Thursday 2 August 2012

Summer Painting


Since I've finished college I've filled the time by carrying on with my interest in fashion, but I have started creating some paintings. I'm still researching fashion and finding upcoming designers/trends/street style/collections, which I do want to blog about, but I do have a reason why I haven't! I've been busy painting, whilst at college I did a little bit of painting but mostly drawing so it was quite daunting to start a proper painting. It started by my mum wanting paintings for her house, so we matched photographs to fit in with each room that she liked. My style is realistic but I like to think I add an old fashioned/vintage twist by the colours I use and how I paint it..

Crashing Waves


This painting was so hard! I should have expected it would be as I've never attempted water before, it's hard as there's so much detail but it's so subtle and is all in the same tone and colours, so its hard to make it stand out. This is my first canvas painting and it's going in my mum's room.. 

I set up my own mini studio in my mum's conservatory which was cool as I had my own space to work in but wasn't as glamourous as it sounds as the only way I could get the canvas to stay up was to prop it up against the chair so I was sat on the floor!

I painted it over 2 days, it took me about 8/9 hrs, these are photos over the period to show how I built it up at different stages. I probably have built it up wrong as you are meant to underpaint and all that but I find painting easier to do it section by section.


 I chose my favourite sections from my canvas here, I really liked the white crashing parts in the photo so that is what I wanted to highlight with the painting and I didn't forget to sign it this time!

Old Paintbrushes

This was my second piece on A2, I've always liked how paintbrushes age with old paint layering on and flaking off and the stained colours on the brush, so when I found a photograph showing this I knew I had to paint it. I changed the colours and background slightly to fit in with the lounge ...

I started this off by just painting the top half of the brushes, I know it sounds strange but the glass changed the shape of the brushes in the jar as it was a shaped curved jar so I thought it would be better to build the other half of them up with the glass.

Glass finished! I really like the highlighted right side of the jar with the white as it shows the shape and form, I did manage to make a few accidental marks on the paper so I had to layer the backgrounds colours on thickly.

A camera flash is a nightmare with glass so excuse the flash mark! I decided to go for a light blue and brown for the background, I purposely made the shelf edge a little unsteady as that was the shadow.

Bottles of Flowers

This is my first proper painting I've done, when I started it I really thought I wouldn't finish it as the bottles were hard to get the hang off and so was working out how to show the transparency of the glass but I figured out that layering thin washes of paint worked well. This time I painted the background  first then painted the bottles one by one...


Half way through, I had a real problem with this dark bottle as I painted it too dark so I kept lightening it up and trying to add highlight and shadow, which took sooo long! I really enjoyed painting the flowers though.

This took me the longest, about 3 days but I'm really pleased with it and it inspired me to do more as originally I was just going to create one painting but I want to keep going and trying out new subjects and painting styles.

So they are all the paintings I've done so far but I'm hoping to do a few more so I'll keep you updated hope you like my paintings!

Thanks for reading,


5 comments:

  1. These are even better close up! Excellent work from a budding artist. Well done Kate, what's the next project? mum X

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome!! Never new you could paint so well!! Woman of many talents :) Nath Bedford

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks guys! I've haven't painted properly since high school! at college I kept in the fashion room :) Thanks again!! x

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hiya :) i have awarded you the versitile blogger award:
    http://allaboutbethan.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/33-versitile-blogger-award-d.html
    I really hope you will like passing this on :)
    x

    ReplyDelete