Because I didn’t like the balance of the composition as it stood I’ve added more fabric to the left side of the dress, making it extend under the Queen’s hand and off the edge of the panel, creating a more fluid feeling to the bottom of the painting. I’m enjoying working out the folds of [...]
I’ve moved on with a new piece, with Suzy as my model (I’ll get to the Green Man’s ears soon, I promise). I photographed her during a Figure Drawing class several months ago, thinking that this pose was too pretty to miss. The Pre-Raphaelites and other Victorian Aesthetes used to paint clothes onto nude figures [...]
Based on what I saw in Birmingham (see this earlier post) I’m using a variation on Rossetti’s version of the famous Pre-Raphaelite wet white technique to create a study of Joe’s head as the first of a group of paintings that I imagine as a part of a large solo show in a year’s time. [...]
I’ve started to lay down the first layer of flesh colour to the figure’s skin, using a velatura of Viridian and Cadmium Orange with Ceramic White, then popping in and blending a touch of Iron Oxide Red in the shadows, and a little pure Ceramic White for light areas. The skin is becoming more skin-like [...]
Although the photo makes it a little difficult to see the blue figure I’ve completed the drawing and sealed it with Iron Oxide Red to make the next layers of paint work properly over the gesso. Without a sealing coat the paint soaks into the gesso and dries very fast, making it impossible to blend. [...]
To my great pleasure today my model for the Magician came to the studio to visit. Sam did a great job posing for the painting, so it was a real treat to see her enjoying it, although I had to leave shortly after she arrived, so there wasn’t a great deal of time to chat, and [...]
Fifteenth century alchemical process followed a sequence of colour changes as the work progressed. Black (nigredo), White (albedo), Yellow (citrinitis) and Red (rubedo). Now coloured, the flags in the landscape indicate that this is an alchemical image, with a blue one at the centre of the cross representing the quintessence. The eponymous character demonstrates her [...]
Early Western science included the study of the medical benefits of herbs, alchemical experimentation with distillation and a philosophical understanding of the evidence of the handwork of the deity in the natural world. Because there was such a lack of understanding of their work, renaissance practitioners of scientific research were often confused with sorcerers. Here’s [...]
Tagged rosicrucianInstead of painting the face today I decided to continue working on the striped pants and jacket, bringing them to this state. It’s very satisfying to see the Magician emerging like this, the character is already so three dimensional because of the shapes created by the convolutions of the lines. The belt was fun too, [...]
Although there have been no major changes to the body of the painting, there’s been a great deal of detailing done to both the Empress and the girl in the pink dress, controlling the edges of the dress and flesh. For the pink girl I’ve used a Silver Script brush to create lines on the [...]
