MACKY, 9" x 12", Mixed Media on Paper, 2010

This is another transformation from memory.

This time I actually requested to sketch this homeless guy for an agreed price for just 5 minutes.



The sketch looked very brief but I worked on the colour transformation a bit more.

Steps
1. I used a canson orange paper

2. Started sketching with watercolour with a flat sable for the basic parts of this portrait.

3. Start under-painting of the whole face and other features with burnt sienna washes of watercolour and olive green.

4. I introduce chalk pastel with broad strokes all over the face and clothes to block in the initial colours

5.I then move on to wax crayons to add expressive strokes and tie up the structure and harmony of colour all over the piece. I love these wax crayons as they are less messy and reveal more of my passion for linear strokes.

6. I then finish up with a soft black oil base pencil to add more detail and recover some of the drawing that gets lost during the expressive wax technique.

7. Call it quits........

"Remembering what he told me", 5" x 7", Mixed Media on watercolour board, 2009

This is another transformation, I can vividly remember sketching this girl because I sketched her this month. It was an evening in the train and I was on my way to London Bridge. My eyes just caught her green and black hair.

I have gone about this one as follows.

1. Sketched her face and main features with H pencil (very hard pencil)

2. I then use a wet on wet technique with watercolour to almost finish this piece in watercolour, but when it dries I am not happy with the fussy wet on wet look.

3. Then I decide to add some details with a carbon pencil, still not good!


4. I introduce water resistant wax crayons and I seem to enjoy the intensity and spontaneity it gives the piece

5. I continue working all over the piece with the wax crayons in an excited passionate way, stroking haphazardly.....

6. I throw in some detail around the eyes and mouth with coloured pencils.


7. Then I finish off with some black accents of the carbon pencil again, need to stop as it gets to point I don't know where to put the next stroke!

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.