Vectorised Roses

For reasons that escape me now, I decided to vectorise this painting by recreating it in Corel Draw.

The pictures show:

The original painting

The completed vector version       with a black background

The same vector version    with the background removed

Watership Down and Ladle Hill in progress

A series of photographs taken of today's painting as it progressed. Photography occurred at tea breaks or other such random interruptions.

Watership Down and Ladle Hill

The weather was miserable today; it was definitely not a painting expedition day. And, because 40 inches isn't a painting expedition sized canvas, I decided that today was the day to do a big(gish) painting of an earlier sketch and photograph from October last year.

EDIT: Click here to see the "in-progress" post for this painting.

Oil on box canvas, 16 x 40"
For sale

LEGO Minifigures 78: Indian Brave

Well, I couldn't do a cowboy without doing an indian, too...

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm
22 May 2013

LEGO Minifigures 77: Bespectacled Lady Artist

A new lady artist on an old map.

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm

LEGO Minifigures 76: Gunslinger

Painted as Johnny Cash played his greatest hits on my CD player, this little fellow is standing in the Great Sandpaper Desert of the Old West.

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm
21 May 2013

LEGO Minifigures 75: Still life (Mug with Flowers)

Don't read too much into the symbolism.

Dave and Matilda have gone to the concert together.

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm

LEGO Minifigures 74: Librarian - SOLD

Meet Matilda.

She likes books. She's not at all sure about Hippie Dave and his clashing colours, but she does quite like the flowers... It is quite sweet of him to give them to her. Perhaps she will go to the concert with him...

The Librarian is the first bespectacled female Minifigure I've come across (not counting sunglasses, of course). As I wear glasses (and I like books), I thought she was worth acquiring.

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm

SOLD

LEGO Minifigures 73: Hippie

Isn't it, like, really colourful, man. Psychadelic. Mmm, I just love the smell of these flowers. I wonder if Matilda would like them? It would be, like, really cosmic if she liked my flowers...

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm

Publicity! Not the Royal Academy!

Here's the official publicity flyer thingummy from the Llewellyn Alexander.

At the Gallery

Detail of Avebury Sheep

I confess, I'm a bit scared of commercial art galleries. I feel out of place; I don't have the money to buy anything (and it's not as though I have empty walls), I didn't go to art school and I don't really understand the art world. It doesn't help when the stereotypical literature associated with these places is pretentious rubbish that uses very big words to tell you virtually nothing. Or so it seems.

Not The Royal Academy

Avebury Sheep has been for a little wander around London.

Gaily Mill in the Snow

I'm actually quite surprised that this is the first subject I've painted (apart from still lives) that is actually in the village I live in. Well, it's sort of right on the edge of the village, but it's a building, so it "belongs" in the village, while largely unbuilt-upon hills do not.

Clinker's Copse (Bluebells on a Sunday Morning)

I've been trying to capture 2013's bluebells for over a week. When the glorious weather was here, the bluebells weren't quite ready. When the bluebells were ready, the winds were too high.

But, this morning, there was a break in the weather. It was dry, ocasionally sunny and just about warm enough. I scrounged some time from the family weekend and headed off to the woods on foot.

The painting took just over two hours to complete.

Oil on canvas, 14 x 18"
FOR SALE [click here]

LEGO Chess

That book the Blue Bishop was reading? It must have been Chess for Minifigures.

This will exist as a flexible, printed, magnetic game, but the image above is a mock-up.

The chess pieces are (in order of appearance):

• LEGO Minifigure 60: Red Tower Guard
• LEGO Minifigures 61: Red Knight
• LEGO Minifigures 71: Red Bishop 
• LEGO Minifigures 58: Red King
• Lego Minifigures 14: "Red Queen"
• LEGO Minifigures 70: Sweeping Peasant (Red)
• LEGO Minifigures 63: Red Peasant

 

• LEGO Minifigures 65: Blue Peasant with Flaming Torch
• LEGO Minifigures 57: Blue Peasant
• LEGO Minifigure 59: Blue Tower Guard
• LEGO Minifigures 62: Blue Knight
• LEGO Minifigures 72: Blue Bishop
• LEGO Minifigures 68: Blue Queen
• LEGO® Minifigures 56: Warrior King

LEGO Minifigures 72: Blue Bishop

You might think that this monastic-looking bishop is reading from the Bible. But I think it may be a different book...

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm

LEGO Minifigures 71: Red Bishop

The bishops in my recent sub-series have been causing me some consternation. The clergy seem underrepresented in LEGO world (this is not a complaint; I am not a theist, and I'm reasonably certain that small plastic figures have little need for religious guidance). Then it occurred to me to make the bishops into monks, and with a little help from eBay and a Jedi knight, here is the first bishop. I expect his blue counterpart will turn up eventually.

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm

LEGO Minifigures 70: Sweeping Peasant (Red)

"Those blimmin' blue peasants, bringing bits of corrugated field onto my nice shiny tile, tossing it around with pitchforks and dropping ash everywhere! And who has to tidy it up, I ask you? Humph. There'll be trouble, mark my words."

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm

Lowland Spring (Ashford Hill National Nature Reserve)

Yesterday was my first opportunity for a painting expedition this year. I thought to myself, surely the bluebells are out by now (they are late this year on account of spring being reluctant to show its face). So I laced up my boots and headed for the nearby bluebell woods.

There were some bluebells, but there were a lot more bluebell leaves. Maybe the woodland floor will be carpeted in blue next week...

So I kept on walking, getting slightly lost once or twice at the interface of the two maps I had with me. I was looking for a subject, but wasn't inspired enough to stop until just shy of two o'clock, by which time I was both hungry and concerned that I would run out of time.

LEGO Minifigures 69: Rainbow

And here is the Brownie's little sister, again using a little imagination to combine some of the elements.

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm
30 May 2013

LEGO Minifigures 68: Blue Queen

She may not have a crown, but she looks regal enough to be a queen

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm
30 May 2013