Poppies

This is the fantastic outrageously bright red poppy in the garden. I wanted to get all the different patterns on the flower, and keep it fresh and relaxed. The flowers to the left are about to pop out, bright red petals are squeezing the casing apart day by day.

Final stage of the pear tree etching

This is the end result of the peartree saga posted on this blog.

I'll post some photos of the process next week. It involved:

re-biting the plate to darken some thick lines

covering it in nice poisonous powdered pine sap (called rosin), and nearly getting covered in it myself

trying not to set fire to the studio with a gas jet to melt the rosin

covering it in thick gooey varnish in different stages, to get the different dark areas.

cleaning it with meths, which turns my stomach a bit.

Over all, great fun!

Second etching

This print is my second etching, made on monday, and as its an artists proof it needs a bit more work. For now I coloured it in watercolour as it needed a bit more oomph. Tomorrow I'll darken the thicker lines, and take some prints, then start adding aquatinted areas, which produce shades of grey.

Printmaking

Here is my first etching for about 15 years. I'd forgotten how much fun it is, and would like to continue printmaking for some time. This image is from an earlier drawing of girls sitting in Starbucks, which is on this blog, labelled 'Teenagers'. The plate (zinc metal) is only 10.8 x 8.2cm and uses aquatint, white spirit brushwork and stylus. I'm posting another print made on monday 24th May, and will explain the process for those of you who aren't familiar with intaglio (etching) printmaking.

Olio e Farina

After having an experimental 'not being on the computer all the time' weekend, I suddenly remembered my followers on the blog need new stuff to look at.

This is the gorgeous Olio e Farina coffee deli in York. They sell something called Tiramisu cake, yum. better avoid that.

Its quite a small drawing, 30x12cm, started off in gel pen, then I added watercolour and Neocolor I crayons.

The back garden in Yorkshire

This is 32x13cm, drawn with gel pen, watercolour and Neocolour I wax crayon.

Mugs and my cat sleeping

Hi kids, its quiet, sunny and I've been watching inanimate objects.

The mugtree roundabout in the kitchen. This started out as an ink drawing, but I was struck by the double shadows, the sun was setting and shining bright yellow light, so one shadow is dark purple, and the second is yellow ochre.

My lovely middle-aged cat sleeping. He spends most of his time here in the sun, on our outrageously orange 70's chair. I just had fun with this picture, and let the watercolour flow.

Even more Crouch End

This is the last of the older work in Crouch End. The first picture is an ink and Neocolour I crayon drawing of the bizarrely painted shop and gateposts I pass on the way down to Finsbury Park station. I was struck by the brightness of it against the grey and brown slabs and brick it is surrounded with.

This is the centre of Crouch End, the Clocktower, originally drawn in ink then coloured in Photoshop.

Pentonville Road

The things you draw while waiting for the train! When I'm going up north to visit my family I usually stop off at Pret a Manger round the corner from Kings Cross station. I had a lot of time to waste so got going with my pen... Then finished it off with acrylics later.

I often get old chaps having a nosey at my drawings, which is quite nice.

Drawing in London

These are a couple of oldies, the first is Butler's Wharf next to Tower Bridge, and the second is Nelson's Tomb in the Crypt at St Paul's Cathedral.

Even more TV pictures

This set of pictures is from a TV drama called The Devil's Whore, shown on Channel 4 in 2008. It's set in the Civil War, and as I love anything from the 17th century, I wanted to challenge myself with some old-school portraiture.

This is the first stage of the drawing, made with PainterX and highlighted with white pastel. The actor is Andrea Riseborough.

The final stage, full colour.
I loved the lighting of the original photo, and wanted to recreate it. There's a lovely original Dutch masters quality in colour and lighting. The actor is John Simm.

Domestic bliss

Here are some drawings of everyday life at home.

The first is the rotary dryer drawing coloured in Neocolour I crayons. I wanted an overly colourful version with the colours jarring a little, and the scene to be all on one plain so giving a sense of confusion.

My mantlepiece, with postcards of works by Jeff Koons, Lucien Freud and a souvenir of a Bill Bailey concert.

A drawing of the living room carpet, with my feet, drawn while watching Ashes to Ashes on a friday night.

Sunday is bunday

I've just made some buns. Would you like one?

Broadway Crouch End

These two pictures are quite large, about 60cm in length. The first is the original pen drawing, and the second has been coloured in Photoshop.

More Crouch End

Here are two pictures of a front garden near my flat. The first is the small rough sketch, just to work out what I wanted to do with the scene, and the final picture is below.

Snow

I painted this to show all the different clothing people were wearing to keep warm on a snowy day.

Teenagers

Teenagers in Starbucks, Crouch End.

More telly

Here are some pictures I lovingly created on Painter for my favourite show, Dr Who.

nb, subject matter is copyright of BBC TV 2005