The Plural Is Lego

The Plural Is Lego
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
9.7 x 15.9"

     A bit of a pet peeve of mine is when I hear people use Lego's as a plural. The plural of Lego is Lego and I don't care what anyone says otherwise :)

Lego Police Helicopter Pilot Minifigure

Lego Police Helicopter Pilot Minifigure
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
15.7 x 10.2"

Lego Jango Fett Minifigure

Lego Jango Fett Minifigure
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
15.9 x 8.3"

     My second Lego minifigure painting. I'm working my way up to Boba Fett but I want to do him justice as he's my favourite Star Wars character. So here's his father. I wanted to paint him from the side as I liked the single part jetpack design. I also wanted to paint him facing away from the light to create a little mystery.

XBOX 360 Controller

XBOX 360 Controller
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
11 x 9.9"

     Another still life for my video game themed work. Probably my favourite controller with everything where it should be. Still that didn't stop me getting a Playstation 4 this time.

Pineapple And Tomatoes

Pineapple And Tomatoes
Wax On Watercolour Paper
16.9 x 12.2"

     I struggled to get the lighting right on this one. It was very bright on the light side but using white made it look very washed out and flat. So I just worked into it with pale yellows and greens until it looked right. I'm a perfectionist so the last part of a painting always takes the longest. Making sure everything is the right colour, shade, hue as well as straight and correctly proportioned can make you feel a  little crazy. In the end you just have to accept its made by hand and so can never be perfect. Yes sometimes art can be really stressful.

I Can't Remember The Last Time I Had This Much Fun

I Can't Remember The Last Time I Had This Much Fun
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
16 x 20"

    As promised, my third painting on the theme of videogames. This one has more in common with 'I Used To Be An Adventurer Like You'. I am planning on entering all three into an exhibition on videogames and fine art called PLAY!. PLAY! is an open-call exhibition featuring artwork based on video games. The exhibition will be held at Access Space, Sheffield, from 3^rd – 31^st October 2014.
     On the subject of still life, I really like the change of pace from my normal work on painting buildings and interesting architecture. With still life I can arrange a collection of objects in such a way that it tells a story and helps me communicate an idea. I hope I get into this exhibition with these pieces as I worked hard on them and I think they are a good fit. Well It's not up to me so all I can do is wait and see.

Small Cactus

Small Cactus
Wax On Watercolour Paper
14.8 x 7.6"

     As always with still life work it's a good opportunity to train the eye and paint something new. Of course this requires working from the same light source at the same time of day which isn't always possible since this isn't my only commitment. One day maybe this will be the only thing I have to do.

Broken Lightbulb

Broken Lightbulb
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 10.9"

     Take something mundane and make it an interesting picture. That's the challenge and I think I succeeded in my aim. Another one for the Derwent Art Prize maybe.

Double Handled Vase

Double Handled Vase
Acrylic On Canvas paper
15.4 x 10.6"

     Normally highlights are a challenge for me but this time it was the shadows by the right side handle that was the problem. Both the shape and saturation proved difficult to get right and I'm still not one hundred percent happy but I tried my best.

Bow

Bow
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.5"

Spanish Jug

Spanish Jug
Wax On Watercolour Paper
18.3 x 14.2"

     I'm enjoying using water soluble wax as an alternative to acrylic especially as it is more immediate ad slightly quicker to work with. This is especially useful when doing studies from life as I have to work while it is still light (although this is getting easier with the coming summer.
     Unlike acrylic paint I don't have to mix my colours on the palette and can choose from what is already available. As with my colour mixing technique when using acrylic however I can layer the colours to achieve the desired colour and texture.

Satsuma's

Satsuma's
Wax On Watercolour Paper
9.3 x 14.4"

       I am attempting more still life pictures recently and have a few more I'm working on now. I enjoy working in such an intimate manner with the objects and can really work on the details up close. This is different from my architecture paintings where it's very much about the big picture. Its also great training from a technical point of view which is always a bonus.

Cracked Jug

Cracked Jug
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     I haven't done that much drawing in a while so thought I should get back into the swing of things. Here's a drawing of a jug I made using water-soluble graphite. I love this stuff as its a mixture of drawing and painting that gives such expressive results

Used To Be An Adventurer Like You

 Used To Be An Adventurer Like You
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
14 x 18"

        

 

     A still life based on a personal theme. Painting the high visibility jacket was quite a challenge but it's important to push ourselves and create challenges. We only progress if we move beyond our comfort zone.

Red Apples

Red Apples
Acrylic On Canvas
14 x 10"

     A nice little still life. Good practice for me to work on a smaller scale and with a different subject. Hopefully they look as good as they tasted.

Still Life

Laura
Acrylic On Canvas Board
20 x 16"

    


Painting Of A Rhinoceros Sculpture
Acrylic On Paper
11.7 x 9.4"

     I tried my hand at a still life recently. Not much chance for abstraction here but that wasn't the point. I just wanted to see how well I handled smaller subject matter. With landscapes its often about the bigger picture but here the details are important. 

Hello Small Mouthless Cat

     A preview of a still life I'm working on. Here is the drawing for it. I always make a drawing first on top of a primed surface. I much prefer painting but if it is to be a successful artwork a solid drawing is essential.