After 10 days away from the art studio, visiting family in my old home town of Chesterfield, as well as fitting in a well needed holiday down south in Dover, I am now back and catching up on work. Before I went away, I finalised 5 new articles that have been created within the webpages of my official art tutoring website 'Step by Step Art'. Here's what you can find within it's pages - take a look at our ARTICLES page to find even more.
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I recently completed this stunning portrait of Willow the Springer Spaniel, as a surprise portrait from a husband to his wife, for their special 1 year wedding anniversary. The reference photograph was a brilliant composition to begin with, and I knew the painting would be great fun to do. My acrylic paintings are created to offer vibrancy and wherever possible, texture and as the ball was at the forefront of the painting I mixed a moulding paste in with the paints to give the fluffy texture of a tennis ball. I also added texture into Willow's fur using the moulding paste too to add interest when viewing the painting at different angles. This portrait was created on a 22mm Gessobord so that it could be hung without a frame and the edges were also painted too. The painting was sealed with a few layers of Satin Varnish and 2 wall protector feet were added to the bottom corners on the back of the painting for added protection. The great thing about these 22mm board portraits are that you can choose at a later date to have a frame added if you prefer or keep them unframed for that contemporary feel. I really enjoyed creating this portrait and was pleased to hear Willow's Mum was pretty happy with her surprise when she received it too! Karen, I was the lucky one to receive this beautiful painting. I can't tell you what a lovely gift it is, thank you so much for capturing Willow's character so well. I absolutely love it, it's beautiful and one to be treasured for many years to come. Murphie - Large Traditional Heart Memorial portraitMurphie sadly passed away in December 2015 at the age of 20! Her owner was looking for something special as a memorial to Murphie and came across my acrylic portraits known as Traditional Hearts. There were only a few photos of Murphie, so choosing the best one was tricky. Black & white animals can be difficult, as getting the right balance of dark and light in a photo, is a challenge. I was able to recreate her portrait by providing an equal balance of colour and detail, whilst ensuring perspectives were kept in check.
Bailey - 10" x 12" Coloured pencil pet portraitBailey is the second portrait completed in Coloured pencils for his Mum after heartbreakingly losing both Bailey and Casey (the first portrait) in close succession of each other and was gifted both portraits by a good friend. Bailey was originally sat on a green stripey rug but I thought it would suit the portraits if they were both sat on the same wooden " Bailey just arrived! Well, about 15 minutes of tape removal ago. We are so chuffed! Bailey was loved by all of us, but loves my husband best, he was over the moon! We are blessed by your talent! Obe - 11" x 14" Boxer Dog Acrylic paintingI was asked to create an acrylic painting of a Boxer dog called Obie, as a surprise gift from friends online to a lady in the USA. The reference photo was a beautiful pose and of great quality, so I was able to gather lots of detail to be able to create this special memorial painting of him. My acrylic paintings are created using a mixture of vibrant colour and sometimes I will include a medium or two, which provides texture. The background texture was created with moulding paste and applied with a palette knife. Nearly 40 Facebook friends clubbed together to book this surprise portrait, and it was lovely to hear how happy the recipient was upon receiving such a thoughtful gift from great friends!
I have begun a couple of new Acrylic paintings to join my ever growing collection. After painting our Springer Spaniel swimming, having 2 Labradors also I wanted to create a trio of paintings of them and after thoroughly enjoying painting the water in Casper's painting, I decided that this would be the theme of the trio and so went off to Woodhorn's QEII park here in Northumberland to get some photographs of him. Haze is rather excitable and went off jumping in to the water on numerous occasions, which caused him to sprain his tail! poor boy! Luckily, it was ok after a few days and it did not bother him much, so I got a lovely, natural photograph of him enjoying his swim on a sunny Sunday! Here is progress so far of the rough base layers, this is also a 11" x 14" on Gessobord. This is the initial stages, where I apply the contrasts and loosely mark out the detail around the face and in the fur.
If you wish to follow progress of this painting, click the link below to visit the dedicated page. It has been quiet on both my social media & news blog, with progress posts somewhat lacking. However, I have been quietly busy with drawings and paintings recently and wanted to share some updates. Acrylic paintingsI am working on a double portrait of my friend and her daughter for their upcoming birthdays in May and June. I have been layering the skin tones to create a realistic effect, and I still have some work to do. I used Burnt Umber as a base for the hair and added lighter strands. The stripey top is still in progress, but I plan to finish the painting by the weekend. I also have paintings of a Springer Spaniel and a Boxer dog near completion, but these are not commissions, so I will leave them untouched for a few weeks while I focus on paid work. Coloured pencil portraitsCurrently, I am working on two commissions using coloured pencils. One is a crossbreed of Airedale and Paterdale, while the other is Jack Russell and Pug. The Jack Russell, named Bailey, is in the early stages, adding the final details once all layers are complete. Meanwhile, I am adding final touches to Dave's Airedale portrait's background and fine details.
If you wish to view more of my pencil drawings, you can find more at the COLOURED PENCIL GALLERY
I am currently building up a brand new portfolio for my ACRYLIC paintings. My previous paintings were all created on a weave canvas, and my new support boards are smooth, allowing for fine detail. If you are looking to book your bespoke commission with me, you can get in touch at: karenmberisfordart@gmail.com or fill in my BOOKING/QUOTE FORM
If you're new to art and need advice on what products to buy or are an experienced artist looking to compare brands, my Step by Step Art website can help. I offer articles on various products and recommendations and constantly add new pages. Click on any of the images in this post to visit the article that interests you. This will open a new tab and direct you to the Step by Step Art website. Our website aims to cater to a wide range of artists. We cover various mediums, including coloured pencils, graphite pencils, acrylics, soft pastels, and other mediums offered by contributors. We have plans to provide written Step by Step tutorials and mini-video tutorials for artists in the UK and beyond. You can also request articles for specific topics. On this website, you can book pencil workshops with me. Additionally, you can subscribe to my newsletter to receive the most recent articles, product reviews and recommendations, tutorials, workshops, and other art-related information that may interest you.
If you know someone who may find this post helpful, you can like or tweet it or leave a comment below with any questions or thoughts. I hope that you find the information provided on this website to be beneficial. Here is one of the new style Acrylic paintings that I have been working on the last few days. An Acrylic painting can look rather untidy during the creation process as Acrylics can dry so quickly. Once the Canvas is fully covered I then move on to defining the detail which softens the looser application of the underlayers. My new style Acrylic paintings use a selection of mediums mixed with colour to create a very Individual painting and for this portrait I have mixed the Acrylic paints with a Heavy Gel to create a texture to the Artwork. The next stage is to refine the painting, working with an ultra thin brush and applying the paint using a 'wet in wet' technique to ensure the edges are smoothed out more and the final look offers vibrancy, strong colour and realism.
Feel free to like, share or leave a comment! Thanks for stopping by! For the last few weeks, I have been working on a few acrylic paintings and thought I would share with you progress so far on them. An acrylic painting begins with a tonal base layer, which primes the canvas, ready for the addition of detail. Every painting is individual, as I sometimes include mediums, providing additional texture and colour. Here are some of the subjects I am currently working on. There are more portraits planned for 2016 and I will add more to this news page as regularly as possible. If you would like to book your own acrylic portrait, you can find out more on my ACRYLICS ART GALLERY page. I have also recently introduced a FRAMING service alongside my paintings, to provide customers with the full package. You can be sure that your painting has been created, using the best quality, lightfast products and the frame is safely & securely applied, allowing you to enjoy your portrait for many years to come.
If you wish to ask for a no-obligation quote or book your portrait, a form can be found at the bottom of the acrylics page. Simply fill in the form and get a reply within hours. Any questions, please get in touch! Karen 2016 sees the introduction of a range of frames that can be booked with all my 3mm acrylic paintings. Every frame has been hand picked by myself, to offer a wide range of colours & styles, which will suit any painting. There are also a few FSC/PEFC frames to choose from, which are mouldings made with wood taken from sustainable sources. Click on either image below to go to my FRAMING page. Having recently returned from a long break in my old hometown of Chesterfield, Derbyshire (note all the frame names!), I took a visit to my framers to pick out the frame for my current painting and thought I would share a few images. This is a painting of our Springer Spaniel called Casper, (who simply loves swimming) - as I now live on the coast of Northumberland, I wanted a 'washed' effect frame and so went for the 'Highfield' option. The cream frame does not overpower the tones in the painting, whilst the pewter coloured edge frames the subject perfectly.
As an old news post, some mouldings may have been discontinued. |
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