Cambridge Drawing Society Spring Exhibition

The spring exhibition is now well under way for the Cambridge Drawing Society, with the preview on Friday night - which was a bustling event with lots of good comments. The new location works well. The Guildhall, near the Market Square, was the original location - and although well placed for passing trade, was a very dark room which didn't really show off the work to advantage. The new building is the Pitt Building on Trumpington Street. Quite a difference. Another old building (this one owned by the University), but loads of windows and great lighting. This means that even those darker paintings can be appreciated properly.

I submitted four paintings (the maximum allowed). The submission panel have to take one from a member, but I got all four in, so needless to say, was really pleased.

Another great thing was the placing of these two paintings - the tiger is literally opposite the entrance to the exhibition - so prime spot, where the eyes draw you in to the exhibition. Next to it is the caracal (desert lynx).

As I had prime spot for those two, my other two paintings - of an elephant and a secretary bird - were placed at the far end of the aisle. However, all were well displayed with ample room to stand back and look at them (the best way to see them, I think).

Anyway, a great standard of work at this exhibition, as usual. It is really varied in medium and style - so something to please everyone. I noticed a number of red stickers on paintings as I was going around on the preview night, which is always good news!

However, no peace for the wicked..... Once everything was framed and submitted, I got back to the studio to get on with painting, as I have to get ready for the Cambridge Open Studios event, which is coming up in July. This is a cockerel I have nearly finished - just a few more tweaks I think.

I am exhibiting by myself this year, which is slightly scary, but sure I'll manage.  Nina Sage is going to exhibit at her own property - which I think is a good idea. As a printmaker, she wants to be able to demonstrate her technique, which means using the intaglio press - not something she would want to carry over to my house and up the stairs to the exhibition! This means that we have three locations in our village this year, as Kieron Dunk is also exhibiting on the same weekends as Nina and myself. Further information about the Open Studios event can be found here : Cambridge Open Studios

Last paintings for Cambridge Drawing Society

I needed to get four paintings done for the forthcoming Cambridge Drawing Society exhibition. I managed to do a few more, so I could choose my favourites.

Here is one of them - it is a caracal, which is a desert lynx. I seem to be enjoying painting exotic animals and birds at the moment. I have been on safari a number of times and obviously taken loads of photographs during those holidays.

"Waiting for his prey"
Acrylic ink on Bockingford 1/2 imperial
535gsm NOT watercolour paper

Painting smooth-furred animals is quite difficult with my technique, but I just love the crazy ears and so decided to give it a try....

While in Africa on safari, I came across the secretary bird. It is a very large and totally ludicrous looking bird of prey. I remember thinking at the time that the head feathers were amazing - I don't think I have ever seen another bird with this type of headgear! Anyway, when I asked a friend yesterday what I should call this painting she came up with the following....

"Bad Hair Day"

Acrylic ink on Bockingford1/2 imperial 

535gsm NOT watercolour paper

I think that is very apt!

Anyway, I have now taken my chosen four paintings to the framer. The other ones (shown in previous blog entries) are "The Old Bull" and "Tiger, tiger, burning bright". For this submission I am keeping to exotic birds and animals, although I think for Cambridge Open Studios I might look into painting British wildlife - watch this space.....

 

The Old Bull

Done another painting for the Cambridge Drawing Society spring exhibition. This exhibition has a selection committee - so I have to make sure that my submissions are eye-catching enough!

Have never done an elephant before, even though I have been to Africa on safari a number of times and taken numerous photographs. I suppose that previously I would think - how would I make a totally grey animal interesting? Well - that isn't a problem now, as I add the colours of the rainbow nowadays! Don't get me wrong, I carefully choose the inks I require for a particular painting and don't deviate from those - never going back into the box to add "just another colour" - it would be a recipe for disaster..... I use a tester page if necessary, to see how the colours work together once spritzed with water and mingle.

I don't think I have shown my initial workings before. I do a light sketch in pencil of my subject and then, mostly using tube of Schmincke Aqua watercolour masking fluid in blue. For those of you who haven't come across this - it is brilliant if you want to do continuous lines in masking fluid. I used to use the bottle of W&N masking fluid and of course there was always that nasty blob where there was a join. This does away with that and I get a nice smooth flow, because as long as you lightly press on the tube, then the masking fluid keeps on flowing out of the nozzle. I don't show it here, but I did then use the W&N masking fluid from the bottle to fill in the whole of the tusks - as it was imperative that the tusks remained white while I threw the acrylic inks at the paper!

"The Old Bull"

Acrylic ink on half imperial 525gsm Bockingford NOT watercolour paper

Obviously this paper was flooded with ink - so one of the major things with my technique is patience! The painting has to dry overnight without touching it. I sometimes have a number of boards on the go - all in a different stage of painting, but sometimes up to three covered in wet ink. I don't tend to do more than that, as my youngest dog - she of the beautiful long golden hair - likes coming upstairs and I have to keep everything out of her reach - a) because it is very wet and b) I don't want golden hair encased forever in the ink!

Once completely dry, I can then remove the masking fluid. This can take quite a while, as these inks are, of course, acrylic and therefore cover the masking fluid and make it rather difficult to find! I generally use transparent inks - which are easier, but sometimes there is a colour in all three ranges I use which just doesn't come in anything but opaque. This is the case with the cool grey. Had hoped my discovery of Liquitex and Schminke Aero acrylic inks would help me with this colour, but it appears that the FW range has the best light grey. However, it is much thicker ink and so sometimes rather difficult to remove the masking fluid from those sections.

Even with the Schmincke masking pen I can get areas of revealed white that are too big or uneven. This is when I come in with a dip pen and the same inks - sometimes knocking areas right back with a small watercolour brush. Note: wash the brush immediately afterwards, otherwise you can ruin your nice watercolour brushes!

When I did the tiger recently (see previous post), or the birds of prey etc last year, the eyes are really the most important feature. Get those right and you have a successful painting. This painting threw me a bit. Had an artist friend over when I had nearly finished it and asked her opinion. At the time I had done what was in the photograph - namely just dark areas for the eyes. I checked numerous photos of elephants and it was all the same - the eyes really don't feature much at all. However, with this painting we agreed I needed to do something, but not much. Again with previous paintings I would do the highlights in the eye with opaque white. FW inks do a good one - no good for mixing with other colours as it would turn those colours opaque too - Schmincke Aero do a transparent white for that purpose. Anyway, printed off a photo of the nearly completed work and had a couple of tries with colours. White was too dominant. Most of my colours are transparent, so didn't show up against the FW Purple Lake of the eyes. Then I remembered the opaque FW raw sienna. Haven't used that for ages, having discovered a transparent version with Schmincke, but always worth keeping these bottles, just in case they are useful....! A couple of very subtle lines on the ink dark eyes - hardly noticeable, but there and it really made a difference. 

At last - it was finished....

I am allowed to submit four paintings to the Drawing Society's exhibition this time - now have the tiger and the elephant definitely being submitted. Need two more dynamic ones and I'm there.

Off to the studio....

Cambridge Drawing Society exhibition in April

I have now been a member of the Cambridge Drawing Society for a year - having been voted on last spring. Since then I have also been asked to be on the committee - so I am now in charge of posting information of interest to the members on Facebook and Twitter. How on earth did that happen?

The next Drawing Society exhibition is coming up in April. It is in a different location than last year - not least because the Council, who own the Guildhall, got very greedy and, after many decades of using that location, the club decided to go elsewhere due to spiralling cost! However, the Pitt Building is a brilliant location, just up the road from the famous Kings College and also much brighter to display works. I love the painting (watercolour, I believe) that was used for the poster - very jealous....

I have started painting again, after a bit of a break (too many other things to do....). I want to submit four - and obviously as the spring exhibition has a selection committee I want to make sure they are eye-catching enough for the committee.

So - I have started with one that I must admit is very eye-catching!


"Tiger, tiger, burning bright"
Acrylic ink on 535gsm Bockingford NOT half imperial watercolour paper

Like the lion I did a couple of years ago, this got very scary part way through! Drawing went fine, applying masking fluid - pretty good, although not used to putting on quite so much in one area, so need to find something better to apply it next time.

OK - then added the acrylic ink and sprayed with my bottle of water - help......!

Obviously at this point you can't see the masking fluid, as it is completely hidden behind the ink (even though I am using transparent inks only). You have to leave the whole thing to dry overrnight and keep your fingers crossed.

When I came back to take off the masking fluid (have to say best implement I have for this is my Chinese bamboo pen) I started to think that maybe it would be ok - just. It is only when I start bringing it all together with the dip pen - adding bits, knocking bits back etc that it comes together properly.

I have to say that now I am very happy with the result - but I don't know why I put myself through the trauma with these animals.... I have to say, though, that I love seeing the animal's head emerge from the loose ink - leaving lots to the imagination.

Right - back to the drawing board to see what else I can do for this exhibition.