year’s Craft Fair at St Lawrence’s Church, Appleby in the beautiful Eden Valley near the English Lake District. 

I was given a pew to set up my artworks, which was great because there was a ledge to hold my smaller works so I didn’t have to take so many easels down the hill. 

From the left, at the far end of the pew (by my folding walking frame) you can see the portrait of Gucci in oils on canvas, followed by the portrait of Boots which is painted in pastel on canvas, then a pen and ink of my son with his horse. After that there are five drawings in pen and ink on graphic film. I drew the animals on the front of the graphic film, then I turned them over and put touches of colour on the reverse. Graphic film is translucent so the colour shows through. The wolf only needed his eyes and tongue enhanced to look good! Finally my masterpiece is the portrait in graphite pencil of my dog Bryn. 

I always talk of going down the hill when I walk into Appleby town centre because the town is in a valley with steep sides and I live near the top of the hill on the east. From my house I can see the top of the Church tower. It is a beautiful old Church in the centre of the community. I have been in so many churches that feel as if they are kept in mothballs during the week, but St Lawrence’s feels alive. 

The yearly Craft Fair is one of the events held to raise money for repairs to the Church and I like to support them though I don’t attend the church as I am a Buddhist. So this year I held a raffle. I offered a prize of a portrait by me and I managed to sell a total of 27 tickets. I was a bit disappointed as I hoped to sell at least 30. Hey ho! 

I have talked to the winner of the raffle and she wants a portrait of her cat who died. 

I also showed two of my old animal pastels. The wolf was facing the other way and I don’t think many people looked over the other end of the pew to see it. 

Here is a photo of the rabbit. I painted it back in 1997 in pastel on paper. If you think it is more whimsical than my usual style I agree. It was intended to be an illustration for a children’s story about a teddy bear having an adventure and this was when the teddy meets a rabbit. But I got bored with the idea so I cut off the part of the painting with the teddy bear and filled in the gap with the thistle.

 

Hogarth to Keene

Hogarth to Keene 

I have been in a reminiscent frame of mind this week. 

The line of Fliss’s tail kept reminding me of Hogarth’s “line of beauty” which is an S shape. So I went looking for my book “From Hogarth to Keene”.

Because I had polio as a baby and couldn’t run around with other children, I learned to read early and I spent all my free time reading. 

In our sitting room, where we entertained visitors, there was a display cabinet. The bottom shelf held books. There was a set of encyclopaedias in eight volumes called the Books of Knowledge and I used to sit on the floor by the display cabinet and read them from cover to cover. I was particularly interested in mythology but I read about everything. 

Another book that was on the bottom shelf was “From Hogarth to Keene” by Henry Reitlinger, published in 1938. I mention the year because I want to quote the first sentence from Chapter 1: Story-Telling. “Our grandparents lived in the belief, which few ever seriously thought of questioning, that a picture ought to tell a story.” 

The author goes on to say that fashions in art have changed, and then he says that drawing in black and white “is clearly the natural and Heaven-sent medium for recording the anecdotal and even the jocular side of life”. 

So the book is about black and white illustration and the artists who had a talent in those mediums. 

I wonder if it was reading this book that gave me the love of pen and ink drawing. I took the book when my parents died. It held such precious memories. I left the encyclopaedia though. The information was so out-of-date.

William Hogarth was trained as a line engraver but his talent lies in his paintings and the social comment in his subjects. I was fascinated. When I was living in London I made a point of visiting Sir John Sloane’s Museum to see The Rake’s Progress set of eight paintings. I recommend a visit. It holds amazing items besides the paintings. 

I photographed pages of the book with illustrations by Hogarth (see above). 

Charles Keene is not so well known. He has a vigorous style which I admire. I thought that as his name was in the title I should take photos of his illustrations from the book to show you. So here they are below. 

Don’t you think that the old woman’s umbrella is delightful!

Lynx Kitten

Lynx Kitten

It is three years since I drew the lynx kitten, but I am entering it in an exhibition at the Gallery of the Eden Valley Artistic Network 

http://www.edenvalleyartisticnetwork.co.uk/

It is a 4 x 6 inch pen and ink drawing on graphic film, coloured on the reverse with coloured pencils.

I always used to work on paper, until I started to work in acrylics and gouache. I struggled with the problem of the paper buckling. Paper can even buckle using a dry medium like pastel, especially in damp weather, and now I was living in the Eden Valley. I have known it to rain here when the sky was blue and there was no cloud to be seen.

I had to make a change, and I discovered that graphic film is "dimensionally stable". I understand this to mean it stays flat no matter how damp it gets. So I started painting in gouache on graphic film and I had no more problems.

Graphic film is translucent, so I got an idea. I drew on the first side of double-sided graphic film with pen and ink, then I coloured the reverse side with coloured pencils and the colour showed through beautifully though it was muted.

It is an interesting challenge to paint the reverse side. I imagine that it must be like glass painting. When painting on paper you paint the most important details on top of the underpainting. If you do that on the reverse of graphic film you would never see them. So first you paint the important details, then the underpainting on top of that.

You have to keep looking at the right side to see what the finished drawing will look like.

One important thing to know about graphic film is that the pen, pencil or paint sticks to a special film coating on the outside. If you make an error, never scratch it off. That takes off the coating and leaves a shiny surface that nothing will stick to. You can use water to remove mistakes but that will leave white water spots. I haven’t found anything that will clean off the spots.

I can’t think of anything else to help anyone who wants to try this technique but I am happy to answer any questions - if I know the answer!

Yawning Tiger

 

Yawning Tiger 

I finished two pen and ink drawings this last week despite being distracted by a missing cat. My very old cat got out when I wasn't paying attention properly. Perhaps I did the drawing so efficiently as a distraction to keep from worrying about the cat. He got home on Friday night but he had to be rescued from a high wall in the dark. 

The first drawing I finished was this tiger. It is pen and ink on graphic film with coloured pencil on the reverse. It is more challenging than you would think to get the right tones to show through on the right side. Graphic film is translucent but not clearly transparent. So colours are dulled, and blending one colour over another needs to be done backwards. You have to use brains more than feelings. 

To the memory of the wonderful "Sheila"

 

The last portrait of Sheila 

This is so typical of Sheila. She loved cropping grass and always carried some in her mouth. 

This drawing is pen and ink on graphic film. I got the softened look by rubbing the applied ink with either an eraser or a cotton bud depending on the effect I wanted. 

Then I strengthened the darker areas. 

I added shades of green on the reverse of the drawing in coloured pencil. 

Horse Communication Drawing update

 

 

Horse Communication Drawing update 

I was not happy with the composition of the pen and ink drawing of the man and his horse. There was a nasty empty area by Sheila's shoulder. So I went searching for something to support her so she didn't look as if she was about to fall off the right hand side of the drawing. 

There wasn't much space to fill but I found a small tree from one of the other photos of Sheila. 

I didn't want to add colour in that area. That would not have improved the composition at all. As I had drawn the horse and man on graphic film, I drew the tree on the reverse using a 2B technical pencil. Then I softened it with a cotton bud. 

Soft pencil slithers nicely on graphic film with a little help. I avoid touching graphic film with my hand as any moisture marks it with a white spot. I lay sheets of paper, preferably blotting paper, wherever I may need to rest my hand. 

Finally, on the right side I emphasised the edge of Sheila's neck and shoulder against the tree using pen and ink.

I am happy with it now. I felt this double portrait was worth my best efforts. It would be a lovely depiction of the trust Sheila has for the man, if I could do it justice.  

Quizzical Mare Communication

 

Bonded 

It took 34 hours to finish this 7x5 inch pen and ink drawing of a man and horse, which is a lot longer than usual but it was a complex composition. There is so much communication going on between the man and his mare, and she is giving him such a quizzical look. I wonder what she thinks of him. 

It took over a month to complete because I had more cat instigated changes which involved buying a small cupboard to stand my printer in my bedroom, which is the only cat free zone. The problem was that the new cat kept sitting on the printer when it was in the kitchen. Cats have such dirty feet and I worried about cat litter dropping in the mechanism. 

So there has been more furniture being moved around upstairs and downstairs to make space for the new cupboard. 

I also bought a new chair to fit into the small space by my bedroom window where I do my pen and ink drawings now (see last post).

You may wonder if I am regretting rescuing Jet the cat. No. 

I will do a few drawings of him once he has a nice new glossy summer coat. He looks shabby now. Maybe he will get a huge fan club and make my fortune. OK I am joking. 

Wolf with cubs in her den drawn in pen and ink.

I have been moving my art studio downstairs and I had buried my scanner under a heap of paper which is why I have only just been able to scan this 6 x 4 inch pen and ink drawing of a wolf with her cubs in a den under tree roots. 

I have wanted to do this subject for a long time and eventually I decided that I must do it now. It is the one subject that I would regret if I had not done it at the end of my life. Now I can look for another subject to inspire me, but first I am going to do another larger version of the wolf den in colour. 

I love working in pen and ink. I recently bought a second Platinum fountain pen to use with waterproof carbon ink. Yes these pens are designed with a cap that stops them from drying up though it is necessary to use it every day or so with the carbon ink. I bought the pen with the ultra fine nib for my small drawings. I love the feel of the pen in my hand and the delicate lines that it can produce. 

I needed fine lines and control to draw the wolf and her cubs. The cubs in particular were a huddle of legs and noses. It was difficult to sort them out. I think there are four cubs there. It may have helped if I coloured the tongues pink but I thought that would look silly. 

Work in progress: The Wolf Den

The Wolf Den work in progress 6 x 4 inches 

It may be small but there is a lot of work in this pen and ink of a wolf and her cubs in a den under tree roots. So I am showing the work in progress. 

I am drawing it behind the barricade that fends off the cat. But today he peeped round the back of the barricade to see what I was doing. I was getting ready to protect the drawing when he kind of sniffed and went back to sleep. 

I have wanted to do a drawing or painting of the wolf den for many years but I deferred it because I had commissions. Eventually that old question came up: if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you regret not doing. For me the answer was so clear. I would most regret not having done this subject. 

The second thing was that I bought a new "best" pen so I bought some carbon ink cartridges for my old best pen and my hand was itching to draw with it. That is why I have started with a pen and ink of the subject. 

I have also bought an Ampersand claybord to do a painted version. But that will have to wait until the itch to use my pen stops nagging at my hand. 

A new Wolf

I enjoy drawing wolves. They are much easier than members of the cat family because their fur is coarser. I don't know if it is really coarser. Perhaps I should compare my dogs' hair with my cats' hair under a microscope. But I can certainly get away with a rougher drawing when I do a wolf. 

This is a 6x4 inch pen and ink drawing. The tongue and eyes are coloured using Caran d'Ache Luminance coloured pencils which are lightfast. 

I am now taking a break from pen and inks to finish a series of coloured pencil studies of the horse chestnut tree through the year. I started the series last year and I have a deadline of the 23rd of October when I want to display the group of drawings at a Craft Fair I am taking part in. 

A quick update

I am still working hard on the portrait of a young man that I mentioned last time. It is taking time because it is a miniature and I have to keep taking breaks to refresh my eyes and make sure I have each feature in the right place and size correct to 0.33 mm, before I do the next bit. 

This cougar, in pen and ink with pencil shading and touches of coloured pencil, is the same size as the young man but of course it is not a portrait of a particular cougar so the accuracy doesn't matter so much! It was quick and relaxing to draw. 

I have been having fun today learning about sampling algorithms. I wanted to know the best way to change a tiff to a jpeg. I have so many options! I went for Lanczos 3 separable. I have the vaguest idea of what it means but I saved the cougar in three different types of sampling and decided that this looked best. That is the visual artist's method! I am concerned about it because the application I am using, uses these sampling types for printing and I have been struggling to get a good print of the horse's head I posted last time. 

Dufton Art in the Hills exhibition

I entered four artworks into the Dufton Art in the Hills exhibition. 

One was my self portrait which I did last year. I wanted to show off how good I am at getting a good likeness so it was important for me to go to the private view. 

While I was there, my pen and ink of a Wolf was sold. It is the first time I have ever had a red sold spot next to one of my artworks at an exhibition. It was nice to meet the lady who had liked my drawing enough to buy it. 

The other drawings were pen and ink with touches of coloured pencil too.

The man in the next drawing is my son. He has a little bit of coloured pencil to tint his face. I have found an even better reference photo of him talking to his horse so I plan to do one from that one day. 

The only touch of colour in the mare's head at the bottom is her eye. 

I have to have a break from pen and inks because I have an important portrait to do which I am keeping private.

Arabian Mare

Arabian Mare in pen and ink with coloured pencil 

Here is the mother of the Arabian foal. I think it was shortly before she gave birth. 

It is drawn in pen and ink as before, with coloured pencil enhancement. The size is 4x6 inches. 

I am pleased with this one. I learned a lot while drawing the foal and I was able to avoid the mistakes I had made. 

There is something so beautiful about Arabian horses. I have another drawing to do of the mare with her foal which is so cute. 

I am looking forward to drawing it but currently I am excited about another horse I am going to draw who has such an expression as she looks at her human. I want to show it to the world and that is the true meaning of my art: to show the wonderful value of love and trust, to the world. 

A Pen and Ink of an Arabian Foal

Arabian foal 

Small, 4 x 6 inches, pen and ink drawing with coloured pencil embellishment. 

This is my first attempt at a pen and ink horse. I have drawn and painted horses and studied horse anatomy but this is my first foal. Isn't she cute!

I use a Copic Multiliner pen with a 0.03 nib which is the smallest nib I have found other than the Rotring. I have had Rotrings and they have blocked up quickly. To make the lines thinner and lighter, once I have finished shading, I soften pen lines with an eraser, but it is important to do that before the ink dries completely. The ink must be nearly dry or it will smudge. This would not work on absorbent paper. I draw on a polyester surface.

I am not sure what happened here. It may have been unusually dry weather or just that I left the drawing too long before getting out my erasers, but the lines, especially on the legs, would not soften and they are stronger than I would wish. 

I am being very careful to soften lines in good time in subsequent drawings. (I have just finished a drawing of her mother which I will scan soon.)

A Tiger Enjoying Water

Swimming Tiger 

Here is another of my pen and ink drawings with coloured pencil background. 

I was supposed to be concentrating on pen and ink drawings of horses, but I had already started on this drawing of a tiger and I couldn't resist finishing it. 

I am still learning how to do pen and inks in the 6 x 4 inch format. I have probably got too much colour in the background here. 

I use an eraser to soften the pen marks. It can make them lighter and/or thinner and makes the drawing more subtle. Here I let the drawing dry too long and I couldn't delete the excess ink. 

I know I am telling you all too much about what is wrong with this drawing. I should pretend that it is exactly how I planned. But that is not my character. 

The original does look much better than this scan. Scans exaggerate the black pen marks. 

A lynx kitten emerging from a den under a tree

I had already done a pen and ink drawing of the lynx kitten with a fern. That one was the size of a playing card so I drew this version at 6 x 4 inches. At this size pen marks look more delicate and I have room to add more colours and details. 

I delivered this drawing and two others to the new gallery in Penrith. It is the Flying Bacon Café and Gallery. My three drawings are for sale there. 

I have been asked to do more drawings of this style, of subjects such as lions, tigers, wolves and horses. I am going to be busy. 

New wild cat drawings

Sunny Lynx Kitten 

This is one of the new pen and inks that I have been working on recently. 

I am so pleased with myself for managing to meet my self imposed deadline of three works in three weeks. 

The drawing in pen and ink is drawn on graphic film and the reverse has coloured pencil which shows through.

It is slightly different in style from my ACEOs because it is 6x4 inches. I was able to put more detail in and I had room to apply more colours to the reverse. 

I enjoyed this drawing. It is the third one. I have learned a bit by now. 

Tiger miniature

 

Today I found time to scan the tiger miniature that I drew for my son and daughter-in-law Christmas gift. They saw it when it was unfinished. 
This is one of the ACEOs that I have done in pen and ink on graphic film so I can colour parts of the reverse. I enjoy doing these miniatures. This was the first time I have done a complex colour areas like the tiger stripes. In the past I have added simple colours to the reverse for simple decoration. Working on the stripes in reverse was a challenge. I suppose it was a bit like glass painting. I had to apply the colours backwards from a normal coloured pencil drawing. 
I plan to do some more tiger miniatures and I hope that I remember the lessons I learned from this one.

New plans

I have been building a new website for myself. I haven't uploaded it yet because I still need to do all the keywords and things. 

After not very careful consideration, I decided to use Blogger for my Artblog. It will make it easy to update. Perhaps I will upload new posts more often than in the past if I use such an easy platform. 

I am not going to delete the posts from my old website yet because I hope to be able to link to them. 

The software I am using to build my new website is Macaw. I like it very much. It produces very clean code and I have achieved exactly the simple look that I want. It makes responsive websites too. 

I hope that as the app evolves I will be able to produce my blog as part of my website. I could do it now but it would be complex to keep it in order as Macaw doesn't have folders yet. I am sure they will eventually. Hint hint!

I have other plans for the future. One is to put together a portfolio of equestrian art. I have been keen on that idea for a long time. Once I have a few more portraits of horses, I will make an equestrian art gallery on my website. For now horses are included in animals. 

My other plan is a very new one!

A new art gallery/coffee shop has opened locally. My friend twisted my arm to speak to the gallery owner. I wasn't expecting anything. It is difficult to exhibit portraits especially as once they are finished they are no longer in my possession.  But I took my iPad in to show my work. He liked the miniatures I have done of wild cats. I do them in pen and ink and then colour parts of the image. 

The trouble is that they are the size of playing cards and I think that is too small for a gallery. And I make them to give as presents to my daughters in law who both love cats. I just have one left which is the one above. 

So I spent the last two days going through my reference photos of tigers, lions,cougars and lynxes. I don't want to do them big. It would be too tedious to do a large pen and ink. So I will do some at 6 x 4 inches and see if the gallery will take them.