Are you stuck for the perfect way to tell some one how much you'd like to give them your heart?...Well why not go a little bit further..throw in your liver, brains and kidneys too!..Tell her she's the Ghoul for you..or tell him you want him to be your Boy Fiend!
Have you ever thought about those stupid 'Why?' questions..you know, the ones that go "Why no matter what colour bubble bath you put in your bath are the bubbles always white?"..or the 'Where?' questions like "On Noah's ark, where did he put the Wood Peckers?"...or even.."on Noah's ark..how many rabbits were there after 40 days and nights?"...these things go through you mind when you spend all day dotting!
There doesn't appear to be much added in terms of ink today..I've been working behind the scenes as it were on elements for the background which i want to get right...I have a desire to put a flying Raven in the picture..originally I was going to have one sitting on top of a grave stone..
I'm glad I didn't miss the opportunity to see this..the gap in the clouds was so small..the event had passed only a minute later.
Here's a view from a couple of days ago..firstly you'll get an idea of the scale of the picture, and secondly , you can see my little sketch book in which i'm working on how the background will look. I usually get plenty of time to play around with ideas for the back ground ...I've now spent just under 50 hours on the actual picture and won't start work on the scenery for another day or so! It is however important to know what i'm going to do when the time comes.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that my blog had been awarded a the 'E For Excellent' honour! I'd like to thank the also excellent and honoured Bobkat for bestowing upon me this award.If you'd like to know more about the reason for this award, please take time to head on over there and read : 'E is for excellent.' As part of my acceptance for this award, I have to award those blogs I find also worthy of the title 'excellent'..I'm supposed to nominate 10. but i generally only read a few as regular commitments.
My mother used to keep a daily diary...she began it when she was 12 years old in 1945 and wrote in it every day..My Dad used to buy her a new diary every year for Christmas...but when she tragically died on 31 December 1991,her 1992 diary was left empty.My Father asked me if I would be able to make use of it..I said yes..and I have written about my day, every day since then.( you can see the original 1992 diary bottom left of the pile.) I wanted to post this picture because when I go to bed tonight and write about today, it will be my 6000th. entry.
I've finished Julie's hair and moved down to work on the bodice..I want the material to have a slight sheen, so I'm putting creases around the buttons to give some interest and to give the effect of tightness...there's a corset under there somewhere too!The sleeve's I've not fully decided on..I currently favour a semi transparent material in black with black flowers/butterflies or both in tiny repeated patterns.she will also wear elbow length gloves in black.
The church is complete..there will be a misty haze on the ground..you might also manage to make out the scribbles indicating where some of the clouds will be. There's been a lot of sickness in my family this week..coughs and colds mainly. So far i've escaped!
Slow going on this today..it's incredibly focusing to one's concentration to be working on a portrait i really want to get right! I have carefully added each and every dot making sure that it's in it's right place, taking frequent breaks to step away from the work and focus on something distant. I'm fairly pleased with the likeness I've achieved here.
whilst working on Julie's portrait, I've decided to have a second area upon which to work..I like the discipline of presenting architectural work. The church shown here is Dunbar Parish church in Scotland where I holidayed last summer.
Sorry for the delay in posting today..creating the sketches which would be correct was a long and drawn out process. Here you see my 'Maid' who appears to be in the process of being spanked by non other than my good friend and colleague Julie Schuler.Julie appears ( with her permission) as a strict Victorian ma'rm.In the back ground you can also make out a church which similar to 'the game' will be being struck by lightning from the boiling clouds above. The sky will hide more secrets as the riddle like quality of this picture develops.
The photograph is a little wonky because I couldn't get far enough over the picture...and i wanted to get it in daylight and it was getting dark.I'm just putting in the fur to the right of Oskur's arm..the more i looked at the composition as a whole,the more it felt as if he should be moving to the left. tomorrow I'll begin placing the other elements into the picture..I'm very excited by what is to come.
I've stopped work in the middle of my day to post. It's actually a good time..the 'calm before the storm' as the boys are due back from school any minute, and Jan has taken Annie to the dentist ..they're due back in a short while and then it's pupils turning up for piano lessons. this gives me chance to start cooking and hopefully disappear upstairs to do some more work.
OK. I'll get back to my proper work tomorrow!..but for now..my eldest son came home from the weekly shop with this little gift for me today. Knowing how much his Dad loves the old JD..he thought this would be perfect.What a lovely thought!..Unfortunately it just tastes like rough barbecue sauce with no hint of JD....it says it's made with 'Authentic Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey'.....what a waste of good JD!
Simple question. who would you pick to play you in the film of your life? I've chosen Richard Dreyfuss..one of my all time favourite actors. what about you?
I've nearly finished work on the fur to the right of the figure..I think I'll leave the final shading until I've installed some background. I think my aim right now is to continue up the wooden figure ..I'm working on finalised sketches for the other figures in the composition which i will introduce soon.
I've now started to work on the legs of the wooden figure .The relationship between Oskur and the figure is very significant as you will see.
As the first of two posts today, I'd like to introduce you (if you don't know already)to a little business venture my good friend and author of the blog 'Love is stronger than pride' Devilmood has recently started. Back in November last year, DM asked me to create a banner for her new site called Astro Skies. As a qualified Psychologist and Counsellor, DM wanted to use her professional experience and her life long interest in astrology. Astro Skies is NOT a fortune telling service, instead it helps you to understand aspects of your personality and the way we view ourselves in relation to our life goals and interpersonal relationships. As part of Astro skies service, you can purchase an individually tailored Birth Chart and analysis written by DM. Above is a photograph of the chart Astro Skies did for me running to some 25 pages. Astro Skies does not use commercially available software to formulate the chart, but each one is hand drawn by DM.
I had no idea what his expression would be like as I drew because I used two source photos to get the proportions and the 'feel' of the hair, then made op the shape of the mouth.so he's turned out a fairly wise old looking chimp with a slight hint of naughtiness..for reasons you'll see later.
I had a spot of the old 'Man flu' this morning(that's 'slight head cold' to those who aren't familiar with the phrase!) The main disadvantage to where I currently work is I'm right beside my bed..so once I'd seen the kids off to school..I had the choice of bed or chair...guess which one I chose?..anyway, I've got back to work this afternoon..I'm really enjoying seeing this cheeky monkey take shape..I've gone back in my memory and you know, i can't think of any occasion where I've drawn an animal...yes, I've drawn a little Great Tit in my last picture..but nothing like this. I also took a few reference photos to work from for the wooden figure.
I feels good to be off on another adventure.The preparation time before starting has been reduced simply by starting before all the elements have been refined and finalised.This si an ongoing process which requires some particular concentration as you will see in due course. Mean while..I have presented the photographs in order of the most recent at the top. At the bottom is my initial sketch onto the paper before inking. It is unusual for me to 'sketch' directly onto the paper with out preparing a finished drawing in another book, making a tracing and transferring it by that method.
OK..you might be thinking I've pressed the wrong button...had a complete camera burn out..clicked the picture at the same time a nuclear bomb went off. Well your wrong. i could have cheated by publishing a page of white. But no dear reader..this is an actual photograph.
Dear reader..I am about to embark on a picture which will probably define the way people view me for many years to come...at least that's what i hope will happen. You join the process of composition a few days into it's development..here I am working on sketches of Oskur. My little black and white portable television glows eerily ...I was watching a film starring James Stewart..'The Spirit Of St. Louis' tells the story of Charles Lindberg who became the first man to fly from New York to Paris non stop....the screen shows Lindberg as he approached the French capital...it was pure coincidence that he was looking out over my work as I photographed it! (he looks a little 'Chimp-like' in his goggles!). Funnily enough..it was the reverse journey to America that I wish i could have taken as I worked on this piece.
Perhaps you'll return to see how this develops in the coming weeks...but be warned..if you found interpretation of 'L'inattendu' tricky...you'll need all your wits about you for this one!!
As I work steadily on the preparatory sketches of my next picture, i thought I'd post these two drawings I did at the beginning of 2006. they were part of a series of pictures funded by Arts Council England and saw me step up to full time self employment. they were exhibited later in the year at my solo exhibition entitled 'Project spectrum'. this picture is of my youngest son William. he's seen posing against a wall opposite our house which he liked to play football against.
This second picture is of course a self portrait..i'm not trying to look glum..but I am serious and concentrating..and I do look rather different now. In the picture , the most important element id the model seagull.Whilst on holiday in August 2005, we stayed in a little village in Devon..a couple of miles up the coast from a village called Boscastle. Terrible heavy storms hit Boscastle whilst we were there and all the residents were airlifted to safety as the tiny river that ran through the village burst it's banks and swept all into the sea. A few days later on our beach..this seagull was washed ashore still bearing it's price tag.(It came from the village gift shop..one day I intend to go back there and pay for it!)
I hope to bring you a new piece very soon which is very exciting...watch this space!
After 66 hours and 10 mins..here is the finished picture. I decided to blot out the faces at the back apart from the one in the top left..as Julie commented yesterday, she looks like a ghostly voyeur..I'm happy with the overall effect..I'm particularly pleased with the part of the picture I've shown below as a detail.
I'd like to re-photograph these pictures tomorrow in daylight..the little boy has got bleached out by my lamps...
I hope you've enjoyed following the conception and development of this piece?..I'd love to know what you interpret the picture as meaning..but remember..the little boy is me! I don't think we've seen the last of these characters...and get ready to see the debut of a certain Chimpanzee in my next piece!!
I've spent the day putting the background in..The heads only vaguely hinted at behind the raised skirts are not to my liking and especially the two on the extreme right will undergo a little redefinition tomorrow. But for today, I've spent enough time concentrating...the progress you see here since yesterdays post represents about 6 solid hours of work.
After I posted the the above paragraph..I went back to work on the top part of the picture and have sorted out the bits I didn't like..I find it frustrating that you don't get to see the picture at it's full size..it's much more dynamic and detailed. Here is a closeup photo which shows me working on the ghostly face in the background. 
It's all looking rather comical to my eyes..perhaps because I've been looking up those skirts for the last few weeks. It's kind of lost it's novelty...It's as if the Star Man is turning around to me and saying.."Are you serious !?" The truthful answer is : " Yes I am! "
It's Twelfth Night..and we've spent the day taking decorations down. We began our day drinking Champagne and eating bacon sandwiches for breakfast..it was to commemorate the end of the holidays...the kids go back to school tomorrow! Peace will reign once more and I'll be able to get some serious work in...I've not actually done any today, but the progress you see here was all done yesterday. ...the end is in sight...hopefully I'll finish this in the next few days!
I have been searching for these drawings all over my house..now I've found them. I thought I'd show you the origins of 'Hyperpointillist' style. This drawing (above) is one I drew on 17 th September 1976..it was drawn as homework for school. I used a proper ink pen with a nib and a bottle of Indian ink. I copied it from a TV listings magazine..it shows Lee Majors in his role as Steve Austin., The Six Million Dollar Man, which was my favourite show at the time! NB...During the drawing of this picture, a big blob of ink fell off my pen onto the drawing..fortunately I was able to incorporate it into the picture...as a medallion! ( honestly, they were really cool back then!!)
At last i can give you a better idea of what the balance of the composition is like now that most of the components are in place..( I have background to fully decide upon, but I think I know what will be fitting!)
Jonice yesterday commented that she liked the fact that I live and learn..I think in fact that we all do this. But in my case the majority of my learning is done whilst producing pictures, sometimes very deep and intimately personal and the way i relate to those who see them. It is my desire and goal to lay myself open..to approach and allow that which is within me take shape on the paper.This is a risky business for someone who is actually, basically a very shy person.But the obligation of the artist is that which is binding and inescapable.."To thy own self be true"...anything less is to be a ineffectual and irrelevant.
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