I Be Painting Again
As a yoof, I could frequently be spotted drawing or painting. I was 'good at art', did a foundation course in Art and Design, followed by a degree in Interior Design. But when I started working as an Interior Designer, the drawing and sketching for fun stopped. I only did those things if I was getting paid for it.
Over the last year I've been reviving my interest in art. Mrs Planet bought us a wonderful original painting late last year, and I've been paying more attention to artwork around me. When Aldi had an offer of artist's materials, I grabbed an A3 watercolour pad and a set of acrylic paints.
My very first effort was, of course, shamefully bad. Apart from anything else, I flooded the paper with water and got some impressive buckling.
I disappeared into the shed, found some beech-veneered board and cut it to size. I tidied up the edges with some thin lath (from a second-hand wooden blind that doesn't fit any of our windows). I quickly realised it would work better with an adjustable stand, so I made one of those. I bought a roll of brown gummed tape, stretched a sheet of watercolour paper on the board, and nervously started my first 'real' painting.
Torr Vale Mill, New Mills, Derbyshire
A few months ago, we had a weekend in Chinley, in Derbyshire's Peak District. It was the every-few-years gathering of Mrs Planet's siblings and assorted other halves. One day, we visited New Mills - a larger market town a few miles from where we were staying. I looked over a dry-stone wall that looked like the edge of the town and was utterly gob-smacked by what I was. On the other side of the wall was a spectacular drop of maybe 2-300 feet. At the bottom of the gorge, a river and weirs looping around. In the loop, a 4-storey mill, once derelict, now partially restored. A railway line, carved into the side of the gorge. And a recent addition, the Milennium Walkway, partially cantilevered out from the bottom of the gorge.
This painting is my attempt to capture that. I completely ignored the natural, muted colours, and was also trying not to be too restrained by capturing every detail realistically.
Newlay Bridge, Leeds Liverpool Canal
We're fortunate to live close to the Leeds Liverpool Canal. I chose this image because the reflections are so strong - I wanted to show the bridge and its reflection as a perfect 'o' - except the arch is slightly flattened, so the bridge and reflection are more of an ellipse.
There are boats here - not the regular long narrow canal boats, more like pleasure cruisers.
The guy fishing from the side was a mistake - not because nobody fishes there (they do), but because I'm rubbish at drawing people.
Generic Cartoon Fish
I love stylised paintings of animals - tiny legged, cross-eyed, mad-haired beasts. And I'd also recently seen a more realistic treatment of a fish, where the iridescence on the scales was phenomenally realistic. I wanted to try to capture that in my made-up fish. Completely failed, of course, but I'm moderately happy with the result. I especially like the wavy water background, but the paint was diluted with so much water it removed some of the surface of the paper. I've since discovered acrylic gel medium - mixing this with paint makes it transparent, but also adds body - it's very interesting.
Newlay Bridge, Winter
I have a load of photos that I took around Newlay Lock and the bridge on a very snowy day a few years ago. Many of them are so stark they could be black and white photos, apart from splashes of colour from peoples' clothing. In this view the canal is partly frozen over.
I remember one of my art teachers at school telling me that snow isn't white. I thought he was barmy, but actually, he's right. You can't see it in this tiny image, but I enjoyed painting swirls and shards into the snow, and looking at the painting for a while does make you feel cold.
Here's a video of me talking about the first painting:
Over the last year I've been reviving my interest in art. Mrs Planet bought us a wonderful original painting late last year, and I've been paying more attention to artwork around me. When Aldi had an offer of artist's materials, I grabbed an A3 watercolour pad and a set of acrylic paints.
My very first effort was, of course, shamefully bad. Apart from anything else, I flooded the paper with water and got some impressive buckling.
I disappeared into the shed, found some beech-veneered board and cut it to size. I tidied up the edges with some thin lath (from a second-hand wooden blind that doesn't fit any of our windows). I quickly realised it would work better with an adjustable stand, so I made one of those. I bought a roll of brown gummed tape, stretched a sheet of watercolour paper on the board, and nervously started my first 'real' painting.
Torr Vale Mill, New Mills, DerbyshireA few months ago, we had a weekend in Chinley, in Derbyshire's Peak District. It was the every-few-years gathering of Mrs Planet's siblings and assorted other halves. One day, we visited New Mills - a larger market town a few miles from where we were staying. I looked over a dry-stone wall that looked like the edge of the town and was utterly gob-smacked by what I was. On the other side of the wall was a spectacular drop of maybe 2-300 feet. At the bottom of the gorge, a river and weirs looping around. In the loop, a 4-storey mill, once derelict, now partially restored. A railway line, carved into the side of the gorge. And a recent addition, the Milennium Walkway, partially cantilevered out from the bottom of the gorge.
This painting is my attempt to capture that. I completely ignored the natural, muted colours, and was also trying not to be too restrained by capturing every detail realistically.
Newlay Bridge, Leeds Liverpool CanalWe're fortunate to live close to the Leeds Liverpool Canal. I chose this image because the reflections are so strong - I wanted to show the bridge and its reflection as a perfect 'o' - except the arch is slightly flattened, so the bridge and reflection are more of an ellipse.
There are boats here - not the regular long narrow canal boats, more like pleasure cruisers.
The guy fishing from the side was a mistake - not because nobody fishes there (they do), but because I'm rubbish at drawing people.
I love stylised paintings of animals - tiny legged, cross-eyed, mad-haired beasts. And I'd also recently seen a more realistic treatment of a fish, where the iridescence on the scales was phenomenally realistic. I wanted to try to capture that in my made-up fish. Completely failed, of course, but I'm moderately happy with the result. I especially like the wavy water background, but the paint was diluted with so much water it removed some of the surface of the paper. I've since discovered acrylic gel medium - mixing this with paint makes it transparent, but also adds body - it's very interesting.
I have a load of photos that I took around Newlay Lock and the bridge on a very snowy day a few years ago. Many of them are so stark they could be black and white photos, apart from splashes of colour from peoples' clothing. In this view the canal is partly frozen over.
I remember one of my art teachers at school telling me that snow isn't white. I thought he was barmy, but actually, he's right. You can't see it in this tiny image, but I enjoyed painting swirls and shards into the snow, and looking at the painting for a while does make you feel cold.
Here's a video of me talking about the first painting:
And the more recent ones.
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