Find these and lots more on my Etsy shop. I am really enjoying creating these bright lively images and expect to have a lot of new additions over the coming weeks.
You may remember this - I originally painted it with soft pastels. This is a cropped version and painted on canvas covered board.
I am trying out various different grounds and can't say I really like this one (Loxley Canvas Board). There isn't nearly enough tooth. It was actually just right for the charcoal underpainting, but too "smeary" for a pleasant painting experience. The result is a vibrant painting though and I do like it a lot. I hope you do too.
Girl by a Blue Washed Wall Oil on Board 30cm * 25cm
This was painted from a photograph I took at the weekend whilst walking on Clapham Common - my two boys engrossed in conversation (no idea what they were talking about, no doubt Pokemon or computer games). I have been experimenting with different techniques and painting surfaces. This was painted on Jackson's Clear Fine Linen on MDF. I covered it in a coat of OMS before painting and then painted with no medium. I actually really love this picture and am certainly going to use this technique again.
Well, it's been a while since I've posted. I have been VERY busy on my website and pastel pencil drawings so apologies for the radio silence.
I have so many plans for so many things that sometimes the only things that get done are things in my brain! However, I have been experimenting with all sorts of techniques and methods in oils. I have a strong idea of the kind of thing I like and the kind of thing I'd like to produce, but at the moment I have so many ideas, I'm like a kid in a sweet shop (although I always preferred the stationery shop - oh those rows and rows of felt-tips and crayons do so much more for me than haribos and black jacks.) I guess we all need to experiment, it's what keeps it fresh.
So, here are a few I've painted over the last couple of weeks.
Royal Gala Apples
Why did I choose Royal Gala apples? Oh the complicated layers of reds, pinks and yellows. I'm always up for a challenge, but as this was the first oil I'd done in a while, that was challenge enough! I am really not happy with certain aspects of this and I went from precise, to impasto knives to medium, to no medium, to dry to Oh I don't know what. In the end I was reasonably satisfied. At least it's the best of all the versions I wiped. And I do like the way the light breaks through between the middle two apples. I expect to use this in future compositions - look out for it.
Tuscan Trees and Fishing
Two little (6 inch square) ones. I really loved painting both of these and found them so do-able in just a few small hours. In fact these have inspired me to paint a lot more in oils. I will keep you updated!
This took around 3 weeks to complete over many sessions. There are several glazes and all sorts of textures, which you can see a hint of in the close up below.
Girl by a Blue Washed Wall, Soft Pastels on Sennelier Pastel Card
Size 11 x 15 inches
£85 / $120
Another in my cropped soft pastels series. I was attracted to the original photograph by the blue of the wall against the deep red/brown shades of the little girl's skin. I also love the way the blue reflects on the skin making the shadow around the sides of the face glow.
Tilly, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm
£250 / $350
This little kitten seemed to have such a huge collar in relation to its head, so compared to the original photograph this collar is much smaller. Even so, I was worried it might overwhelm the tiny creature. However, I think the huge eyes and whiskers grab enough of the limelight that we overlook the dark collar.
Extra care was needed with the white whiskers - when you have to keep a pathway clear it's a little harder to be expressive with the fur. But, perseverance paid off and my reward was in the eyes and the soft fur around the chin.
Tilly, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm
£250 / $350
Pet portraits hold a special joy for me. Those huge orbs of eyes next to the softest ever fur - my ten year old son told me he just wanted to cuddle this cat (he'd just eaten crisps so the answer was NO!).
So many people have requested pictures of animals, I thought I would start with this elegant horse. Isn't she gorgeous?
Cocoa, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
£250 / $350
The combination of textures - the velvety face and neck, the dark mane and the leather straps - were an absolute joy to work with. I love to see the 3D form take shape and I think this is particularly evident on the nose strap, neck and nose. This is a challenge I will rise to again, but next, I'm thinking a dog - and I know exactly the one to start with.
Wyn, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
Our house guest (my mother-in-law) has now returned home. However, on her last day we went for a lovely walk in the unseasonal sunshine and she kindly obliged me and my camera. I took several pictures in the shade. None were very inspiring but I thought I'd be able to make something of them. However, as we came out of the trees, with our backs to the sun, the light caught Wyn's hair and I just had to capture the moment. The result was a lovely photo which Wyn approved of too.
The frames of the glasses are unframed so it could be tempting to draw in edges where they aren't obvious or leave them out altogether. None of these approaches would have worked. I just trusted that observing the same level of detail as always, that something of value would happen - and indeed I think it works. Hope you agree.
Off Skiing, Soft Pastels on Sennelier Pastel Card
Size 11 x 15 inches
Artist's Collection
For this, I used a reference photograph of my son I took in the studio a couple of weeks ago. He'd just returned from a skiing holiday, so the hat and scarf seemed apt. I love the way the turquoise of the hat brought out a similar colour in his eyes.
I don't normally crop for my head portraits, but this really called for it - Those shapes would have been so much less interesting if they'd been allowed to remain whole.
I am really happy with the palette I chose - the deep red, turquoise and yellow ochre. And although I used a lot of greys on the skin, I think the variety of other colours keep it fresh and I believe the whole thing fits.
I hope to create more of this style in the very near future.
Ten Year Old Boy, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
I took the photograph for this close to a wall away from direct sunlight. It means there are no harsh shadows (or squinting) but that the shade is harder to find. Subtle shading can be quite hard to render and if completely absent will make the features look flat. It is important to include just enough darks to give shape to the face and to include that all important shine in the hair.
Hair reflects light better than skin can, so there will always be a lot of contrast in the hair. Even in this short crop you can see how the blocking of light in the hair shapes the head. I do seem to have a bit of an obsession with hair don't I?
For more of my portraits or to commission a painting, see my website wendybooth.co.uk or keep abreast of my portraits on Facebook.
I've had very little time for painting recently, but today my husband took our house guest out for the day, leaving me a few hours to do what I love most.
Lavender Heads, Soft Pastels on Sennelier Pastel Card
Size 11 x 15 inches
£85 / $120
This is the first of my lavender pictures. I expect to make a series of 4 or 6. Purples are so inspiring - those deep tones and fresh highlights. Here they are contrasted with the lights of the grass.
The out-of-focus look to the background pushes forward the more refined flowers. This is something I'd like to work on and in future iterations maybe refine the flowers more. But, I'm happy with this and I love the way the flower heads just bob in the foreground.
Grandma Wyn, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
When drawing from a photograph, it's easy to get bogged down in the detail. If you know the person you are drawing it can make it far easier to portray the personality rather than an array of wrinkles and blemishes.
This is my husband's Grandmother. She turned 100 last year, but I've never known anyone so happy and she's so full of life! This lady really is so much fun! I hope I caught the mischief in her eyes.
Some areas of a portrait I will copy faithfully, other parts, such as wrinkles and blemishes will generally be downplayed. This is not to flatter the subject - but because I am capturing a likeness, not drawing a map. The texture of the skin can usually be hinted at without even referring to individual lines. This impressionist approach takes practice, but I love to capture something in as few strokes as possible - if nothing else, it adds a freshness and vibrancy.
Honey is drawn from a picture I took of her in the studio. We experimented with all sorts of lighting. The photo I chose is this one where she took a very natural pose in a window recess between shoots. We took a flash over to her and held a reflector on the other side. This asymmetric lighting is just what I need for drawing - rather than the usual lighting you may use in a studio which eliminates all shadow.
I love the way there's a natural kink to Honey's hair and I captured this with careful study of the light and dark tones, bringing in occasional single hairs to remind us of the texture.
Drawing eyes can be a challenge but hugely rewarding.
Waiting, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
£250 / $350
The iris is a disc inside a reflective, transparent sphere. In eyes with little pigment, such as blue eyes, the obvious thing to concentrate on is the patterns in the iris. There are many techniques I use in this case, but it's important to remember not to follow a set procedure as each eye is different. Even so, we can make some stunning drawings where, even with a sanguine pencil on grey paper, the eyes can be made to 'glow'.
Dark eyes are different. Sometimes the irises are so dark they are indistinguishable from the pupils - as with this little girl. The eyes are so huge that I really had to make a feature of them - they are the first thing we see in the girl's face, the photograph and inevitably the drawing. So, what to do when there is nothing to see within the eye - as far as I could see the irises are featureless? What we can see however, which is often overlooked in lighter eyes, are the reflections. Young children's eyes sparkle and these huge marbles reflected so much light I could almost see exactly what the girl sees - the sky, the sun, the landscape.
I have been using Sennelier Pastel Card for a while, but today my book of 40cm by 30cm pad of card arrived and I had to try it out! Other people have made comments (on Amazon) that there is too much variety in the book and it would be better to buy individual colours. At the moment I don't have any complaints about this.
First I used Antique White (a light sand colour) to draw a Fisher Price man. You won't be seeing this! Epic fail - as my kids would say.
Also today, some new pastels arrived. Amongst others were three shades of Unison 'Red'. They are a very cool red - approaching a deep pink. The colours themselves look edible and I knew there was one thing I had to christen them with - raspberries. I used a photograph I'd taken at a fruit-picking farm last summer.
The ground I used is a dark green - great as a compliment to the bright pink/red of the raspberries. The technique is much freer and more experimental than anything I've tried before, but I really love it. I stepped back several times - refining the blocked-in colours a little as I went.
Only when I hinted at the shape around the edges and added in highlights of a few of those little matt spheres did these actually begin to look like raspberries. I am very happy with what I've created here and it's a style I will definitely be returning to. Maybe tomorrow!
This painting will be sold without a mount or frame, but securely packaged under glassine and protected with Foam Board.
To view or buy my paintings, please check My Gallery.
As mentioned yesterday - I just love to catch that shine in the hair that describes the shape of the head. I tried to capture this here, along with a little of the texture in Max's cropped hair.
Max, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
Available to buy as a canvas print and a greeting card.
When shooting for this portrait we experimented with various poses and lighting. The photo I chose to draw captures this twelve year old boy, who is generally nothing but sweet and lovely, with a look of insolence - possibly a glimpse of the future. The tagline I used on my website perhaps says it best: 'Twelve Year Old Boy - That Elusive Moment Between Innocence and Insolence'.
