A Simple Still-Life: A “How To” Film.

Here’s a short (2 minute) “How To” film from a recent session I ran at GS Artists in Swansea, as part of their 9to90 Community Arts programme. It was a simple still-life in acrylic paints. The film shows how I started with a couple of basic drawing techniques and then took a look at some examples of still-life paintings ofContinue reading “A Simple Still-Life: A “How To” Film.”

Cat Among The Tulips: 3

A bit more work on my painting of Sparta Puss with tulips today, doing the white areas and starting on the facial features, which I did freehand with a small brush and white paint. It’s not a bad likeness, her eyes are a bit close together but that’s easily corrected. I began the details onContinue reading “Cat Among The Tulips: 3”

Done At Last….

Finally finished copying Edouard Manet’s “A Bar At The Folies Bergere“, it was hard but I learned loads about painting from one of the great painters. Of course, now I’ve decided that it’s done, I can see a lot of things that I could improve, but I have to call a halt to it sometime.Continue reading “Done At Last….”

A Hassle Of Bottles

I’ve finished the group of bottles on the left hand side of my copy of Edouard Manet’s painting “A Bar At The Folies Bergere”. There’s another group on the right of the picture to complete, but with fewer bottles and they’re mostly done, just some detailing to do. I feel like I’m getting near theContinue reading “A Hassle Of Bottles”

One Bottle At A Time.

I’m still copying the painting by Manet and it’s a right slog, I can tell you. It’s mostly done, just the finer details to do, so today I decided to tackle it a bottle at a time – there are a lot of bottles – and worked on the pink wine bottle. It’s nearly finished,Continue reading “One Bottle At A Time.”

Another Day, Another Segment

I moved onto another bit of Manet’s “A Bar At The Folies Bergere” painting that I’m copying today, upside down because it’s easier. The oranges are almost finished, the glassware is shaping up and I’ve laid down a base coat for the bottle. Still-life painting is new to me and much more complex than IContinue reading “Another Day, Another Segment”

Details And Fiddly Bits.

I’m still copying Manet’s painting, “A Bar At The Folies Bergere” and still working with the picture upside down. It’s certainly easier than painting it right way up, but it’s so complicated and it’s taking ages. It’s not just a portrait, it’s also a series of little still life groupings and these are the thingsContinue reading “Details And Fiddly Bits.”

More Upside Down Shenanigans

I carried on copying Manet’s “Bar At The Folies Bergere” today, working on a still life section of the painting. I’ve kept to the upside down technique as I’m finding it easier to copy when what I’m seeing is shapes and colours, rather than ‘things’. There’s a fair bit more work to do on theseContinue reading “More Upside Down Shenanigans”

Painting My Plums A Bit More

I started to paint a still life of plums from a food photo I took way back at the beginning of the Covid19 lockdown last Spring. I was cooking like a maniac and my creativity was channelled into photographing what I was doing. The photo is from a recipe called “Hot Buttered Plums” – hereContinue reading “Painting My Plums A Bit More”