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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. By Boxing day, I was itching to get the paints out, so selected a favourite photograph of our Springer Spaniel Casper, which I took one day when we were out walking, and he went for a swim in the local lake. I have spent some time researching suitable surfaces and settled on the Ampersand boards, which are handcrafted in the USA. Specifically chosen due to their commitment to high quality products, sustainability, animal friendly and archival principles. The Gessobord option is available in either 3mm (uncradled) or 22mm (cradled) board and the Pastelbord and Aquabord options, are only available in the 3mm. Acrylics do not need to be framed behind glass, and the 22mm cradled board can be hung without the need for a frame. Every painting is varnished with a coating of a gloss or satin varnish, which helps to protect the painting for many years to come. Glass can be included if you plan on hanging your painting in heavy traffic areas, for extra protection. The 4 progress images shown above offers an example of how my Acrylic paintings are put together. They begin with a base wash and follow with a 'blocking in' stage (Image top left) where I fill the whole board with colour and place all the important points of the image. The next stage is 'defining' these areas (mid left) and the next stage, which takes the longest is 'refining' these sections (bottom left and main image) I have mostly worked on Casper, ensuring the finer details are defined but will be working the water movement and tones a lot more before I finalise the painting with the Varnish. He will then be ready for framing.
If you are thinking of booking a painting, but want to find out more, visit my COMMISSIONS page or view more of my work on the ACRYLIC gallery page, which provides visual images of sizes and pricing. Please feel free to like, share or leave a comment on my work, it is always appreciated :) Help and advice is at hand if so....For those who are not aware, I also have an official 'Step by Step Art' website that allows you to book an art workshop, or read one of my articles, that cover a plethora of art related subjects including coloured pencils, paper reviews and pastel reviews too. The article section is still in the early stages but I will continue to add more articles as often as possible. My latest article focus's on coloured pencil brands, as I trial a selection of coloured pencil brands, which I currently have in my personal collection. This article shows the 5 most important factors that I look for when selecting my professional pencil range:
The 5 'tests' shown in this article includes:
This article also gives information on the importance of paper weight (gsm), information on each pencil including costs (GBP) and lightfast ratings as well as my own thoughts on 'adapting to coloured pencils' . I hope that this will be of help to all coloured pencil artists out there from those starting out looking to buy their first range to those interested in how each brand compares to the others.
The very popular Prismacolor Premier & Verithin ranges will also be added to this article very soon and an adaptation of this article (with even more information in) will be available to view and purchase (download or hard copy) from the USA's Colored pencil Magazine 'Student' version in the next few months. Find out more about this magazine here: Colored pencil magazine - Student Edition
Printed copy $5.99 £3.87* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) £2.96*
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I was recently approached by a pencil Magazine to write an Article on myself and my Coloured pencil Art for a forthcoming issue (more details will follow on the magazine). It is always a compliment knowing that someone likes my Art and wishes to find out more, especially when it is being published in a Magazine that goes out to a world wide audience too. I have spent the last few years creating bespoke Commissions and so decided to challenge myself by creating all new pieces of Art for the magazine, some that were specifically created to represent the 'story' that will be included alongside these pieces of Art - a story that I very rarely share publicly. As I only had 3 weeks to complete the drawings, I pulled a few unfinished works out the archives to complete and I also began a few brand new pieces too - these works all represent my true artistic interests from Birds which is where I first began, to Big Cats which allow me to really push my boundaries with details, a Human portrait which I just love creating and of course the Pet portraits which I have always loved to do as these animals have all brought so much joy |
There were a few pieces I was unable to complete for the deadline (Springer Spaniel above) as I did not want to rush them being so detailed however, all these pieces will be added to my website with their dedicated page as to how they were completed and for those available for sale, a chance to purchase the original or buy a print or 2.
Details will be added on my News page once the Magazine is out (June Issue) with a link to the website where you can purchase a Print copy or a digital copy to download. This magazine is a must for any Coloured pencil lover or for anyone simply wishing to read 'my story' as it's the one and only time I'll share it publicly.
Costs are as follows:
Printed Copy $5.99 £3.87* €5.46* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) USA $4.06 UK £2.96*
Digital Copy $2.99 £1.93* €2.72*
*Due to exchange rate, these prices may vary
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