Charcoal Portrait - Melancholy Series

I haven't posted any work for ages and the reasons are too boring to write about but I have been mulling over and experimenting with the seductive medium of charcoal recently. Unfortunately the paper I am using is not fine enough to hold the fine cross-hatching but I am not running out to the art materials store like I usually do when something isn't quite right. The photography seems to have picked up some blotchy bits which are not apparent in the original even though I didn't use any flash photography.

"Portait - Melancholy Series"

Charcoal on Cartridge Paper - 16.5" x 13" (Approx.)

Conversion Shards 1. Sketch.

I'm not going to explain this except to say it's a preparatory sketch for a much larger work which I hope to work on soon. I could also add that it's unresolved in concept as I just couldn't finish it without that awful overworking. There was just plenty more detail that could have been included which I had to leave out because the format is too small. But again, I am appreciating more and more the need to do preparatory sketches for bigger works.

"Conversion Shards 1."

 Gouache on Watercolour Paper. 9" x 9" (Approx.)

Speed Gouache - Heat Wave I

A pretentious title I know, but we are living in a heatwave at present so I am just being opportunistic; as opportunistic as I was when I began to use up the blobs of gouache left on the palettes I have scattered around. I am pleased with this one. It made me happy and that is all I am asking for right now. I have some annual leave coming up soon and I hope to be doing lots more work. In the mood somehow.

"Heat Wave" 

Gouache on Watercolour Paper - 10" x 10" (Approx.)

Sketch for Window Abstract - Speed Experiment

Another quick(ish)sketch. This is taken from a photograph of a shop window and I intend to paint it in oils on a much larger format at some stage, but I just wanted to work my way through it to see if I really liked what was going on in the photograph. I did. However, again like the previous post, I am working on a format that is just too small and the effects I want will only work in oil. One good thing is happening though with all these ultra-quick sketches and experiments is that I am seeing more opportunities than I did previously.

"Store Window" 

Gouache on Watercolour Paper - 6" x 6"

Portrait Sketch - Speed Experiment

This is another quick 'sketch' done in about 30 minutes.  It's from a photograph, not life, and some of the proportions are way out but I'll give myself some leeway here as I was doing this so fast.  I was trying out some new brushes using a 'dry brush' technique in some places which works well for modelling the face.  Only doing this in gouache picks up the paint underneath so I wasn't always getting the effect I intended.  Acrylics for quick sketches like this might be my next purchase at the art materials store.

Quick Portrait Sketch

Gouache on Cartridge Paper

New York at Night - Speed Experiment

I haven't painted for ages and I'm not bothered about this for some weird reason but today I gave myself an small exercise which is helpful. The objective is to paint any photograph within 30 to 60 minutes as fast as possible and try to get it as close in essence to the photograph. Some of the effects of a blurred night shot in New York were captured but I made the mistake of painting on too small a format. If I had wanted to capture some of the minutiae of the scene I would have to double up in size.

"New York Blurred" 

Gouache on Watercolour Paper - 5" x 5.5" (Approx.)

Equise - Vatican Procession

Lately I have become obsessed with a magnificent photograph I have of a procession in the Vatican and I am determined to paint it in oils, but as it is so different from anything I have attempted before, I decided to do a small sketch in gouache. Sketching is all well and good and I learned masses here but for some reason I hadn't worked out that the sketch should be the same size, or as close in size, to the intended final work as possible. Also, I should be painting on much finer paper but I did capture some of the essence of the event and as this is a much more complicated and scenic work than I have tacked for a long time, I think it shows the beginnings of something worthwhile. I have a lot to learn about proportion and process and I knew this even when I had sketched this out in a separate pencil sketch a few weeks ago. What I do know is that this scene can only be painted in oils; incense smoke cannot, I repeat 'cannot', be rendered with gouache!  Please forgive the use of the word "equise" for sketch.  I am going to use this for my work in oils and use 'sketching' for pencil, graphite or charcoal works. Fancy.  Lots and lots to learn. As always.

"Gouache Sketch - Corpus Christi Procession"

Work in Progress - Deconstructed Gift Shop

This is a practice-run for an oil I have on the go for The Virtual Paintout. I am nearly finished this one and truthfully might not even bother to finish it because gouache is just not plastic or powerful enough to do what I want. However, believe it or not, I learned quite a bit from trying this portrait format which I am not in love with at the best of times. I might take this down tomorrow; it just depends on my mood. I do *love* the colours though.

 "Work in Progress"

Gouache on Watercolour Paper

Experimental Gouache

I am in the process of doing a painting for this month's Virtual Paintout and the gouache sketch below is a detail of a glass display box in a novelty shop in Lido di Jesolo, which would have been the subject of one of my paintings had I not de-selected it. I rejected doing it in oils as a final work because I didn't think it strong enough compositionally and I eventually found a better source visual to work from which I am quite excited about. I only did this to have some free-wheeling time this afternoon as I was frustrated at not having done a complete work for a while and I have two on the go (with first coats drying) which I might be able to put up next weekend, time permitting. In a strange way this was quite challenging as I tried to get a luminous and transparent effect and find the exact greens to use. Nearly there, but doing this little sketch blew away some cobwebs and gave me a few ideas for future paintings.

 Experimental Gouache - "Store Display - Lido di Jesolo" 

Gouache on Watercolour Paper - 4.25" x 4.75"

Not Worth A Title

After not having sunshine in London for six months I dropped all plans for much needed housework today, opened my paints and let rip with whatever came to mind. This is the result. Nothing at all special but feeling tired of not enjoying my gouache as the watercolour paper is just too thick. I also wanted to refine the architectural details of the cathedral dome with brown ink but couldn't find either the ink or the pens. I can't even remember whether I threw them away some time ago. The 'portrait' is a face from my imagination sketched out just to use some old black paint left on my watercolour palette. I feel better having splashed my way through these mediocre works, but the constant awareness of just how much practice I need before I produce good work and the knowledge that I just don't have this time is slowly angering me. Never mind - something's gotta give.

"Quick Gouache - St Pauls Cathedral"

"Quick Gouache Sketch"