Today I've been investigating way to transfer drawings more quickly. For my small scale studies I typically scan the sketch into the computer, then divide it into A4 sheets and print them on tracing paper, at that point trace as normal. This has the advantage of allowing me to use different surfaces and the result looks like the final actual drawing, but it is laborious, and so I began to consider ways to speed up the process.
First I thought of printing the mirror image onto tracing paper and putting acrylic medium on the surface. When sticky, I'd place the tracing paper face down to transfer the printer ink onto the surface. This didn't work. Tracing paper is very sensitive to moisture so wrinkles badly. I suspected though that even acetate or cellophane would be problematic because the printer ink is sometimes left on the paper, and getting the acrylic medium tacky enough to accept a print but not too wet (no transfer) or too dry (glue!) is difficult.
Then I printed onto paper and tried applying gesso over it. To my surprise I could apply quite a lot without hiding the lines. The paper wrinkled though. I tried card, the results were better but still wrinkly.
I then thought about printing onto a non-absorbent surface to avoid wrinkling. I have some acetate, but it's expensive. I located my textile samples and looked up the prices of nylon and PVC, cheap plastics that would be non-absorbent. The PVC is generally slick and untextured but that's not a problem. I've painted on it before and has enough tooth once gessoed. I also found some thin nylon that would probably work in my printer when cut into sheets. I wondered if it would make a good painting surface all round because of the texture. It would need to be adhered to a solid support though, this stuff is too thin for stretching. It feels absorbent, like it would need a lot of priming. I noted the nylon in my "to buy" list.
The PVC looked easier to prime, and it's transparent like a window. I thought that I could stick it temporarily over the top of a drawing or photograph, prime it then paint on it. It would eliminate the need to have the drawing on the painting surface, a simple alternative to a projector.
In the end I simply glued sheets of card onto a canvas board with PVA glue. It wrinkled but that can't be helped at the moment. I stuck it over the canvas board while it was still shrink-wrapped. When I'm finished with the study I can unwrap the board and it'll be as good as new!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Gethsemane
Full day today. First I repainted the sky part of my colour study for "Abandoning..." I think it looks much better now. I'll keep hints of green in the turquoise sky because a green sky is sadder than a blue one. Then a walk, followed by printing a promotional copy of my "Stupid Computer Music" for a German radio station, posting an exhibition application to a London gallery called The Muse, and a letter a friend.
In the afternoon I was going to finish the colour study to a painting called "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" but the picture looked a little "empty". Here it is, the first study. Like most of my studies, this is just a quick guide to establish the tones and colours of the underpainting.
My walk took me though some trees so I decided to revisit my "garden" and add a wooded background, a twisty English wood with lots of interlocking oak branches and lots of detail. I drew the woods and traced them on the panel which had been ready for paint for almost a year.
In the afternoon I was going to finish the colour study to a painting called "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" but the picture looked a little "empty". Here it is, the first study. Like most of my studies, this is just a quick guide to establish the tones and colours of the underpainting.
My walk took me though some trees so I decided to revisit my "garden" and add a wooded background, a twisty English wood with lots of interlocking oak branches and lots of detail. I drew the woods and traced them on the panel which had been ready for paint for almost a year.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Sunday
I was awake for most of the night with the stomach problems that have plagued my life. An indirect result of the turmoil meant that I was regrettably unable to attend the artist's event at the Down to a Fine Art gallery in Stretton today, where their new Zeitgeist exhibition is showing a few of my paintings. It was to be the last art event of the year for me because I'm also unable to attend the Art Liberating Lives event on the 15th. The Zeitgeist exhibition runs throughout December.
Today I was applying imprimatura. The result was poor. I simply cannot get a smooth result on my canvas, and each of the four attempts so far has damaged the underdrawing. On panels it's easy, partly because I can press down very hard to get a very thin "dry" surface. I get good results on canvas boards and panels though. I think it's down to the delicacy of the underdrawings on the plastic surface. This same problem occurred on an early painting of mine that was painted on polystyrene "glass". I must change.
Rubbing damages the drawing so I must apply the drawing over the imprimatura (or use a more permanent underdrawing, that's difficult at the moment). I think the best immediate choice is to tone the canvas in diluted acrylic before transferring the drawing.
Today I was applying imprimatura. The result was poor. I simply cannot get a smooth result on my canvas, and each of the four attempts so far has damaged the underdrawing. On panels it's easy, partly because I can press down very hard to get a very thin "dry" surface. I get good results on canvas boards and panels though. I think it's down to the delicacy of the underdrawings on the plastic surface. This same problem occurred on an early painting of mine that was painted on polystyrene "glass". I must change.
Rubbing damages the drawing so I must apply the drawing over the imprimatura (or use a more permanent underdrawing, that's difficult at the moment). I think the best immediate choice is to tone the canvas in diluted acrylic before transferring the drawing.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Saturday
Music work again today and the boring task of uploading tracks (big ones) and cutting and folding CD artwork. I found some of the original printing I ordered for my first two CD's Synaesthesia, and The Incredible Journey, from 2002. Those haven't been on my website for years, so I decided to remedy that and am preparing the downloads and have put together some limited editions of the CDs.
Actually all my CD copies are limited because I tend to order twenty sets of the artwork and have yet to sell more than three of any, but I have faith. My confidence in my art makes me know more than ever that one day people will want to hear it. Even if not, even if I knew categorically that nobody would hear my music I think it's better to make it available than record it here and only listen to it myself. One of my fears is being flooded with orders one day but I'll worry about that when it happens.
Enough rambling!
Synaesthesia was my first attempt as an "album" or suite of music and dates back to the early 1990's. This is actually version three (version one is on tape and there are only two copies). It was hard to get the technology to work, basically my old PC was really slow and I used the first incarnation of my music software to write it, "Noisestation 1" which had no reverb effects and a very "clean" digital sound. I had cheap hi-fi speakers to do all the balancing too, but it's fine artistically.
The Incredible Journey was released the same year and was more of a mish-mash of tunes, including some from a huge game I was planning called "The Heart of Aorkhan". I'm using lots of quotes today aren't I!? Anyway, that game was the one that made me give up writing big games, the one that made me decide to try new things which is why in 2002 I set up my sound effects website IndieSFX, my game review website Bytten, my game website Cornutopia, released two music albums, wrote 150 poems, etc. etc. Everything started that year, apart from painting.
Now I AM rambling. This blog entry is the sort of email I'd write to my friend Andrew, my pen-pal and friend for about fifteen years, although we've only met twice. For perhaps a decade he was my only friend.
Tomorrow I must upload more tracks. While the computer ticks over I'll paint another study. Tick tick! Synaesthesia, The Incredible Journey, and the new one The Infinite Forest will be available by mp3 download for £5.99 and CD for £12.99 inc. postage.
If it's night then have a good night, and if it's day then have a good day dear reader!
Actually all my CD copies are limited because I tend to order twenty sets of the artwork and have yet to sell more than three of any, but I have faith. My confidence in my art makes me know more than ever that one day people will want to hear it. Even if not, even if I knew categorically that nobody would hear my music I think it's better to make it available than record it here and only listen to it myself. One of my fears is being flooded with orders one day but I'll worry about that when it happens.
Enough rambling!
Synaesthesia was my first attempt as an "album" or suite of music and dates back to the early 1990's. This is actually version three (version one is on tape and there are only two copies). It was hard to get the technology to work, basically my old PC was really slow and I used the first incarnation of my music software to write it, "Noisestation 1" which had no reverb effects and a very "clean" digital sound. I had cheap hi-fi speakers to do all the balancing too, but it's fine artistically.
The Incredible Journey was released the same year and was more of a mish-mash of tunes, including some from a huge game I was planning called "The Heart of Aorkhan". I'm using lots of quotes today aren't I!? Anyway, that game was the one that made me give up writing big games, the one that made me decide to try new things which is why in 2002 I set up my sound effects website IndieSFX, my game review website Bytten, my game website Cornutopia, released two music albums, wrote 150 poems, etc. etc. Everything started that year, apart from painting.Now I AM rambling. This blog entry is the sort of email I'd write to my friend Andrew, my pen-pal and friend for about fifteen years, although we've only met twice. For perhaps a decade he was my only friend.
Tomorrow I must upload more tracks. While the computer ticks over I'll paint another study. Tick tick! Synaesthesia, The Incredible Journey, and the new one The Infinite Forest will be available by mp3 download for £5.99 and CD for £12.99 inc. postage.
If it's night then have a good night, and if it's day then have a good day dear reader!
Friday, December 04, 2009
The Infinite Forest
Music work today and the tedious task of converting files to mp3 format, creating clips, creating album artwork (four pages for a booklet complete with credits, and every other bit of text, rear artwork with track listing and inner tray artwork), then registering the tracks with PPL the recordings licencing authority, obtaining an LC code for German airplay royalties (currently pending), re-converting my older albums to 128kbps mp3 format, uploading the FLAC and MP3 versions, creating the downloadable music products, adding a web page to my website describing the music, emailing the printers to check costs and availability, entering information into the Emubands website for iTunes submission...
I'll stop there. There's a lot more yet. The paperwork involved in the music industry is immense. Instead I'll show you the front cover artwork I completed today and the inner sleeve poem.
The Infinite Forest
Onwards down the darkened path
as branches twist and arch around.
Crisp leaves make the only sound
upon the rusty forest ground.
The angel spirit leads the way
to distant lights of victory,
and slowly night transforms to day,
and mortal to infinity.
I'll stop there. There's a lot more yet. The paperwork involved in the music industry is immense. Instead I'll show you the front cover artwork I completed today and the inner sleeve poem.
Onwards down the darkened path
as branches twist and arch around.
Crisp leaves make the only sound
upon the rusty forest ground.
The angel spirit leads the way
to distant lights of victory,
and slowly night transforms to day,
and mortal to infinity.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Grey Power
Painting today, the main study for a painting called "Abandoning Someone Who Was A Friend To Me When I Had None".
The colours are unusual. I began to wonder how to represent abandonment and had been toying with the idea of using grey to represent time in a painting. That came about because of my studies of neuro-linguistic programming early this year. In that, mental images to be enhanced should be imagined brightly coloured, clear and vivid, while images to be destroyed should be fuzzy and grey.
That made me think of an unusual property of paintings; that most have constant levels of chromanance. Paintings can be brightly coloured (like a Monet, van Gogh, or a Raphael), or subtly coloured in ashen greys (like a Hammershoi), but the overall chromanance tends to remain constant. I decided to colour part of the image in grey, and as you can see the result was powerful. Mentally speaking grey is a killer colour, it kills just about everything it touches! And here that tiny distant figure near the mountains at the end of that long grey road is dead, about as abandoned as anything can be.
This picture is about 25cm square and the full size one will be about 80cm square. Studies like this are very useful for working things out, and it only took one day. The picture cries out for blue and I'm unsure of the green back-reflections. More to do, tick tick.
The colours are unusual. I began to wonder how to represent abandonment and had been toying with the idea of using grey to represent time in a painting. That came about because of my studies of neuro-linguistic programming early this year. In that, mental images to be enhanced should be imagined brightly coloured, clear and vivid, while images to be destroyed should be fuzzy and grey.
That made me think of an unusual property of paintings; that most have constant levels of chromanance. Paintings can be brightly coloured (like a Monet, van Gogh, or a Raphael), or subtly coloured in ashen greys (like a Hammershoi), but the overall chromanance tends to remain constant. I decided to colour part of the image in grey, and as you can see the result was powerful. Mentally speaking grey is a killer colour, it kills just about everything it touches! And here that tiny distant figure near the mountains at the end of that long grey road is dead, about as abandoned as anything can be.
This picture is about 25cm square and the full size one will be about 80cm square. Studies like this are very useful for working things out, and it only took one day. The picture cries out for blue and I'm unsure of the green back-reflections. More to do, tick tick.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Wednesday
Wednesday means my weekly art group meeting, Art Support, and I traced out a half-size outline for the second picture in my "love" series.
My method for transferring drawings from paper to canvas is simple and laborious. First I trace carefully and accurately using a very fine black pen. Then I turn the paper over and use a brown watercolour pencil (currently a Derwent Inktense "Willow") and go over all of the lines. I use brown because it's light enough to see the black pen lines, it's also a permanent earth colour and more likely to blend and be hidden by paint over the top. The pencil doesn't blend or visibly react with solvents, which is why I use an Inktense. Finally I trace onto the painting surface using a fine point embossing scribe, a metal spike with a tiny ball at the end.
I haven't painted anything in what seems like a lifetime. I wanted to write a surreal novel, or at least one chapter in November (two chapters were my goal, but I did add a question mark!) but alas, I struggled which is no surprise because I hardly read any fiction. The idea is good though so I'll keep it. I'm not yet willing to commit the resources needed to learn to write. I'm full of painting ideas and ambitions. I'm pressuring myself to produce paintings, out of love for it, out of fear of growing old and losing my faculties, a degeneration which I can practically feel happening daily and seem to detect in everyone older than myself.
I'll paint some colour studies tomorrow. My monthly goals call for finishing colour studies for six paintings, finishing the artwork and releasing The Infinite Forest album, and modelling for two new paintings. I'd like to finish some actual paintings too, and perhaps start a new one. Oh, and have a good Christmas and 37th birthday.
Today's goal is to rest.
My method for transferring drawings from paper to canvas is simple and laborious. First I trace carefully and accurately using a very fine black pen. Then I turn the paper over and use a brown watercolour pencil (currently a Derwent Inktense "Willow") and go over all of the lines. I use brown because it's light enough to see the black pen lines, it's also a permanent earth colour and more likely to blend and be hidden by paint over the top. The pencil doesn't blend or visibly react with solvents, which is why I use an Inktense. Finally I trace onto the painting surface using a fine point embossing scribe, a metal spike with a tiny ball at the end.
I haven't painted anything in what seems like a lifetime. I wanted to write a surreal novel, or at least one chapter in November (two chapters were my goal, but I did add a question mark!) but alas, I struggled which is no surprise because I hardly read any fiction. The idea is good though so I'll keep it. I'm not yet willing to commit the resources needed to learn to write. I'm full of painting ideas and ambitions. I'm pressuring myself to produce paintings, out of love for it, out of fear of growing old and losing my faculties, a degeneration which I can practically feel happening daily and seem to detect in everyone older than myself.
I'll paint some colour studies tomorrow. My monthly goals call for finishing colour studies for six paintings, finishing the artwork and releasing The Infinite Forest album, and modelling for two new paintings. I'd like to finish some actual paintings too, and perhaps start a new one. Oh, and have a good Christmas and 37th birthday.
Today's goal is to rest.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Zeitgeist
Today I dropped off four paintings for a new exciting exhibition at the Down To A Fine Art Gallery called Zeitgeist. The barn gallery in Stretton, Cheshire (between Chester and Wrexham) has a different exhibition every month and this December the show aims to capture the mood of the times.
The full size version of Money Just Running Out will be premiered and on sale for £895. Three of my best paintings will also be on show, Yet More Ends Are Even (£195), So, It Has Come To This (£395), and Spear of Destiny (£595). The exhibition runs until the 11th of January.
There are two opening events and I aim to attend on Sunday the 6th, from 12 until 3pm. All are welcome to attend.
The full size version of Money Just Running Out will be premiered and on sale for £895. Three of my best paintings will also be on show, Yet More Ends Are Even (£195), So, It Has Come To This (£395), and Spear of Destiny (£595). The exhibition runs until the 11th of January.
There are two opening events and I aim to attend on Sunday the 6th, from 12 until 3pm. All are welcome to attend.
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