Videos and time lapses of Art in progress

This page shows a few short videos that I have recorded on the iPad over the past few years and put together on this page so you can see how I create my portraits as well as viewing some of my techniques used too. It give the viewer, a better reflection of the actual colours and tones in the portraits, something that a camera can not capture effectively.

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Matthew - Acrylics on Gessobord

I use a layering process for all my paintings. The base tones when applied, are much darker than are seen in the subject, but this is adapted throughout. For portraiture, darker tones are applied to emphasize the facial features, so they can still be seen under further applications of paint but they are also needed to create the dark values which act as the base with which to apply the highlights and ensure the correct balance of colour in the final painting. The early stages can appear quite harsh, but the details are softened as I go along.

See how Matthews painting was produced

Inis - Red and white Irish Setter in Coloured pencils

A recently completed coloured pencil portrait of an Irish Setter called Inis. Here is a progress video showing the detail added so far.

View INIS's progress page here

Ragdoll cats in Coloured pencils

A past commission of two beautiful Ragdoll cats, Rosie & Lily. It is always challenging when trying to capture photographs of white fur and video allows others to see the details better. This is a short video of the coloured pencil portrait when it was nearing completion.

View Rosie and Lily's progress page and see this portrait come together

​Black Labrador/Retriever cross in Coloured pencils

This is a video of the finished coloured pencil drawing of a black Labrador/Retriever cross dog named Dusky. This was commissioned as a gift and the progress page was kept under wraps until the portrait had been received. 

View Dusky's progress page here

Eric - Boxer dog in Coloured pencils

A time lapse showing the creation of Erics left eye, see how I apply numerous layers to achieve the realism I favour in my work.

Here is a progress video, showing close ups of the detail I apply to all my pencil portraits and gives you a better view of the colours too.

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View Erics progress page and see how his portrait came together

Samson - Long haired Dachshund in Coloured pencils
​Progress so far

Upon the completion of a coloured pencil Dachshund portrait, I took a short video so viewers could see the natural colouration and detail of the finished product as photographs never seem to capture the art as it is seen in real life. 

View the final portrait on Samson's progress page

Thourne - Northern Inuit in Coloured pencils
​Time-lapse videos

Here are a couple of time-lapse videos showing the progression of a coloured pencil portrait of a Northern Inuit. This portrait was being created for one of my art workshops and at both of these stages, the application was much looser than I usually apply. In my workshops I use WH Smith pencils (grey) which are not as pigmented as my Caran Dache Luminance pencils and in the second video, the strength of the professional white application creates excellent highlights. The portrait was re-worked after the workshop with the Luminance pencils.

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View the completed portrait of Thourne

Star - Chow Chow in Acrylics on Gessobord

This short video shows the progress so far of a 16" x 20" Acrylic painting  of a Chow Chow called Star. At this point in the creation, I had built up much of the finer detail on the right side of the face but the base layers can still be seen on the left side. I did this to allow the viewer an insight as to how a painting starts out and how it progresses.  

Go to Stars' portrait page to see the end result

Bailey - Pug/terrier cross in Coloured pencils
​Time lapse

Time lapse videos are great fun to record, 15 minutes at the easel condensed down into seconds to allow you to see how the layering using coloured pencils help to bring the portrait to life.
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Go to Bailey's page to see his portrait progress

Murphy - Shorthair cat in Acrylics
Traditional Heart time lapse video

This is a short time lapse video showing how I create the white fur which can be challenging when there is a large area of lighter tones grouped together. This portrait was challenging as the reference photo was lacking in minute detail and achieving a balance of shadow & highlight on black fur is even harder then applying highlights on the white fur!

See the final portrait of Murphy

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