Bitterness, 10" x 8", Acrylic on Canvas Board, 2009

This is another transformation, once again with no colour reference but just a love for painting the human face and a bit of experience from memory.

This was an Asian man I sketched on the the tube in February last year. He just had those perfect features that tell stories and while transforming him, I just enhanced them a bit to suggest the title of this painting. This piece was done in Acrylic with a slow dry medium, almost giving it the qualities of an oil. I love acrylic because it is so versatile- it can do almost all the effects that other mediums do.

I have also put up a photo of my set up so that you can see how I go about these transformations.

This one went thus:

1.Direct transfer of the sketch to the canvas board, that had been primed with a warm grey colour.

2. With the slow dry medium, I went about this one with very light glaze sketch strokes till I had enough information on the canvas.

3. With the simple formula of light washes to darker washes I built up the layers making sure I kept all the strokes free and loose. This method is often used in watercolour paintings.

4. Then when I got to the lighter parts that had the most light, I introduced some impasto gel medium into the paint mixtures to help with the heavy build of such areas.

5. The background was very important in this piece because I wanted it to have a sort of direct effect to the past events in his life that have sparked bitterness in this his heart.

6. Before completing I turned the piece upside down and just painted the abstract qualities of this piece -tying the strokes together to help the overall design.

7. Then I flipped it over and signed it before further ruins.

Lonely Londoner, 6" x 9", Oil on canvas board, 2009

This transformation was done yesterday from a sketch I did yesterday. this woman just sat in front of me like she was prepared for this.

This was tricky because I haven't attempted a three quarter figure yet and also with oils on an "Alla Prima" technique -It didn't give me my usual freedom, but this is a learning process for me too.

For this piece it was pretty straightforward

1. Give the canvas board a neutral grey background,

2. Sketch the figure in detail with charcoal pencil

3. Without wasting time I paint shape by shape with oil moving from top to bottom. The main things I note are the edges and tones.

4. Suffer when I get to the hand as my reference sketch doesn't have enough information.

5. I try to get back some drawing with the charcoal pencil but it is in vain.

6. Try to play around with haphazard strokes to unify the whole piece.

7. Have to stop because the oil is so wet all over, nothing seems to stay on again.

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.

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!