Grahame Neil Butler. Pencil Artist

Update on Barn Owl Drawing

2012-02-02T19:32:00.002Z

Thought I had better show an update on the new work. I've had to move on to one of the rafters and leave the Owl work until later, once Ive completed this piece I cant cause any damage to the Owl work completed so far. What you see here is approx 6 x 3.5 inches and maybe half finished......

A New Drawing Begins...

2012-01-25T18:54:00.002Z

This is the work so far accomplished on a new drawing, no prizes for guessing what type of bird it is.... more as I progress

Long Tailed Tit

2012-01-19T15:44:00.004Z

New Drawing of a Long Tailed Tit, I know my sister likes these so I hope she's happy with this drawing.. drawn on Mellotex approx 13 x 6 inches.
As you can see from the second pic I've added a leaf as I think this balances the drawing, it hasnt photographed very well so sorry for that...

New Drawing Completed...

2012-01-16T16:18:00.002Z

Finished this New Work (still no title) around an hour ago, drawn on Mellotex paper, and measuring approx 15 x 11 inches, around 35 hours drawing time on this one, will give it the once over tomorrow and then mount and frame it ready for the exhibition in March...

New Work in progress

2012-01-14T16:10:00.003Z

Just to show that I have been at the drawing board since Christmas, here is a new piece as yet untitled, still a bit to do on this as there will be more barbed wire and grass,to the right and left hand side. I have included a close up as I often get asked for these shots, hope you like it so far....

Irish Setter completed

2011-11-22T18:47:00.002Z

Just waiting for the ok from the owner to be able to call this finished, maybe the odd tweak here and there before I sign it...

''The Look Out'' Goldfinch in Coloured pencils

2011-10-06T12:46:00.003+01:00

As you can see I have had another go with the coloured pencils, this is the morphing of two different photo's taken in my back garden, still need to practice more as they are completely different to the good old graphite's I'm used to... drawing is approx 11 x 4 inches, drawn on Mellotex,

Two First Places

2011-09-26T08:32:00.001+01:00

"Every Last Crumb" wins two first places in Art of the Midland Competition, best Pencil drawing and best Animal drawing, this was from approx 300 entries...

Miniture Drawing

2011-09-17T15:37:00.002+01:00

thought I'd try a miniture drawing, took around 2 hours, and i've shown a penny next to it to give you some idea of the size....

Contemplation

2011-09-16T09:05:00.002+01:00

Here is the finished portrait, tweaks and all, I've called it ''Contemplation''had to think of a title quick, as I want to enter this into a local art exhibition and competition being held at the end of the month.10x8 inches on Mellotex. now its off to the framers

Blue Tit

2011-09-02T13:02:00.002+01:00

Just to show that I haven't forgotten where my drawing board is! I started this little drawing of a Blue Tit on Wed and finished him off today, size is approx 10'' high.....

Wagtail New Drawing

2011-07-08T17:09:00.002+01:00

As I've been off work ill all day. I thought I would put my time at home to good use, and finish the Wagtail drawing, I'll leave it for a couple of days to tweak and play about with it, then get it sealed and framed. size is approx 10 x 10 inches, drawn on Mellotex

Wagtail New Drawing

2011-06-28T19:18:00.002+01:00

Just to prove my pencils have not be made redundant, here is where I'M at with my new drawing.. the rope and chains were photographed in Jersey, and I thought the Wagtail would suit the composition, I'll post more as i progress......

New Drawing Completed...

2011-06-10T18:39:00.002+01:00

Just completed this little drawing of a fledgling Wren on an old Tractor brake handle. size is around 10.5 x 2.5 inches, drawn on Mellotex paper, sorry but some detail has been lost in the photograph.

Boxer Dog Completed

2011-05-24T19:51:00.003+01:00

Boxer Dog finally finished, except for the usual tweaking in a couple of days time, drawing is 9x9 inches on Mellotex paper...

25/5/11 Well here is the drawing after a lot of tweaking, I wasnt happy with the chest area, so re-drew all of it and even though this is not perfect it looks more realistic in my eyes...what do you think?

Boxer Progress

2011-05-17T08:11:00.002+01:00

A little more progress has been made as you can see, well I did say this one might take some time, but hope to have him finished by the weekend...

Boxerdog update

2011-05-03T08:01:00.003+01:00

Thought I would post an update shot to show the work completed over the weekend, as I say getting there slowly......

Halcyon Sentinel Sold

2011-04-22T06:34:00.003+01:00

Until the 16th of May I have an exhibition of my bird drawings at the local Library, had some great news today that Halcyon Sentinel sold! happy days....

First posting of a new Boxer Dog Drawing

2011-04-19T22:29:00.003+01:00

Thought I would just show the start of a new drawing started tonight, it's of a brindle boxer dog my favourite pooch, having had three in the past. more to follow as I progress, be warned this may take some time to complete.........

Halcyon Sentinel

2011-04-06T10:38:00.003+01:00

Halcyon Sentinel completed this morning, the reed seemed to take longer than the bird! drawing size at the furthest points is 20 x 12 inches, drawn as always on Mellotex paper, hope you like him... he's off to the framers at the weekend so its ready in time for the exhibition on the 18th...

Halcyon Sentinel

2011-04-05T09:34:00.004+01:00

Just a little look as to what is new on the drawing board, should be completed by the weekend.

Every last crumb

2011-04-01T22:18:00.003+01:00

After approx 40 hours of drawing time ''Every last crumb'' is finished. the photo has come out with a lot more contrast than the drawing so apologies for that.. drawing size is approx 16 x 11 inches, and it has been drawn on Mellotex paper..... Thought I would show the original photograph taken about 2 years ago.

Chester

2011-03-30T09:14:00.003+01:00

I've been working on Chester for what must be over a year now, good job its not a commission or I would be in trouble, still not happy with the result, but I think its best to leave him alone now...

Goldfinch Tweeked

2011-03-10T19:20:00.002Z

As you can see I have tweaked the stem, making this image now 12 inches high, gives it all a little more balance, don't you think?

Goldfinch Completed

2011-03-08T23:31:00.002Z

Finished this drawing of a Goldfinch off tonight, final size is approx 9 x 4 inches, drawn on Mellotex paper, using mainly a 2h hb & 2b pencil, I'm hoping to get this framed with one or two others and have them on display in the local library in April and May.....

Goldfinch cont'

2011-03-07T23:11:00.002Z

This piece has progressed a little more tonight, just trying to get the tones right, there are a lot of colours in this little bird, which are not to easy to show when all you have at your disposal is a selection of blacks and greys...

Goldfinch

2011-03-06T22:38:00.004Z

After a lay off of around three months I decided it was time to return to the drawing board, so I've started work on this Goldfinch, should have him finished by the end of the week I hope..

Exhibition of my work

2011-01-05T18:24:00.004Z

Until the end of January, my local Library has an exhibition of my work, in total there are 17 pieces on show, a few from 2009 but most from 2010. I had only hung approx half of the drawings when I received a request to draw a visitors three cats, not a bad start!I hope this will help to get my name and art work out in the public domain,one of my new years resolutions was to try and move my art forward, so this is the first step. I'll post more info as the month progresses...

Meerkats finished (I think)

2010-12-03T16:28:00.002Z

Meerkats is now completed, well I think it is I may add another one on the left hand side, but I will leave it for a day or so to decide, this has been great fun to draw, and I think I can say I now know how to draw a Meerkat... They all seem to have there own Character which is what I was aiming for when I started out. Drawn on A2 Mellotex paper, using just a 2H HB and 2B pencil, Blue tac and putty Eraser, the drawing itself measures approx 18 x 9 inches, no title at the moment, but I'm sure Ill come up with one...

Go Compare (sorry couldn't help myself)

2010-12-02T21:51:00.002Z

Only two to go, I think I'm getting the hang of these now.......

One more added to the gang!

2010-12-02T09:44:00.002Z

Think I'll add 3 more which should balance the drawing nicely, as you can see Ive outlined the position for the next one, and the last two are ready to be added when he is finished.....

5 down 3or 4 to go

2010-12-01T11:00:00.004Z

Due to the bad weather and being unable to work I have managed to complete the 5th Meerkat this morning, still not sure how many more will be added I'll just stop when it all comes together.. the tallest Meerkat stands approx 9inches tall

Another one bites the dust

2010-11-30T00:19:00.002Z

Yet another Meerkat added to the family line up, maybe 3 or 4 more to go. they seem to be getting easier the more I draw them, wish it was like that every time I picked up a pencil....

Three down not sure how many more to go...

2010-11-28T21:53:00.002Z

First three Meerkats completed except for the usual tweaking, not sure how many more I'm going to add, but will stop when it looks balanced...

Pencil and Eraser

2010-11-27T17:08:00.002Z

As you can see the pencils have been out and another Meerkat is taking shape, what you can also see is that the Eraser has been hard at work removing the fur from the first Meerkat, I wasn't happy with the way the fur looked, just not realistic enough for me, so instead of scrapping the drawing and starting again I have Erased what I didn't like and started again, this time I'm a lot happier with the effect, hope you agree....

Meerkats

2010-11-23T22:33:00.002Z

Its some time since I posted any work, mainly due to the fact that I've found it hard to get motivated... anyway here is the first part of a group of Meerkats I'm attempting to draw, not sure how long this will take to complete but I'm hoping to have it finished before the London Olympics....lol

Lions Again!

2010-11-04T23:42:00.004Z

I have revisited and redrawn the pair of Lions I used in my last commission piece which was a present for my brother in laws 50th birthday. This time I have drawn them larger and without any background etc, I feel they are strong enough to stand on there own, these will be mounted and framed and shown at the Eastwood Library for the whole of January 2011, with approx 12 more of my drawings. as you can see i've included a close up shot as Im always asked to show more detail, the finished drawing size is approx 20 x 8 inches, drawing time approx 20 hours, and drawn on Mellotex as always...

Chester WIP

2010-09-18T07:04:00.003+01:00

Just a little up date to show you where I'm at, not getting a lot of spare time to work on Chester at the moment, but he'll get there in the end

Chester

2010-09-12T10:34:00.003+01:00

Started an new dog drawing in the last couple of days, it seems a while since I put pencil to paper and ended up with a dog looking back at me. This is Chester a Labradoodle, he belongs to a friend of a friend, he was going to be a commission piece but it never happened so I thought I would just draw him for fun, early days and lots of curls and waves to do until he's finished....

From A Safe Distance

2010-09-02T19:00:00.002+01:00

This latest drawing now titled ''From A Safe Distance'' is as good as completed, maybe a few tweaks here and there, but I don't want to over work it. size is 21 x 8 inches, drawn on Mellotex super white paper, around 30 hours drawing time taken to complete. all comments welcome...

New Work Update

2010-08-31T23:26:00.002+01:00

As you can see more tone and form have been added to the far rock face, I'm hoping to have this completed by tomorrow, Thursday at the latest..

New Work Update

2010-08-29T18:49:00.003+01:00

Haven't had as much time as I would have liked to work on this piece, otherwise I think it would have been completed by now. As you can see I have introduced the deer on the opposite cliff to the Lions, one title I am working with is ''A Safe Place'' but this is not set in stone! so any other suggestions would be welcome, best get back to that cliff face and work in some detail......

Rock completed

2010-08-21T22:13:00.003+01:00

The Rock is now almost completed, maybe a little tweaking here and there, when I look at it again tomorrow, so as that's the left hand side of the drawing finished I can move onto the trickier right hand side....

Lion's progress

2010-08-20T23:10:00.002+01:00

As you can see work is progressing, slowly the rock is taking shape.

New Work

2010-08-16T20:45:00.002+01:00

I felt like a change of scenery, so I have put the Robin work to one side and have started this Lion drawing, early days as you can see, so will post more as I move along...

Drawing with Blu Tac 1

2010-08-08T20:01:00.006+01:00

I have had many comments on a drawing forum site that I post on, as to how I have achieved the background effect of the foliage in the shadow areas on the Robin drawing, so I thought I would attempt to show a blow by blow account of how this effect comes to life using Blu Tac and a pencil. I will show this from start to finish in a number of posting otherwise the pics appear very small, sorry for the quality of the photos but some were taken late at night and have a slight cast on them. I think I should mention that I picked up this technique from Mike Sibley, check his blog page out when you get the time, Ilook forward to your comments etc....

The first pic shows how I have drawn the outline if a number of leaves and branches, I have to say that non of this section was pre planned I just made it up as I went along...

The second pic shows that I have now outlined around the outer edges of all the pre drawn leaves etc

Drawing with Blu Tac 2

2010-08-08T20:00:00.005+01:00

Pic 3 show that all the far background has been darkened down with a number of layers of in this case a 7B pencil, once completed the fun begins...

Pic 4 shows how I shape the Blu Tac to a chisel point and in some cases I will roll into a point as sharp as a pencil for fine detail work and this also comes in useful for picking out highlights in eyes etc

Drawing with Blu Tac 3

2010-08-08T19:58:00.004+01:00

Pic 5 I start to randomly remove the Graphite by pressing and dabbing the Blu Tac onto the dark area, at this stage I'm just trying to make marks that look in some way like leaves twigs and branches etc, I'm not to worried how accurate they are.

Pic 6 I start to add more points of interest little leaves etc, by rolling the Blu Tac into a point.

All of this takes time as every time you press the Blu Tac onto the paper the edge goes flat and is also covered with graphite, so a new edge has to be made after every mark is made ( hey no one said it was easy)

Drawing with Blu Tac 4

2010-08-08T19:57:00.005+01:00

Pic 7, once I have the basic shape of the leaf or stem etc, I start to form it into the correct shape using the 7b pencil.

Pic 8, Once I'm happy with the shape I start to fill in a little detail and the darken it down, as remember this is in the far background, and in most cases in the shade

Drawing with Blu Tac 5

2010-08-08T19:55:00.004+01:00

Pic 9 shows how things have taken shape, its taken a few hours to get to this stage, many parts have been darkened then lighted again until I'm happy with the effect, the further back they are the more I darken them down, its surprising how far you can take this, as long as they are lighter than the 7b background they will stand out and give the effect I want.

Pic 10 Shows that more detail has been added to the background leaves etc and also detail to the foreground stems, leaves etc this is now starting to give the 3d effect I'm after

Drawing with Blu Tac 6

2010-08-08T19:37:00.005+01:00

Pic 11, shows a close up of the background area, as you can see by drawing a hole in one of the leaves and showing the stem through it helps to give that feeling of depth.

Pic 12 How this small area fits into the overall drawing, I hope this as all been of some interest as you can see there is a long way to go...

Robin Update

2010-08-07T07:29:00.003+01:00

Now that the Robin is as good as completed, I've started on the background, I'm basically making this up as I go along, all this foliage will wrap itself around the gate post that the Robin is stood on, each leaf seems to be taking forever to do, but I'm in no rush, I hope to include a few insects onto the Bindweed as they develop. I have included a close up pic of the leaves etc, all of the stalks etc in the dark background have been drawn on a blacked out area using BlueTac.

Robin Update

2010-07-30T23:45:00.003+01:00

Just a quick update, I'm not getting much time at the moment to work on this piece,but as you can see the Robin is now near enough complete, so onto the fore and background, Ill keep updating as I move towards completion...

Robin

2010-07-25T12:19:00.003+01:00

As you can see I have started work on my new little bird, which this time is one of my favourites The Robin, I love these as they can become very tame and they will after a while feed out of your hands. this drawing will be larger than the previous ones with a little more background detail, As you can see I've post a pic of the original photograph I took about a month ago, I'll post more as it develops....

Goldcrest

2010-07-18T17:21:00.003+01:00

Just finished this little Goldcrest perched on a wire fence, size 6x5 inches and drawn on Mellotex, the photo seems to have come out all grainy for some reason, sorry about that!

Nuthatch

2010-07-14T23:53:00.003+01:00

This is the latest addition to my British Bird drawings, a little Nuthatch, measuring approx 5x7 inches, and drawn in Mellotex paper, hope you like him?

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

2010-07-09T23:43:00.002+01:00

The latest addition to my British Bird drawings, this Woodpecker is starting to build a new home in what looks like a telegraph pole.... size around 8 x 4 inches, drawn on Mellotex paper.

Swift on Barbed Wire

2010-07-04T18:30:00.002+01:00

Another drawing in my new series at trying to capture the beauty of British birds, this time it's a Swift perched on barbed wire, measuring 8 x 5 inches and drawn on Mellotex paper, drawing time approx 7 hours

Wren Completed

2010-06-30T23:23:00.002+01:00

Finished this off tonight, long time since I drew a bird, think I might stick with them for a while, size is 3.5 x 4.5 inches, drawn on Mellotex

Wren WIP

2010-06-29T09:49:00.002+01:00

I seem to have gone from one extreme to the other, after the Elephant drawing at 20x16 inches I'm now working on a little wren at around 4x3 inches, compared to the Elephant (which took around 45 hours) progress on this seems to be at warp speed.... this is where I'm at after just a couple of hours, hope to have this finished within the next couple of days.

Old Wrinkly Finished, Framed and at the Exhibition...

2010-06-15T22:08:00.005+01:00

After almost 50 hours, Old Wrinkly is finished, it has also been framed and delivered to the exhibition, which opens on the 19th of June at the Nottingham Society of Artist Gallery, on Friar Lane Near Nottingham Castle. the actual Drawing is 16.5 x 20.5 inches, drawn as always on Mellotex paper, tools used where 2h, HB 2b, and 6b pencils, blending tool, eraser, and putty rubber for the highlights. it seem strange not to see this on my drawing board waiting to be worked on, but it was good to see it completed, oh well onto the next piece ( and I guarantee its going to be smaller)!

Old Wrinkly almost there!

2010-06-14T00:36:00.002+01:00

As you can see I'm getting close to completion, just the ear to do and checking on all of the tones and detail etc on the trunk, this has to be at the framers early on Tuesday morning....

Old Wrinkly update

2010-06-11T22:42:00.002+01:00

Thought I had better post an update. after around another twelve hours this is where I'm at, need to have this finished by Monday as it has to be mounted and framed by Tuesday night, this is so I can be entered into the Nottingham Society of Artist show at the end of June, closing date is the 16th so better get a move on....

Old Wrinkly update

2010-06-06T12:25:00.003+01:00

As you can see from the latest update pic I have re worked the trunk, this was because I didn't feel the first attempt showed enough depth to the skin, so it was all erased and I started again, each section is now taking me around two hours, so progress is slow, but I think it's worth the time and effort, let me know what you think....Im also widening the ear almost to the edge of the paper.

Old Wrinkly wip

2010-05-31T23:53:00.002+01:00

As you can see this piece is slowly coming together, though there is still a few hours work left to do, it seems to be one wrinkle at a time.... this whole piece was inspired by the work of Martin Fitzpatrick and Gary Hodges check them out! I hope to post more by the weekend.

New Work Update

2010-05-29T00:11:00.003+01:00

After 15 hours and lots of blending this is where I'm at with my new piece, still no title but a few ideas going around in my head. I may put this to one side over the bank holiday, I've been promising myself to have a go with the oil paints I bought recently, not sure what I'm going to do with them, maybe another Elephant....

New WIP

2010-05-26T06:40:00.002+01:00

Due to my last commission order, I have only been able to grab a couple of hours here and there to work on this new piece,no title as yet, but this is where I'm at after approx 10 hours, can you guess what it is yet?

Update of French Bulldog

2010-05-23T23:31:00.002+01:00

After speaking with the client, I have re-worked the neck area, making it narrower and emphasised the shortness of the neck hair and tried to show the dogs left shoulder more, just waiting to hear back from them....

Workshop Day result

2010-05-16T14:42:00.002+01:00

I had a great day attending the Linda Waine painting workshop, not much to show, but thats always the case when your using a new medium, well it is for me. the paint used here was Linda Waine's pro colour, dont think this study will ever be completed but it gave me some idea on how to use this medium..

WIP update

2010-05-15T06:20:00.002+01:00

I have reworked the French Bulldog portrait after seeing more photos, most of the work has been on the eyes and muzzle, I also had to work on the tone and shading around the eyes and teak the ears a little, can you see the difference?

Workshop Day

2010-05-15T06:13:00.005+01:00

I've been looking forward to today for a number of reasons, after giving a driving lesson at 7.15 this morning I'm off to Linda Wains painting workshop ( http://www.lindawain.net ) which is a birthday present from my wife, I hope to return home with a better understanding of how to use colour in my drawings, as at this moment, my mind just goes blank.... but then again that could just be my age.......

New WIP

2010-05-11T20:59:00.004+01:00

This is a new piece I'm working on, I cant say to much about it at the moment, which I will explain why later,so I'll let the WIP shots do all the talking, let me know what you think, finished size will be A4 approx 11 x 8 inches, paper is mellotex as always, time so far around 12 hours...

On The Edge

2010-04-29T00:30:00.002+01:00

This piece is now almost finished, just a little bit of tweaking when I go back to it in a couple of days, I've called it on the edge as these fantastic creatures are close to the edge of extinction, and I intend to have it framed and mounted as you see it, right in the corner and on the edge of the frame etc...

update...

2010-04-27T00:07:00.001+01:00

Just a little update to show where I am, hope to finish this by the weekend.

Tiger Portrait Cont'

2010-04-23T23:15:00.003+01:00

As you can see work is progressing, but very slowly I'll admit, this is due to more important commitments, but I will keep coming back to this piece as and when its possible

Tiger Portrait

2010-04-17T16:11:00.002+01:00

I've been working away when time has permitted on this new piece of work, as the title say's it's a head study of a Tiger, if it works out OK I hope to enter it into this years S.O.F.A exhibition.

New Work Completed

2010-04-07T11:17:00.002+01:00

Finished this piece last night and just tweaked it a little this morning, the butterfly has caused me more problems that the kitten, and that was what needed adjusting this morning, size is approx 11 x 3 inches, I'm thinking of entering this into the Society of Feline Artist annual exhibition, but need a title first, any ideas?

New work 2

2010-04-05T22:14:00.003+01:00

As you can see I completed the kitten tonight, the finished drawing measures 8 x 3inches, and as always has been drawn on Mellotex paper, for this drawing I only used a 2h and hb pencil, tomorrow I hope to add the butterfly giving something for the kitten to focus on.

New Work

2010-04-04T08:33:00.002+01:00

I started this piece a couple of days ago, when the head study of the tabby cat went all wrong and ended up in the waste bin! when finished this little kitten should be staring at a butterfly.

Sacha and Sophie Completed

2010-03-27T22:12:00.002Z

Subject to my clients approval I'm calling this piece finished, drawing size is approx 16 x 8 inches, and as always drawn on Mellotex paper, the lighter poodle was drawn using mainly 2h and hb pencils with a 2b for the eyes and shading the darker one with a 2b and hb pencil, once given the OK I will have this at the framers and delivered by the end of next week.....And yes! I am seeing curls in my sleep...lol

WIP Update

2010-03-23T07:33:00.004Z

Im getting there as they say, just very slowly due to other commitments, I am hoping to have this completed by the weekend. As requested i've posted a close up pic.

Sacha joins Sophie

2010-03-20T09:40:00.002Z

As you can see I have started work on Sacha, she is darker in colour and larger than Sophie which is my main concern as I draw her, I will post more as I progress.

Sophie

2010-03-14T15:18:00.003Z

Another update on Sophie the Poodle, still more work on the eyes ears and body until this one is completed, and then onto her sister who will sit next to her on the drawing.

New Commission wip

2010-03-08T23:31:00.004Z

This is my new work, its a double poodle portrait, commissioned by the same person who asked me to draw her daughters dogs as a Christmas present (also Poodles). these are her own dogs, and I hope to have them finished by the end of next week, the right eye looks pale, but this is down to light reflection on the photograph.As you can see I have included the photograph which I am working from,

Tabby WIP

2010-03-08T06:41:00.003Z

I'm Having to set this aside for a while whilst I work on a commission piece, as you can see I have started on the second ear area and added more detail to the eyes, I will pick this up again as soon as the commission work has been completed.

Tabby WIP

2010-03-02T00:18:00.004Z

Just an update on where I am with the new drawing, slow progress due to other work commitments, hope to have this finished by the weekend and then onto a commission order...

Tabby

2010-02-28T07:21:00.003Z

Some of you that follow this blog may have noticed that the lion drawing as vanished! I wasn't happy with the way the female looked or the grass so in the end I sent it to the local waste paper dump, and decided to move on, for the moment I'm leaving wildlife alone and concentrating on domesticated animals. here is the start of a Tabby cat portrait (first one for me) this will measure approx 8 x 7 inches when completed, I'll post more as I progress...

NSA Affiliates Exhibition 2010

2010-02-01T07:29:00.006Z

The Nottingham Society of Artists are holding there Affiliates Exhibition from the 4th until 11th of February, I have three pieces showing, Winter Harvest, Harvest Mouse and Springer Spaniel, all work at the exhibition will be for sale, so if your in the Maid Marion area (next to the Nottingham Castle entrance) pop in and have a look around.

Winter Harvest Completed

2010-01-28T07:47:00.003Z

At last this piece is finished, it seems to have taken forever, size is approx 9 x 9 inches, drawn on mellotex super white paper, not sure about the title, think it may have to be changed, I'm open to suggestions.....

WIP part 2

2010-01-23T06:01:00.003Z

Thought I had better post an update on this WIP, The snow is driving me crazy, I have on more than one occasion asked myself why am I doing this!!!! I draw maybe ten times the amount of snow that is needed and the randomly cover most of them over with layers of pencil as you can see on the left hand side, the background need many layers to get the right effect and then I use blue tac to lift small areas as with the distant tree effect, I also have to make sure that each flake doesn't finish with a halo effect around it as I alter the shapes etc. Have to have this finished by today, as I am away working next week and need to get it to the framers...

New WIP

2010-01-15T18:41:00.002Z

This piece is causing me to have spots before my eyes!! The idea for this came from ''Ever so Gently'' by an artist I admire Ryan Jacque (google his name) to see what I mean. technically this has to be one of the most difficult works I've attempted, you have to be thinking ahead of the area your working on to allow for the snow flakes, the best way to deal with this is to negatively draw in to many and then cover the ones you don't want later.

Harvest Mouse Completed

2010-01-10T17:25:00.003Z

Completed this little critter today, The thistles caused me more problems than the mouse, otherwise this would have been finished yesterday. Drawn on Mellotex super white paper, size is approx 12x7 inches. Once mounted and framed this piece will be shown along with two others (yet to be drawn) at the Nottingham Society of Artist, Affiliates Exhibiton, which runs from February 4th until February 11th, all Art work shown will be for sale, so if your in the Nottingham area between those dates call in and have a look around, you may see something you would like to own.

Harvest Mouse

2010-01-08T17:14:00.002Z

This is where I'm at after a couple of days work on this new piece, due to a bad cold and cough that seems to shake my brain against my skull i'm not as far ahead with this drawing as I'd like to be, but I'll get there in the end.....

Springer Spaniel Finished

2010-01-01T15:06:00.003Z

Calling this finished, size is approx 8x8 inches on mellotex paper, I have included a close up pic as Im often asked to show more detail of my drawings.

Springer Spaniel WIP

2009-12-29T18:39:00.002Z

I have returned to this piece after a pre Christmas layoff due to working on commissions, I have reworked parts of the nose and eyes, I have also darkened down the highlights in the ears as I thought there was to much contrast, have to admit all those curls are driving me crazy.....

Gemma

2009-12-28T19:28:00.002Z

This was a surprise Christmas present for my sister and her family, I started drawing Gemma a Bichon Frise over a year ago when she sadly died, she was always by my sisters side, they were inseparable. So I was determined to do the best job I could, but only had two very poor and unclear photo's which showed very little hair tone and definition of Gemma to work from, that's why around twelve attempts ended up in the the waste bin, I have a problem with white hair on white paper, I cant be the only one! anyway my sister was over the moon as they say and I hope it brings back many happy memories of walking with Gemma on the beach, as they spent hours there together.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T07:43:00.002Z

I would like to wish all my blog followers and every one else out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Sam

2009-12-19T07:29:00.004Z

This is Sam, I drew him a few weeks ago as a suprise Christmas present for our friends Pat and Ian, It was a great relief last night to not have to keep the secret any longer, when we met them for our christmas meal, and presents were exchanged. I hope Sam likes his portrait as much as they seemed too. Merry Christmas Pat, Ian and Sam...

Doodles Finished

2009-12-16T07:46:00.002Z

After approx 50 hours Doodles is finished, once my client as approved everything all that is left to do is to sign, mount and frame the drawing, size is approx 11 x 8 inches, drawn on mellotex super white paper. Thants all my Christmas commissions completed bang on time.... pass me the mince pies and sherry....

Doodles wip

2009-12-13T16:25:00.004Z

I'm sorry for a lack of postings, but this is down to the fact the my computer has gone to the doctors to be repaired, so my son has allowed me 5 mins on his to post an update on Doodles, I hope to have this finished by Tuesday, mounted framed and delivered by Wednesday, and I hope most of all to have a happy client! as you can see I've started on the rider which was my biggest concern, as this is a gift for the riders Grandmother so it has to look like her..... oh well lots to do Christmas is coming...