artycraftythings

Painting leaves in acrylics. Contemporary style.

2017-01-06T12:18:00.001+00:00

I have done 2 paintings of leaves in a bold contemporary style. The paintings are on canvas and are painted in acrylic.

Here are the finished paintings, followed by a step by step account of how they were painted.

I did the top painting first. This is on a very large canvas. This one was painted for myself, and hangs on our dining room wall. The second one was, obviously, inspired by the first one, and is for sale.

So here goes....Firstly the top painting. I randomly painted some lines of paint on a canvas. Just to get a feel of the colours I wanted to use.

Next I painted in some leaf shapes. As you can see there is no evidence left of my initial background. I decided I wanted wider bands of colour behind the leaves. I also wanted to place background colours so they contrasted with the leaves above them.

The leaf shapes were kept simple. I just painted them straight on, making it up as I went along. I tried to get them balanced and facing in different directions, so it did not look too flat.

My next stage was to add a bit of structure to the leaves. I put some white lines on to show the veins of the leaves. I started to add additional areas of colour over the whole painting, using colours just a bit lighter or darker than the existing colours. I wanted to break up the surface and add some "movement" to the work.

I then decided to abandon the vein lines on the leaves as I thought they were too dominant. However, the leaves are subdivided like that, but in a more subtle way.

I have softened and blurred the edges of the background colours, so they blend in to each other. I added a bit of extra white to many areas.

I am working on the final colours, I decided to reintroduce more yellow, as it seemed to have lost its impact. I painted the sides in a terracotta colour.

The final painting.

Having completed my first painting, I started working on another, This time I wanted a textured background. I created this with crumpled tissue paper. This is applied by mixing it with PVA glue and a little gesso, It dries to a very firm and strong surface. it takes quite q few hours to dry though!! I then painted the whole surface with red paint.

My next stage was to start planning some leaf shapes. This is a much smaller canvas than my first one, so it does not take so long to do!!

Following on ....adjusting the leaf colours and adding some contrasting background bands of colour.

I do not have any more in between stages photographed, so here is the final painting. I have added many layers of additional paint, indicating the structure of the leaves, and using contrasting areas of colour on both the background and the leaves.

This one is for sale. It will be on my Artfinder page, or you can contact me directly.

Painting a contemporary picture of a tree. Step by step,

2016-08-10T14:41:00.000+01:00

Here is a painting I have just completed of a tree, in acrylics. I shall take you through the process of creating this step by step.

Firstly I put some bold stripes of paint on to a canvas. This just sets the scene for the idea. I know it will change a lot!

Next I add a rough outline of a tree and have a think about how I might do the foreground.

My next stage is to work a bit more in to the shape of the tree, and to add some extra dots of paint ( mainly yellow) across the sky and tree.

I then decide to add a light area at the bottom of the sky. This gives depth to the work and draws your eye in to the painting. I have also added white paint dots across the whole sky area.

My next stage is to rethink the foreground. I thought the overall effect was too repetitive. So I have considered a shadow area under the tree and some alternative coloured foreground sections. I have introduced the colour purple to the front of the work. I am still not convinced this is right though!

So I am now playing with the idea a bit. I have subdivided the foreground in to more sections. I use a range of colours and different sized dots to create texture to the surface.

I now expand the number of branches on the tree. I blend the dots of the sky in to the tree. My aim is not realism. I am exploring mixing patterns with nature.

As I work toward completion I put variations of tone across the tree, sky and foreground. This is fairly time consuming as the detail is worked in small overlaid dabs and dots of paint. To avoid smudging you need to let each layer dry before starting on the next. I add a subtle texture to the trunk of the tree and lower branches. I remove the shadow area under the tree, as it just made the trunk look longer, and was not obvious as a shadow! I put a few gold and bronze dots through the branches, although this is not too obvious unless the light catches them. However, it gives a glow in certain lighting conditions!

My painting is complete.

This will be put on sale through Artfinder . Please use the link on the sidebar to have a look.

I have also done this painting which is a similar style.

Painting a contemporary impressionist landscape. Step by step.

2016-07-19T08:20:00.001+01:00

Here is a a step by step guide to how I have painted this contemporary impressionist landscape.

Firstly I chose a square canvas and painted some paynes grey across the bottom. I then and added some waves of paint across the top half. I am using acrylic paint.

Next I filled in the gaps with some deep blue.

My next stage was to increase the swirling waves of paint at the top, with some pale pink and blue. This is to be the sky.

I then start to add some dots of paint. I use the same pale pinks and blues over the darker colours. I also add in some white. It is important to keep the dots fairly even, so they look like circles not jut random blobs! You need to find a good brush for this. Also the circles sit next to each other, rather than overlap.

The following stage is just to increase the amount of dots. This does take time as you need to let one layer dry before you put on the next. It is just too easy to smudge them otherwise. I have started to put a few trees on the horizon. I use a thin size 2 brush for this.

I then go on to put more trees across the horizon. I vary the size of them, and allow for some to be clumped together and some more separate. I have started to think about the foreground now. I have also added wave shaped stripes. The colours are blues and greens. I have added a hedge across the fields too.

I then thought about the light coming through the trees and added more white to the top layer of the land. I added a gate to give some interest to the hedgerow. I have worked in to the foreground using dots and small blobs of paint. I have allowed for overlaps here to give a different look to the sky. I have added a few flowers in the foreground.

I continue with fine tuning the painting. I have removed a few of the trees on the right hand side, as I liked the look of the light coming through. I have added a shadow area below the hedge. I have started to add a bit of detail to the flowers at the front and work the background around them.

The final painting. I have changed my mind about the flowers, so have painted them out and reworked the bottom of the painting.

This painting is for sale on Artfinder.   Have a look by clicking here

I have also got a similar one on the Artfinder site. The one below is a mounted original ( not a canvas) that you would need to buy a 16 x 20 inch frame for it. It is painted in the same way, but just has more yellows in it, and a slightly different composition as it is rectangular. It also has dots to represent wildflowers in the foreground.
  Have a look by clicking here

Some more paintings of zebras.

2016-03-01T22:12:00.001+00:00

Following on from my previous post, I have done some additional zebra paintings. So I thought I would show them to you!

Here are two zebras on a hot orangey red background. The background is really just a pattern, but a lot of people have said it looks like long grass. That's a fair comment, but was not what I actually intended. The zebras are fairly traditionally coloured, unlike some of my painted zebras!! Although reds, oranges and pinks appear as small dots on the shaded areas, of the zebras, to link it all together.

As I said, not all my zebras ate traditional colours. These two young ones have been painted in bright yellow and pink. Why not? !! The background is a style I use in so much of my work.... Lots of overlaid dots.

I sometimes rework my ideas, with different colours or with just some elements of a previous painting. This one is taken from the previous painting. I decided to separate the zebras and make a feature of just the pink one. I have brightened him ( her? ) up a bit, and put on a stronger background for contrast.

If you missed my previous post, here is the painting I featured. ( I showed this one step by step how it was painted).

Here is another version of it, below. It is in reverse. I traced off the outline, to save time drawing it all out again..hence the reverse!!

This one is more colourful with totally non realistic zebras.

It is sometimes interesting to rework your paintings, to see them in a different way.

I haven't posted on this blog for awhile. I have been concentrating on my floral work. This all goes on my other blog rozartz contemporary floral paintings. There is a link to this on the sidebar. However, I am now doing more work that is not floral, so there will be more featured on this blog.

I am now selling my work through Artfinder. I joined a couple of months ago, so it is all a bit new. Some of these zebra paintings have recently been put on there.

Painting zebras in acrylic. Step by step.

2015-08-19T08:59:00.000+01:00

Here is one of my latest paintings. I chose the theme of zebras, as I love the patterns!

The finished painting is.....

This is the story of the painting..........step by step!

A few years ago I went to Southern Africa. My youngest daughter Suzy had just completed a voluntary job in Swaziland. So I flew to Johannesburg to meet her. We then visited Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique. Three of the most amazing places I have ever been to. In Botswana we spent most of our time in the Chobe delta. Here the amount of wildlife you can see from land and river is incredible. I took hundreds of photos. I have decided to do a series of wildlife paintings based on the trip. I don't think I will do any paintings of her bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls though ( but that is another story!! ).

So back to the painting. Firstly I sketched out the outlines. This doesn't show too clearly, but you get the general idea,

Next I put some colours behind the sketch to isolate the zebras. I thought a continuation of the striped theme would work at this stage. Although later I changed my mind.

Here you can see that I have started to paint in the zebras. I have decided to give them subtle pastel colours to make them more interesting....and I never had planned to do a totally realistic painting!

Now I have completely changed the background. I decided the soft pastel colours did not work, I have added stronger shades blending blue through green to yellow. I have worked quite a bit in to the actual zebras, doing facial details and shading the bodies.

At this stage I changed the background again. The colours had become confusing. So I changed it to a selection of different blues. If you look carefully you will see I also changed the right hand zebra from blue to yellow so as to contrast more with the background. The middle zebra is now more lilac than pink too.

The painting is nearing completion. I have decided to add a bit of texture to the background with dots. I have used shades of lilac and blue. I have also worked some additional colours in to the zebras bodies. I have added green to the yellow ones and blue to the lilac one. I have used a small brush to build up layers of thin lines to represent the zebras manes.This has to be done slowly so each layer has time to dry before the next one goes on, You want them to be distinct from each other and not blur.

The final painting. I have worked further in to the background to give a sense of contrast. I have tidied up small details around the faces.

Finally the work has been framed. I chose a black frame as it works well with the black stripes on the zebras.

This painting will go on sale next month. I shall add the details on here when the venue is confirmed. I shall also make it available as prints.

I am also working on another zebra painting. I have completed an elephant painting too.
If you want updates please look at my Facebook page Roz-Artz. Please Like the page too!!

Art in Action 2015

2015-07-18T09:43:00.000+01:00

I visited Art in Action yesterday. This is an annual arts event held at Waterperry gardens in Oxfordshire.

I have visited the show many times since it opened. As a painter I am a bit disappointed in the fact there seems to be less painting every year. It is more arts than art these days! There are plenty of craft displays and musical events, Even beekeeping and storytelling ! Plus you will never go hungry with a massive amount of the show now devoted to food stalls!! The most popular, with the longest queue was the vegetarian one...which is good from my point of view as a life long veggie!

I have taken a few photos of the Art I particularly liked at the show. This is mainly coloured pencils, painted pieces and art textiles.This is not representative of the whole show at all though. I really liked some of the ceramics and printmaking displays but have not photographed them. Some of the glass work was amazing too.

This is a beautifully detailed coloured pencil piece by Malcolm Cudmore ( click here for a link to his website) which was on display at the stand for coloured pencils in the art materials and publications tent. There is some very intricate and well designed work on display, and for sale on this stand.

A favourite of mine, by artist Este McLeod. Wonderful colours and composition.!!

Some clever, intricate mosaic work by Amy Harman.

There is a tent devoted to Textiles. I was very impressed by this art textiles painting. Lots of layers of different fabrics and stitching all tangled together to give a very pleasing garden effect.

Another textiles piece. This one attracted me by the impressive feeling of light the artist has captured.

This one is to be found in the Calligraphy and Illustration tent. Shelly Perkins was my favourite artist here with her incredibly detailed studies of animals and nature.

Two paintings I liked for their strength of colour.

A selection of paintings by Lucie Shelbourne. Once again I am attracted to the strong use of bright colours. Its not surprising as all my own paintings are big bright bold colours too!

I love all floral and wildlife art so my favourite part of the show is usually the Nature in Art section. I particularly like the demonstration side of this area with plenty of artists actively engaged in painting, and happy to talk about their work.

So its worth visiting the show. The weather was kind yesterday, I have visited before when heavy rain turned the entire site in to a slippery bog, I have also been when it was so hot that inside all the tents was like an unpleasant sauna !

I am considering applying to be a demonstrator here next year, with my floral art.

Roz Edwards. Floral Art. Recent work and Exhibitions

2015-04-16T22:38:00.000+01:00

I have painted quite a lot of floral paintings in the last few months.

However, I have not posted here for awhile so thought I would add some photos of my recent paintings, all in one place!!

I have put details about some of these on my other blog ...just click here!! ... rozartz where you can see step by step how I did the paintings. Others will be added, in greater detail later on.

I will be exhibiting at the annual exhibition of the Society of Floral Painters in less than 2 months time. The website is available by clicking here

I will also be at the Floral fringe Fair on May 30 and 31. The website is here

Crafts for Valentines Day

2015-01-19T18:51:00.000+00:00

Its nice to make a handmade card on Valentines day! Its also nice to decorate the house, especially the table if you are staying in for a special meal.

So I have produced a few craft packs to help you on this special day. These are available through my eBay store. All are afford ably priced with free postage in the UK.

The pack above has a red card and envelope. Loads of things to decorate the card, plus some tags, a place card and lots of hearts.

Find it by clicking HERE

The one above is a good selection of embellishments and tags. There are masses of hearts to scatter around too!

Have a look at this one by clicking HERE

This one is mainly a heart themed paper pack, with some envelopes and cards. This is for those creative people who have loads of ideas of their own. There is enough card for several other projects as well.

The paper pack is available by clicking HERE

Yarn bombing on trees

2014-12-09T10:47:00.001+00:00

I have recently started a painting inspired by yarn bombing on trees!!! It is not finished yet, so I won't publish all the details about it now....but I will when it is completed.

I find this kind of public art fascinating. It is often done by groups of people working together. It brightens up a dull corner of a town or city....and is always a talking point !! You just can't ignore it, or be cheered up by it.

Some is knitting and some is crochet. A lot seem to mix both styles. Some simply wrap the wool around the branches in places. Often it is made from old clothing, cut up and reshaped. Some is adorned with ribbons, flowers and other ornamentation. Whichever way it is done, it is always really colourful.

The following photos are not my own. I have taken them from various online sources. However, they are inspirational, so I thought I would put a group of them together, to perhaps inspire you to either have a go at this, or like me, maybe do some art based on it.

Children's Christmas Craft packs

2014-12-04T11:55:00.002+00:00

I have been selling craft packs for children on my eBay store over the past month.

There are lots of lovely festive, shiny, sparkly, and decorative things for children ( over 3 ) to make. Tags to decorate, cards to decorate, card and foam trees to decorate...and more!

These are priced at an affordable price of only £2.95, postage free in the UK. I am not ever going to make much profit on these, but they may create repeat buyers who come back to my store looking for artycraftythings...that's what its called , as that is what I sell !!

The link to the children's craft section is FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

Here are a few of the images from the listings, with links as to where you can buy them.......

Find the Frozen themed pack HERE

Find the Traditional themed pack HERE

Find the Winter themed pack HERE

Find the mixed pack with foam trees to decorate HERE

Find the pack with envelopes tags, glitter and more HERE

The embellishments pack can be found HERE

The Christmas baubles pack can be found HERE

There are several other Christmas packs on the site too. Quite a few have already sold out, so I have replaced them with something similar. I only make about 6 to 8 of each type at a time.
I shall be increasing the range of children's craft packs in the new year...obviously not a Christmas theme then !! There are a few flower making kits available at the moment, and lots of colourful tags and butterfly packs.

Windsor Contemporary Art Fair

2014-11-08T19:06:00.001+00:00

I spent a few hours today visiting the Windsor Contemporary Art Fair. This is a fairly large and well attended event at Windsor, in the events hall at the race course.
I cannot show all the talented artists here, but this is a selection of the work that attracted me the most. Where I can, I have put the artists name.

A nice idea by the Princes Trust. A lot of the artists did a miniature painting in their signature style, which was sold to raise money for charity.

Brightly coloured contemporary work with lots of detailing on the frames as well as the actual image. Below a close up of my favourite one. Sorry I did not get the artists name.

Also showing was Anna Perlin with her strong bold landscapes, below.

I also loved the strong bold colours in the paintings by Sergei Ovcharuk.

Another artist whose work I admired was Jo Bunce. Most of her display was landscapes. However, I discovered some of her earlier work, hiding at the side of her display, of big bright contemporary florals and just loved the two paintings of irises shown below!

I was impressed with the very individual and stylized paintings done by artist Alison Ingram. I had previously seen these in a magazine, so was thrilled to talk to her, and see more of her lovely work. The way she mixes animals, big bold shapes and strong colours is stunning.

Also displaying work was Katharine Dove. She specializes in detailed mixed media paintings. There were several themes on show, but I especially liked her studies of buildings as shown below.

Next is the work of an amazingly talented wildlife artist, South African, Darryn Eggleton. His large and detailed studies of wild animals are fantastic. There is so much detail and character in the animal's faces. His work has to be seen! To be honest, I don't think my photos do it justice. In reality there is so much more to enjoy.

Below is the work of Amanda Stratford. She has a diverse , but interesting range of subject matter.

Also viewed was these superb figure studies, below. I love the light and shadows. Sorry, but I did not get the artists name here.

I have always admired the work of artist John Connolly. Like me, he is a former Art teacher! He has had work in a gallery I have exhibited in, but this is the first time I actually met him. His work is all about dramatic, rugged landscapes and seascapes. It is often very textural, using sand and collage materials in the paint. It needs to be seen, in the exhibition, to fully appreciate the textures. My photo does not show them too well!

I also was very impressed with the brightly coloured wildlife paintings by Kim Thompson. Wow!! So much impact, plus fantastic well observed paintings. I also loved her baobab tree, shown below.

Next is Bridget Skanski, who does some lovely contemporary work both in paint and as textile art.
The textile one, at the bottom, really needs to be seen, to appreciate the hard work that has gone in to building up the layers of detail.

So this has been quite a long blog post today!!! I have many other photos that I took, that I haven't included. I have focused on my favourites. I am planning on exhibiting at this event myself next year, so today was as much about checking out the event as it was checking out the art !! I met some very friendly and interesting artists. I would highly recommend a visit to this exhibition if you have any spare time tomorrow. It is just open for this weekend.

I shall now have a look at the websites and Facebook pages of these artists. If anyone I have featured on here today wants me to put any links or extra information please contact me via my Facebook page Roz-Artz.

Thanks for looking. Comments always appreciated !

Textile Art. A visit to Material World at Hillier Gardens.

2014-11-03T11:08:00.003+00:00

I visited a small, but very interesting exhibition of Textile Art at the weekend. This is called Material World and is being held at the Hillier Gardens near Romsey in Hampshire.

Here is a selection of the work on show.

Some flower studies with layers of bonded fabric, applique and embroidery.

Also in the show these clever sculpted detailed textile bowls.

The following 3 works show a range of styles and clever use of materials.

The lovely handcrafted dogs below are made from wool. They all have wonderful expressions on their faces. They are not toys, but decorative items for the home.

These are lovingly made by a very talented lady called Judi McGetrick. These fantastic dogs can be made to commission , so if you would like one made of your own dog, or that of a friend or relative ( as a perfect and original gift ) why not contact Judi on j.mcgetrick16@btinternet.com who would be delighted to hear from you.

Also some collage style work in mixed media.

These landscapes are great studies in colour as well as the texture from the overlaying fabrics.

Another example of a textile landscape

I have not got the names of the talented people who exhibited at this show. If your work is shown here and you want a mention, or a link to your blog or website, please send me a message, via this blog, Facebook or Twitter.

Autumn Art Fair, Landmark, Teddington, London

2014-10-19T20:57:00.000+01:00

I visited an Art fair today, at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington, West London.

I hope to exhibit here myself next year, so went for a look around to see what sort of Art was on display. There were over 80 artists showing fine Art, Photography, Printmaking and Ceramics.

Here are some photos of some of my favourite bits from the show. I apologize to any artists whose work I show here that I did not get the information about your name etc. This applies to the first 4 photos. great stuff, really colourful and eye catching work.

The following work is byan artist called Jim Munnion. I was drawn to the fantastic use of colour, repetition of pattern and a great sense of design from everyday scenes.

The lovely architectural studies, below, are by an artist called Liz Bernard.

Some amazing floral art by Susie Lidstone. Such strong and vibrant paintings.

Stephanie Gay creates these amazing pictures, below, using silk painting techniques.

You can't help but be impressed by the technical skill and observation of artist Timothy Sutton, in his pet portraits.

I really loved the paintings by N.R. Hills who focuses on the beauty of decay. He has studied a good selection of weathered and worn objects, painted with a great sense of colour usage and composition.

Finally some clever, intricate patterned watercolour work by Vince Bridgeman. The small detailing, accuracy and subtle use of colour really has to be seen close up to appreaciate it.

Painting a Greek landscape , step by step

2014-10-15T11:47:00.001+01:00

I have spent many holidays in Greece. There is something so timeless and unspoiled about a Greek village nestling at the side of a turquoise sea. So painting these idyllic scenes is always a pleasure, as it brings back memories of such lovely sunny days.

I have painted this from a photograph. This is not as good as sitting painting from the real thing. However, sometimes this is the only way you can do it when time does not allow you to sit and paint on your visit. One day, I promise myself a proper painting holiday.... and yes, it probably would be in Greece.

This is the final painting, and how I did it follows. I will put a larger picture of this at the end.

I worked from the following photograph. This is Vathy in Ithica. As you can see, my canvas is long and thin. Therefore I have taken a slice through this photo, top to bottom, to work with the canvas shape. This enables me to get a bit of sky, mountain, background village, harbour and water all in one painting.

Those that are observant will see straight away that this is not an exact copy. Obviously I have used a little bit of artistic licence with colours, building shapes and proportions. Its not far off the original, but some details have been changed to suit my painting. Some things have been missed altogether. I knew I would spoil the whole thing if I attempted to put in a boat or people!!

Anyway, here is how I did this painting, step by step.

Here is my initial drawing ( with boats at this stage!! ) . I never draw much detail, as I change everything with the paint, as I progress.

The next stage is to put in some basic background colours. I use cheap acrylic paint for this stage, as all of it will get covered with detail later on. This stage just shows me what is what, and where it is! In other words, defining edges of items.

Following this I work in another layer of colour, which starts to build definition and texture. I am still using basic quality acrylic paints.

Next I start adding fine detail, and switch to better quality paints. I use a mixture of Chromacolour, AV Vallejo Acrylic Gouache and Turner Acryl Gouache. These are all liquid acrylic type paints, in small bottles. They have high density pigments, and can be built up in layers, as the paint dries quickly to a matte, waterproof finish. You can paint light on top of dark really easily with these paints.

I add architectural details to most of the buildings. I have started to work in to the water with small dabs of paint. I have worked in layers of light and shade on foliage.

My next stage is to really look carefully at small details on buildings. I add in the restaurant, on the harbour, and add in plants on balconies plus a bougainvillea plant. I continue to build up layers of paint on the background and foliage throughout the painting. I have emphasized the light coming from the left hand side over all the painting.

At last the finished painting!! I have added deep pink flowers to the bougainvillea. I have changed the top of the church. I have changed the sky to a plain deep blue ( as it often is in Greece! ). Also I hid the building in-front of the church with trees, as I really wasn't happy with it!! I have added more yellowy green tones to brighten the whole thing up a bit, and put some lighter areas on the mountain.

I shall put this up for sale soon, and update the blog with details.

Painting Gladioli and Rudbeckia step by step

2014-09-25T18:55:00.004+01:00

I have just completed a new painting. This is another floral painting so all the details are on my other blog "Rozartz Contemporary floral paintings".

Here is the finished painting. If you want to see the step by step images, of how I created this, please follow the link to my other blog. I have shown all the stages of the painting, and how I created the idea in Photoshop.

Please have a look HERE This links you with my other blog!

Comments appreciated on both blogs

A floral garden painting.

2014-08-12T20:13:00.001+01:00

I have just completed a new painting of a floral garden.

Please look at my other blog ( rozartz contemporary Floral Paintings) to see how I painted this step by step.

Please click here

As you can see this has been built up in many layers.

It will be up for sale soon. I will update this post and tell you where, when I can.

Sketch of Elephants, using ink and wash technique

2014-07-13T22:25:00.000+01:00

I have just completed this drawing of Elephants using a pen and wash technique.

This is a sketch which looks carefully at the texture of the elephant's skin. Here is how I did it.....

Firstly I chose a photo I liked. This is one I took when I was on a safari holiday in Botswana.

I did a rough sketch to get a feel of the picture, and work out the main areas of light and shade. This is a fairly simple sketch without much detail added.

I then drew this out again. I used Indigo and White paint only. I painted in the main areas of light and shade. I then did the background in indigo to make the elephants stand out.I took the photo before I had completed the background! I used acrylic paint. I only did minimal blending using about 5 levels of shade across the work.

I let the painting dry thoroughly. Next I worked in the detail using 0.3 and 0.1 sized fine liner black pens. I looked carefully at the wrinkles on the elephant's skin. I worked in the main lines first and then filled in gaps with finer and finer detail.

I added additional paint where it was needed. Shadow areas needed to be darkened, and some lighter areas also became essential for contrast.

I sometimes added very small dabs of white paint on top of the ink work, to highlight areas.

It took a while to complete the work, but eventually I had textured the whole surface. I used a mixture of solid and broken lines, dots and squiggles to make the marks. I see it as a stylized sketch rather than a totally accurate drawing of an elephant. However, I have captured the rugged wrinkled texture of the animals.

The final picture again.........

This painting is now SOLD .
However, you can buy prints. please contact me for details.

Paintings of Tigers

2014-06-14T12:38:00.002+01:00

I have just completed 3 more paintings of tigers.

The paintings have all been done in a mixed media style. They are mainly acrylic but I have added detail with black and white pens. You can see this a bit more clearly in the close ups.

This is a very time consuming way of painting. I usually do this on my tiny ACEO paintings, which still takes several hours. Doing it on a larger painting takes forever!! The painting is built up in many layers, firstly with the acrylic paint and then overworking everything with the pens, These paintings are all 10 x 12 ins ( in the mount) so not massive but still large enough to take plenty of time. However, I enjoy the process, although don't do too much in any one sitting.

This one is for sale on Etsy . Have a look by clicking here

Here is another painting

and some close ups to show detail

This one is also for sale on Etsy . You can see it by clicking here

My third painting is this one

Here are some close ups showing technique

You can buy this on Etsy by clicking here

Thank you for looking at my Tiger paintings. I am always saddened by the possibility that these beautiful creatures could face extinction. We must ensure that we keep the tigers, as they are beautiful and majestic creatures.

Drawing with a thin black pen

2014-05-28T16:15:00.000+01:00

I have done a series of drawings using a thin black fine liner pen. I am not a huge fan of drawing with pencil because I can't get enough contrast, it usually smudges and I am not a fan of grey. I also dislike the fact you can rub out pencil which ruins the surface of the paper. With pen you have to focus, and not make mistakes!!

So I have done some drawings using a good quality fine liner pen. I used Rotring pens for all of these drawings.

The only pencil used is simply to map out roughly where everything goes. This is a few basic outlines done very lightly. Absolutely no detail at all with pencil.

I build up the detail as I work around the drawing. I concentrate on one area, and then move along to the next bit. This is totally different to how I do a painting!!! When I paint I tend to work across the whole design building it all up in layers.

My main focus is on texture and lighting contrasts. I use a series of different strokes for this. I use some cross hatching for shadows, but mostly I just use a variety of different mark making techniques, thick and thin lines, dots and broken lines.

I do not have any step by step examples for these works. They were done over a few years. Most were done from photographs or views out of windows. They are all about A4 size.

So here are a few of my pen drawings. Some I have added close up details to show you a variety of mark making styles.

A close up of the wall by the house.

This one, above, was done in a dark brown ink. and here is a close up by the open shutters

The crop below, from part of the door, shows a wide range of different mark making

The crop below shows a range of lines used for the trees

So there they are!! Some of my ink drawings. I have also done a selection where I have added thin washes of paint to enhance the drawing. However, that is a another blog post in the future I think.

Let me know what you think. I love to get comments!!!

Patchwork tree painting in acrylics.

2014-05-07T17:25:00.000+01:00

I have painted this lovely contemporary painting on a textured background. It is a painting of a tree in silhouette against a patchwork background. The colours are lovely warm earthy shades.

To achieve the texture on the background I use a mixture of tissue paper and glue. It takes over 24 hours to dry thoroughly. You need to use PVA glue with water added. The water makes the paper stretch when wet. Therefore as it dries, it shrinks , so adheres to the canvas better.

This is then covered with emulsion paint as a base layer.

The painting was first divided in to sections and painted as a patchwork design. I added the tree design afterwards.

You can see how I have used the textured background to enhance the look of the painting. Some of the branches follow the lines of texture.

Some close up details below.

Here is the painting hung on a wall.

It is painted on canvas, and measures 28 x 24 ins or 73 x 60 cms

It is for sale on Artfinder. Please follow the link on the sidebar.

Orchid painting in acrylics, step by step,

2014-04-22T19:06:00.001+01:00

I have just completed a new orchid painting.

If you want to see the whole story, from start to finish, step by step, how I created this.....please go to the post on my new floral art blog

click here

Thanks... I am just trying to get people to view that blog too!!!

Acrylic painting of 4 irises. Step by step

2014-04-16T20:04:00.000+01:00

I have just completed a new painting of irises.

As it is a floral painting it belongs mainly on my other blog called Rozartz Contemporary Floral paintings!!

So here is the final painting.

If you want to see how I actually painted this, step by step ( in about 9 stages) with comments on style and technique... please have a look at my other ( still very new! ) blog.

The link is here, please click to view

Please support my new blog by looking at the posts on there. I need to get plenty of viewers so it will feature in search engines...and hopefully be popular. I have big plans for that blog, but I need your help!!

RHS London Orchid and Botanical Art Show

2014-04-15T10:48:00.001+01:00

I visited the RHS London Orchid and Botanical Art Show on Saturday. I love to look at botanical art. The level of detail and accuracy always amazes me. A lot of my own Art is floral, but I never attempt to get the level of realism that these artists achieve!! I also rarely use watercolour which seems to be the main medium used.
I was really impressed by the technical skill these artists have. However, I do find the style of botanical art a bit limiting at times. It is virtually always on a white background. The subject is usually placed centrally, floating in the space. Some is done life-sized which means you can barely see some of the small detail. I always think of these paintings as the" science of Art". The artist just records accurately what they see. There is nothing wrong with that, and all Art is important, and has its place.
However, some are starting to break away from this traditional formula. I prefer the ones who take the subject matter to the edge and crop it down a bit. I also prefer the ones that enlarge the plant or vegetable so you can really see the structure and colours.

I took masses of photos, so these are just a small selection of the ones in the show.

This one is truly amazing, so here are a couple of close ups, so you can really see the detail.

I like the way the painting tells you so much about the plant.

I also liked these pencil studies of sweetcorn , by artist Jane Fisher.

Not everything is about flowers! What a fantastic study of a cabbage, and a lettuce.

After the art show, we went in to the orchid exhibition. I am starting to collect orchids, so this was paradise for me!! I also took lots of photos for inspiration for new paintings.

Shabby Chic, Vintage Wedding Day Tags and Hearts.

2014-03-26T11:46:00.000+00:00

I sell a good range of Wedding day items in both my Etsy store and my eBay store.

I have tried to make things that are popular with those that like shabby chic and vintage looks.

I sell some tags with lace edges. I use lace made from card which I cut out with a punch.

I then attach this to a tag, cut out with my Sissix die cutter. I use good quality heavyweight mid brown card stock. I then colour the edges by hand, using a brown ink. This gives a lovely aged and vintage look.

The most popular colour for the lace seems to be vintage ivory, but I also sell this in white and black. I can do you any other colour of lace if you send me a message.

These items have been really popular at craft fairs, so now I am selling them online too.

If you are interested in buying these please look here for ETSY or here for eBay

I also sell printed hearts with the word wedding day printed on to them. These are cut from ivory card then hand edged with brown ink to give a faded aged look.

As an alternative you can buy them plain or with the word Love printed instead. Most customers buy a selection of different ones. However the one that says Wedding Day is probably the most popular overall.

You can buy these at Etsy, here or alternatively at eBay here

Sometimes you just want to put your own word on a heart or tag, so I sell a range of plain hearts which are great as name labels, tags or wishing tree hearts.

I have just added some lovely quality hearts made from hammered ivory card . This is thick quality 300 gsm card. It looks lovely!

You can buy these with or without the ribbon. You can buy them here on ebay

Another new item is some embossed ivory hearts. I have made these from ivory card which I embossed using a texture plate in my Sissix Big Shot machine. This is quite time consuming as you can really only do one small sheet at a time.

You can see the two sides to the heart. One is cut from plain card and one from embossed. These are stuck together, which gives a good weight to the card. It enables you to write on the plain side. You can buy with or without ribbon.

I have done two different floral designs, one larger and one smaller sized pattern.
You can buy them here on eBay

A piece of art for a bathroom.

2014-03-25T13:48:00.000+00:00

I recently completed a piece of art for a bathroom. The bathroom had just been painted in a shade of very dark blue. The bathroom suite is traditional white, and the tiles also white with a border of dark blue pattern.Something was needed to link the blue and white together. It needed to be fairly simple and contemporary.

There are several large mirrors in the bathroom, so I decided mirror would be part of my design too. It also needed to be a square painting to fit the available space. I wanted to make it a textural mixed media painting so collected together some materials to use.

I have small mirror tiles, string, tissue paper and textured wallpaper.

I drew some wobbly vertical lines on the canvas and then stuck on some mirror tiles with PVA glue. These roughly followed one of the lines.

I added some strips of the textured wallpaper and sealed the edges of the mirror tiles with textured modelling paste. I tried to hide the squareness of the tiles by making the modelling paste irregular.

Next I added some string in wobbly vertical lines. I stuck this on with lots of PVA glue. The edges will be attached around the back later on.

I then used tissue paper with glue to make some dimensional lines. These took about 24 hours to dry!

Next I added a layer of white paint over the whole thing. I used white ceiling paint, as it is just an underneath layer.

The five photos above show areas of detail and colour being built up. I also added in a third row of mirror. However I did not use the tiles for this row. I broke up a small mirror to get some smaller pointed shapes.

I have used crackle glaze. I painted the section dark blue, then added a layer of crackle glaze. When it was dry I added white acrylic paint and watched the crackles develop!

I painted another section with acrylic gel medium, mixed with white and blue paint. I swirled it all up and left it to dry.

I also did an area with white mica flakes over blue paint. I added lots of clear varnish to seal it in.

I painted over the white textured wallpaper areas with white acrylic and a layer of blue glitter glue.

I painted a few white lines on top of pale blue areas just to break them up a bit.

I then used a dark blue paint ( the same as the bathroom walls) to define a few edges. I painted over the string. This was quite fiddly to do as you have to keep the sides neat.

I continued to build up the areas of dark blue paint.

The final painting, on the bathroom wall. I have added more dark blue areas, so these shapes tend to blend in to the wall. I added a good coat of clear varnish as the painting is in a moist environment. The overall effect is good. The small areas of mirror tile work well as they catch the light.

It is a simple design , but works well in a modern bathroom. You would not want a fussy over detailed piece.

It was also quite good fun to make!