Two tigers and a lion!

Sorry for the inactivity, as usual university is taking its toll. I have had some more time to work on my scratchboard and acrylic tiger and have some updates!:)


I am just scratching away with my tiger and have put in the base scratches on the other side of the face. A lot of toning and defining of facial structures is still required. I have also started adding in some foliage too. I am still looking for some title suggestions too so all help is appreciated.

With my acrylic tiger  I just decided to block everything in. I have started some of the final detailing on the left side of the face, the orange fur beneath the eye. I also need to learn how to stop overworking a piece which I think is one of my main weaknesses with acrylics.

Yip I have also started another piece which is also another big cat. This time it is the lion with the reference from Mike Seamons from flickr. I have realised that I am one of those artists that like to have a few pieces on the go because then I don't get bored and the inspiration sticks with me then.:) This piece is showing at its original size. I decided to really challenge myself with acrylics and decided to do a close up piece of a lion which is only 10 cm X 10 cm. As you can see the underpainting is complete and I have completed one eye too. This is the most difficult eye I have ever done due to the size. Closer to its completion I will show a size comparison with a penny. :)

I won't have any more updates for a little while because I have a lot of uni work and exams but I will update when I have made some progress.:)

Another Tiger!!:D

Alongside my scratchboard tiger I have decided to start an acrylic tiger piece. I do a lot of big cats because these felines hold a special place in my heart!

This will be a second serious attempt at acrylics and this crop is quite unconventional. It will be based off one of my own shots I took and many people either love or hate the crop due to numerous reasons. I personally love it.:)

It is titled ' A close encounter ' as it is quite an intimate piece as if the tiger has came extremely close to the viewer.

At the minute I do not feel as if I have a method to how I paint, but one thing is for sure I prefer to do a bit at a time instead of blocking the whole piece in.

Peacock finished and a new tiger!

So I finally got the peacock finished. I am happy with it and has been my biggest project yet!

In addition to this I have started a new piece including a tiger. I have decided that it is time for me to become more serious with my artwork and even though I am 19 I want to get my name known.

Therefore this piece will include a moderate amount of background with a tree and foliage and is based off my own reference shot. (This is the sumatran tiger piece I have been dying to do)

I am trying to tackle different textures and I am finding it difficult. As you can see I have just jumped from different areas so that I can get a feel for the composition.

Remember the peacock?

Remember the peacock I was working on?

Well I have finally got back round to it and I thought I should post an update. It is getting insanely close to the finish and I cannot wait for it. I have even got a nice ivory framed picked out for it.

The update.

Some areas that may look finished still need some tweaking left. I have signed in advance as I feel that if do this I will definitely get the piece finished.:)

It is been a while...

For those who follow my blog I am really sorry that I have been so inactive. I have just not really had time to do art and in addition to this being in an art slump really has an effect on your creativity and productivity. 

However I did get one piece finished my amur leopard scratchboard. The peacock is close to the finish but I left my acrylic snow leopard as a study piece and also a learner piece.

This is the leopard which I titled 'Windows to the Soul'

One down 3 to go!:)

I finally finished my Asiatic lion piece!! I am happy with it and I like the mane!

This is a gift for my friend so I hope they like it!:)

'The Future of the Gir'

I have done some work on the amur leopard. I also better get a move on with the peacock!

Snow Leopard.

Another update on the acrylic snow leopard. It is getting real close to the finish everything above the nose is almost finished! I have just put on layer upon layer and a few glazes.

I am already thinking of my next acrylic! It is quite addictive and I like the fact that I can switch mediums when I get bored of one.:)

Lion and Leopard.

Finally I have an update on the lion! I am pleased with how it is coming along. This picture is quite rubbish I will try to get a better one once the piece is completed.

I am really looking forward to getting this completed. Just some mane and whiskers to go.:)


I have another update on the snow leopard too! The underpainting is completed and I have started detailing the eye. I believe that the eyes of a piece have to be captured correctly in order for the artwork to be a success. Therefore 9 times out of 10 I start with the eyes as I would rather know if the painting is a flop before I have put too much time into it.:)

So far I can see a vast difference between my tiger and the snow leopard. It is quite surprising the changes made from using professional materials.

I have created the eye using a lot of glazes and I still have a little left to do before I start detailing the fur. I use the acrylics at a milky consistency.

Underpainting!!

I have finally gotten round to doing some under painting on the snow leopard. I am making it more saturated on purpose so that I can build the fur up in layers from the dark below to highlights above. I have still to tackle the eye. I am finding it quite difficult to mix colours correctly. I takes me a few attempts.

The Beginning of 2 and hopefully the completion of 2!

I have abandoned the tiger as I really just saw it as a practice (learning) piece. I finally got my delivery of the professional acrylics and from now on I will be using the golden fluid brand of acrylic and ampersand gessoboard. I have spoke to an amazing artist who does outstanding work with acrylics and she has given me loads of help and advice! :) I am extremely lucky to be in contact with her.

I can't remember if I mentioned but all of my scratchboards works are done on the Ampersand brand. (The best!!)

The title of this post says it all really. I am hoping to finish two scratchboard pieces the Asiatic Lion and the Peacock. I have an update on the peacock and have just started doing the iconic feathers and I am trying to finish the stripy white and black feathers am not sure what they are called. I have found a new place to take pictures of my works, so I don't need to use photoshop to get rid of glare!

One of the new pieces I have started is a close up of an Amur Leopard. The reference photo is my own and was taken at Edinburgh zoo. The piece is only 5x7. This is the piece which I will be using to see just how far I can push scratchboard! It will not be coloured and will be left black and white. So far I believe that it is my best work!

The whole board:

An extreme close up of the eye much greater in size than in real life:

In addition to the Amur leopard I have started a leopard in acrylic. This time a snow leopard and the reference photo is from the fantastic photographer and friend Tambako the Jaguar from Flickr. This too is a 5x7. I started small since this is my first serious attempt at acrylics. It will be painted with golden acrylics and on ampersand gessoboard. So far I have just strengthened the transfer with a mixture of carbon black and burnt sienna. I will be starting the underpainting soon. Hopefully this will turn out better than the tiger. :)

Painting??

I have another small update on the tiger. I am just experimenting with glazes since this is my first and practice acrylic piece. Therefore I have only started detailing the left eye (our left). I have long ways to go yet!

First Acrylic!

I decided to post my first acrylic. I have not used very good material as I just wanted to get a feel for them first. I have now ordered the proper materials.

This is the first time I have ever used a brush and acrylics and it is on canvas. I have established that I dislike canvas due to the texture as it does not allow for fine details. The inexpensive paints I have are not even permanent they dissolve with water. So I am really looking forward to my new acrylic supplies arriving.

The reference photo is from the great photographer and artist Cathy Sheeter. I have made it a close up of my favourite animal the tiger.

I have just begun detailing the left eye and the rest is in the ugly underpainting stage. I may or may not finish this because I don't want to put so much effort on cheap materials to get a rubbish result. It is 9x5 inches.

And some green!

I have added some more colour to the peacock and I like how it is turning out. The greens have some blues and yellows in them and I have started scratching the iconic peacock feathers.

I have also started my first acrylic and will post here if it turns out.

I know I said there was not going to be any scratchboard in a while but I had an urge to do a 5x7 so I will post that too when finished. I like the idea of working on different pieces to retain a sense of freshness.

Feeling a little blue!

Another update on the peacock.

I am looking forward to getting this finished soon!

Still going...

Another small update with the peacock this time showing the whole board.

Am still trying to think whether or not I should include a background. I don't want it to look pasted on and if I did include a background I don't really have a clue on what I should do.:(

At the minute I am in a bit of an artistic slump! I am determined to finish this piece and then dabble in other mediums and arts such as photography and music. I will take a break from scratchboard even though I have so many ideas in my head. I still have to do a horse in scratch and I got an awesome reference picture from Edinburgh zoo of the Sumatran tiger which is begging to be done. I also want to go small and try a 5x7 with an intense amount of work with colour and a lot of rescratching to see just how far I can push myself. This is all daunting but with help from some good friends on wetcanvas I have decided to take a little break. I can say that no matter what medium I decide to dabble in, I will lean towards realism, I just can't do abstract art because I am terrible at it. The best compliment that anyone could give me is saying that my piece looks like a picture.

I also thought that I should include that art has always been one of my passions in life and in particular wildlife art. Throughout school I have always drew animals and aim to display their beauty through my pieces. However, at school I was forced to do still life. I liked it but the finished piece did not make me feel proud or as proud as a finished animal piece would. Therefore I returned to wildlife art within a short space of time and have been pursuing it since. I hope to continue doing wildlife art in the future and maybe even try becoming a member of wildlife art societies.

Peacock.

Another update on my peacock piece. I have added colour and still need to complete the head. This is just a close up of the what I have done so far.

"Elegance"

I have started a new piece and it will be my largest to date at 18x24 and will be fully coloured. It is a peacock and the reference is thanks to the very amazing photographer Niranj Vaidyanathan.

This is where I am at the now.

Once I have completed this I won't be doing a scratchboard in a while, well maybe a few boards alongside other projects. :)

I want to try other mediums such as acrylics and graphite work. I have seen stunning work with these two mediums but I have never really tried them. I know that my first attempts will not be great but I suppose after a lot of practice I will get somewhere.:)

"The Future of the Gir" and "Midnight Hunter"

Another update on the lion. I feel that it is getting better as I go along and I am really looking forward to finishing it. I have decided to title it "The Future of the Gir" which is based on the Gir forest which is home to and a sanctuary for the pure asiatic lion.

I have also recently completed and 8x10 piece of a melanistic jaguar. It was based off one of my own references of the the black jaguar called Mowgli at Edinburgh zoo. It was also a trade piece for another scratchboard artist called Patrick Hedges and in turn for this piece I received one of his stunning pieces.:)

This is the first time I have done a black animal on scratchboard and it is also the first time I have included a subtle green background. It is coloured with Ampersand India inks. It is titled " Midnight Hunter".

Am not lion. :)

I have finally gotten into the swing of things with the lion and this is where I am the now.

I think I may add in a big scar to show that this lion has been in fights for survival! I thought it would make the piece more interesting. For the mane I am trying to portray raggedy, untamed hair to try and evoke a true feeling of wildness. So far I have used a scalpel for the whole piece which is a new tool that I am beginning to like. I also think I may add some grass as well.

Some of my older work.

I thought I would post some of my earlier work in scratchboard. Beware it is not pretty...

My first ever scratchboard, completed on the Essdee brand with a scratchboard nib. I know that it is not that good but it started of my scratchboard journey and therefore I adore it. It is a bengal tiger.

For my 2nd scratchboard I got myself a craft knife and saw the improvement drastically. This was still on Essdee and is a golden eagle.

My third scratcboard still on Essdee with a craft knife. It is a golden retriever.

On my fourth scratchboard I finally started to realise that to do better work I needed to get the ampersand make and this was my last Essdee board of an Egyptian Mau Cat. I think that this is one of my best pieces to date.

Then came my first ampersand board. For some reason I have left it unfinished, I don't want to go back and rework it. It is a snow leopard.

I realised that Ampersand was the brand for me and have never looked back since. All my work from there on has been on ampersand.

I think I can safely say that I have came a long way with my scratch art. I hope to keep improving.