SPEED (in artwork) is not always of the essence…….

Exhibition Motoring Artwork.

As an Artist – I tend to work quite slowly, irrespective of whether it is an ink and pencil motoring artwork – as above, or a watercolour, or an acrylic or (of real necessity) an oil painting.

To me, rushed artwork , always looks rushed and I can usually spot  where an Artist has omitted to take care over their work.  This is a particularly difficult aspect of being and Artist, as all too often they allow themselves to be pressured into producing (yesterday……) a promised artwork/s – something I have learned NEVER to do.

This A3 size motoring artwork features the great French Rally Driver, Sébastian Loeb, doyen of French (and other nationalities’) rally fans.   The Citroen has been illustrated in ink (light fast and waterproof ) on 240 gsm Canson paper with pencil effects added  in to create the inevitable dust – that is part and parcel of any rallycross event……

This artwork, along with  others, in a similar genre,  will be exhibited in Rennes, in 2019 – details to follow.   And all the profits will to go to Médecins Sans Frontieres.

If you have a query about this artwork or indeed any of the motoring artworks shown on this web-site, or about my FREE Open Days for Artists, please do not hesitate to contact me at:- art2cherish@orange.fr.   Thank you for reading this and I look forward to hearing from you.

Have you a Theme for your artwork?

It is a sad fact that many artists spend years, floundering around in a sea of unrelated things to draw and paint – desperately trying out this and that, leaving their studio awash and cluttered with uninteresting and possibly unfinished work.

Some people, never get to grips with this quandry and equally never get around to deciding on a Theme for their art: the end result is predictable.

Whilst receiving a first class training in Ireland as an Artist, any mention of this business-like approach was carefully avoided, so many of us left College, yes, undeniably  competent artists, but totally lacking in how to funnel our artistic abilities to our (and our Clients’) benefit.   I was fortunate that, with a back-ground and involvement in motor-sport, motoring artwork would become my Theme choice.   I am privileged too, that from time to time, I have the opportunity to drive some of these wonderful machines – such as the racing Porsche Cayman above – which certainly helps enhance my knowledge (and enjoyment) of my chosen subject!

Thank you for reading this and if you have any queries, please feel free to contact me.

N.B. Please remember to keep a look-out for information on my popular and F R E E Open Days for Artists – of all abilities – where I hold demonstrations in drawing and painting, in my Art Studio, close to Rennes, Brittany.    Early booking is advised as places are strictly limited.           Wishing you a very Happy, Prosperous, Healthy and Safe, 2019.

If you would like to know more about my motoring artwork, open days, etc., etc., please e-mail me at:-  art2cherish@orange.fr.    Many thanks.

 

 

Impactful Art. Stage No. 1.

Making an artwork work i.e artwork that creates an impact does NOT have to be in full colour.    In this particular motoring artwork, the subjects are the well-known French Rally Driver – Sébastien Loeb , seen below- executed in soft pencil and one of the cars he drives – a Citroen – which I have illustrated (see the forthcoming Stage 11) in ink.

What is very important though, is the positioning of the subject or subjects, as in this instance.   People (and animals) naturally dominate an artwork, mainly because we become engaged with their eyes.   It is important, therefore, that this feature does not  end up as the dominant force, because then other parts of the painting, a car in this case, will end up by being “swallowed” by the power of the portrait part of the artwork.

This particular motoring artwork has been illustrated, using only pencil and fine liner black pen, on #Canson paper.    Stage 111 ( the final artwork ) will show a modicum of colour – coloured pencil as a defining point to this artwork.    Please enjoy and I welcome you to my Art Class (free) on the 6th November, where you learn how to draw and paint your own personal Christmas cards and where enjoyment is absolutely guaranteed………..

Speed is possible in watercolours….

One of the problems, if you like of painting int watercolours, is the realization of the action of a subject.    This is not too difficult to achieve in oils nor in acrylics, but it has to be handled with deliberate attention when using watercolours.    This is really the case where less is best.   You will note that under and at the rear of the right hand rear wheel and under and at the right hand side of the left hand front wheel – I have not painted any colour at all.   This is to represent the dust thrown up by the momentum of the fast moving car.      The shadow surrounding the car,  is broken up too, in order to accent the feeling of movement.  Keeping the background blurred is another way to improve the sense of movement.  Please enjoy these two motoring artworks.

Sometimes colour doesn’t do the job…..

As someone who really enjoys drawing, there are times when a drawing on its’ own makes the statement you intend.    In this instance, when I looked at the pencil sketch of this glorious Auto Union, I felt that to execute it in colour would somehow diminish the effect I wanted.   Instead, I completed the work using a Staedler Pigment liner, 0.05 fine line drawing pen on Canson 300gsm paper.   This ink is, importantly, water resistant.

I hope you agree that I made the correct decision in this case.

TIME TO TAKE A BREAK.

As an Art Tutor and also as a working artist, I realize that one of the problems faced by most artists is their propensity to keep on working at a drawing or a painting, often for hours on end, without a break.    This can and often leads to disaster as the artist has failed to take a break and stand back from their work to assess how the artwork is coming along and, to see if they have failed to spot an error.

This latter point particularly applies to technical aspects of the work, when a line (or two…..) when viewed consistently at close proximity, appears to be o.k., but when seen from a distance of a couple of metres away, shows up immediately as something that needs to be rectified, before the artists proceeds any further.  Remember, the viewing public will see your work in a Gallery, or Exhibition, etc., from a standing viewpoint and they will be some distance away from the work too.  And, some of them can be very (vocally) unforgiving if they spot a mistake you have made.

My advice is to take a viewing break every 15 to 20 minutes.    Not only will this give you a fresh viewpoint of your work, but it will also help you from becoming overtired.    It actually takes practice and discipline to develop the habit of taking these breaks, but it is a really useful way of ensuring that mistakes do not get drawn or painted into a finished artwork.   It is far easier and far less stressful, to rectify an error in its’ early stages than to attempt to correct it on an  finished artwork.

Recording an event through art.

I like to use my camera(s) to record events that I am involved in.   At my leisure, later on, I can download the photographs and make a drawing or painting of the particular project.   Here, I am enjoying a drive in a Peugeot WRX – courtesy of the popular Conduire @ Loheac.fr   in Brittany.  Luckily for me, the weather was good  – which added to my enjoyment.

 I mentioned cameras as I use a combination of a Fuji Finepix, a mobile phone camera and a Go Pro  to record whatever I want.   And |I take lots of photographs too, as even minute differences in positioning, light and so forth, can make huge changes to what I actually require as an artwork.

Because I work directly onto paper/canvas, I need a good quality reproduction, i.e. photo so that my artwork can be reasonably accurate.   And although I can make a lot of adjustments via the computor to any photograph, if it is not clear, or too dark, or too bright, the artwork will suffer!       My cameras are not new, nor particularly expensive and I know their foibles…..as well as my own limitations as a photographer………

One man, one car. Erik Comas and the inimitable Renault Alpine A110 – a truly formidable rally and racing french combination.

This original, signed artwork measures 50cm x 50cm and features Erik Comas and the car so closely associated with him – the wonderful and iconic Renault Alpine A110.   This artwork has been painted in Artist’s Oils on primed, box canvas and is available for sale.

Motoring artwork commissions accepted.  Please enquire for full details, price list, etc.

A HELPING HAND FOR ARTISTS.

via A HELPING HAND FOR ARTISTS.

Biker in action. Ink on paper.

This is the copy of a Birthday Card for some-one who rides his bike in all weathers!