Retrenched, 10" x 8", Mixed Media on canvas board, 2008

This is another transformation. The original sketch was done in may this year. Again, no colour references but just a love and passion for the human face and its ever changing emotions.


This was totally experimental





1. I first sketched in biro.

2. Then washed the tones in with acrylic

3. Then I sanded it

4. Retained the drawing again in biro.

5. Sanded it again

6. Added more washes in acrylic

7. Then I fixed it- it all went wrong, started bleeding!

8. Then when dry I etch out the lights and forms hit with light with my surgical blade

9. Enhance the drawing lines again

10. Finally do some last bits of etching.

"It's ALL over now.........." 6" x 8", Acrylic on gessoed card, 2008

This is another transformation, I have gone straight with acrylic here for most of this painting.




1. I sketched her face in, with the TOM BOW dual felt pen (dark grey)

2. I then went straight with a direct painting technique of shapes of colours, not paying attention to details ( Broad Brush Strokes)

3. I added detail to the shapes of colours (Smaller Brush Strokes)

4. I tried to recover some of the drawing with Wolff's carbon pencil(4B) that I purposely wanted to show in the final work

Then without the reference sketch, I combine some subtle strokes around the painting with some overstatements in the hair to keep the semi abstract nature of that area alive!

Melachonly II, 6" x 8", oil on gessoed card, 2008

Another transformation. Some of the colour shifts are not believable- anyway that's because I am working form memory and experience, no reference, just a love for the human face and the blessed opportunity to paint it!





This is my first in this series of paintings in oil.

Love at first sight, 8" x 11", mixed media on watercolour paper, 2008

This is another transformation, a bit different from the norm but all the same a transformation from the sketch to a finished painting.




I sketched this girl way back last year and from my pad- I have written on it-"One of my best shots- I don't always get a good model on the trains but this girl was amazing, she kept that pose all the way from London Bridge to Woolwich Arsenal, a journey of about 20 mins.




To execute this transformation

1. First sketched the girls basic features with my carbon pencil (Wolffs)
2. Then I played around with the essential strokes, patches and blobs of watercolour, blocking in the essential tones
3. Then I draw into it again with the carbon pencil
4. I introduce white gouache, this is due to my lack of patience with the watercolour medium, the gouache gives me the instant lights and is far more forgiving.
5. Then I return to watercolour this time using tombow markers as my watercolour for some vibrancy and spice.
6. I then finish off with some sensitive touches of carbon pencil and white coloured pencil

I notice that part of the painting border that I used to mix the watercolours seemed to work well as part of the painting, so I decided to leave it all in as it is without cropping.

The day after, 8" x 10", Acrylic/Biro on canvas board, 2008

I sketched this guy recently, the 3rd of November as my sketch book reads, so I was still able to capture a bit of his feel in this transformation.






I have gone about this painting in a really systematic form, to help viewers understand my mixed media technique and also to help myself. I also need to understand a bit about my working procedure, which sometimes is quite haphazard and needs a bit of structure for future referencing and teaching purposes.




1. The canvas stained with a neutral colour that suited his overall skin tone
2. The sketch done with a brown fine permanent-ink marker(PITT Artist Pen-Brush nib)
3. Tones added with brown tombow felt markers
4. The details sketched in with black Biro
5. The acrylic added in various strokes blobs and patches just to cover the entire canvas
6. The drawing recovered with a Biro sketch
7. Addition of texture where necessary, using Winsor and Newton Galeria Heavy Structure Gel
8. Re-painting the whole piece with more definite strokes blobs and patches
9. Addition of Biro drawing for some details
10. Final highlights in acrylic with gel and Biro

Stay tuned for more!

The Capped man, 6" x 8", acrylic, 2008

Another transformation.....................I worked a bit lightly here than in others, using the acrylic in a wash like manner.

INFLAMED BLUSHING, 6" x 8", Acrylic, 2008

This was a rare opportunity, as I have noted on the original sketch because I must have been so up close to this guy but I sure he hardly knew it!



I have the developed the painting purely from the sketch. I really wanted to play with colour and texture, just being free.



I sketched him from London Bridge to Woolich Arsenal, that journey takes about 20 mins.

Red Head, 6" x 8", Acrylic, 2008

This is another sketch of a woman, I sketched her from Waterloo to London Bridge, Must have been the Jubilee line but I have no record of the actual line. What must have interested me was basically, her beautiful profile, it was an elegant combination of curves and angles.






I have made her have red hair as I cannot remember what colour her hair was but I like red haired models anyway, they are rare and interesting. Again, I worked on this one extensively from imagination but borrowed a reference profile from a magazine for some forms and colours.

Melanchonly, 6" x 8", acrylic, 2008

I sketched this woman from London Bridge to Greenwich, I had only 2 stops to capture this woman's features, it was one of the quick ones. Approximately 8-10 minutes, with people looking and the train in motion.............




To try and interpret this in colour wasn't that easy. I could only remember the fact that she was black all the rest had to be invented. This exercise makes me get to stretch my imagination a bit, something that I am not really used to.

Deep BLUE SEA, 8" x 10", Acrylic on canvas board, 2008

This is the second sketch that will come alive in colour. It is quite fun seeing this transformation.




I remember sketching this guy on a 469 bus form Woolwich Arsenal to McLeod Road, where he got off. His wife knew I was sketching him and showed it to him, he was fast asleep. She said she loved art while younger... I guess many of us did.

The Test, 50 x 60cm, Acrylic on linen, 2008

I did this yesterday as an entry in these series of paintings from sketches I do on public transport.




Working like this is quite a test, sometimes I loose the spontaneity of the sketch, sometimes I just can't get the drawing right. Also, without the colour it is a nightmare. But I am up for this challenge!




I might still revisit this one. I just want to get this blog off board.

So here I'll be posting the sketch and the painting for each one.

WATCH THIS SPACE

This is a new blog that I am starting today and would be a continous painting of people I have sketched everyday from my sketch books past and present. It would be a way of taking the sketches I do a step further. Hopefully people interested in purchasing the pieces would be able to. Faces are Powerful and I have sketched so many since 2004!


Hope I won't run out of steam.........