Seasons Greetings

Wishing all my friends and followers a very happy Christmas and a successful and artistic 2013.

 

Landscape in coloured pencil

Here I have tried coloured pencil on Canvas board. It measures 10" x 12" and I have used solvents to dissolve the wax in the pencils and make a looser and more painterly picture. This method makes working with coloured pencils a little quicker but it was to achieve the looser style that really motivated me.

The canvas board was not coated with gesso but used as it came from the shop.

The ref photo was from one of my own taken on Dartmoor last year in March. As you can see it was a lovely sunny spring morning.

Gold Coach and 6 Horses

My last commission of the Lord Mayor's Parade in London, was a bit of a challenge for me, all that beautiful gold decoration and detail was quite daunting to start, but after doing a monochrome sketch, just to get all the legs etc sorted in my head, I approached the final piece with more confidence. This is the result.

Measures a full 20" x 16" on Fabrianno Artistico HP using Karisma pencils. For the the background buildings I used graphite dust blending with cotton buds and fingers.

Passion for Pencils Workshop

Pauline Longley and I are holding another pencil workshop on Saturday 15th September at Mark Village Hall (just off the M5). This time we will be including all pencil media, from coloured pencils, graphite, pastel pencils to tinted charcoal, so if you live in or around Somerset and are interested in picking up useful tips and tricks or learning more about pencils and having day out with like minded people, please contact Pauline or myself and we will get a form to you.

Tortoiseshell Cat

I haven't done a cat for years. This one was for a demonstration and I decided it was worth finishing even if I just use it for cards. I have titled it 'Watching' as the eyes do seem to be very alert, even if the pose is typical cat, relaxed and laid back.

Faber Castell Polychromos pencils on Derwent watercolour paper (very smooth) Size A4.

l

Tilly

Meet my collie Tilly. She is an old lady now, but refuses to believe it and still enjoys her walks, the longer the better, come rain, shine, snow, hail or anything else nature can throw at us.

When demonstrating at Hestercombe Gardens I decided to use her as my model. (using a photo of course as she would never sit still long enough).

I used Derwent water-soluble pencils on Derwent's new watercolour paper and I can say that I really do like it. It is sturdy and nice and smooth with very little tooth but takes pencil beautifully. It also takes erasing and indenting well and will take fair bit of  bashing about. It will definitely become part of my stable of supports.

Size: A4

Red dahlia

This is a little experiment I did yesterday. Over the years I have accumulated a number of canvases of various sizes, always intending to do some acrylic painting....needless to say I never got around to it. I decided to use one of the smaller canvases to see what I could do with coloured pencil and solvent. Found a lovely photo of a beautiful red dahlia and proceeded to play (which makes a nice change),

Here is the result, which I quite like.

Size: 5" x 7"

Materials: Prismacolour pencils dissolved with Low odour solvent on canvas.

 I have carried the image around the edges.

Hestercombe exhibition

Well, my exhibition is up and has been running for a week now. I have had lots of very positive and encouraging feedback. I was demonstrating last Sunday from 11am until after lunch.   Lots of people came to peek over my shoulder and make kind comments.

I will be there again this Saturday and Sunday (as long as it is not tipping it down), so if you are in the area please do come in and have a chat. I have some cards and mounted photo-prints for sale while I am there. (Free entry to the restaurant, shop and gallery area).

'Inscrutable' For Sale at Hestercombe

Give a dog a home!

I found this on Sue Clinker's blog and thought it deserved to be shown again, so thank you Sue. It will bring a lump to your throat and may even make you shed a tear. I make no apologies. These chaps need all the help they can get.

Sunlit Hare

This is the last one for my exhibition, which will be at Hestercombe Gardens, Taunton for three weeks from June 18th. 

This is a bit of a departure from my usual detailed work, but I like the colours and looser style....I might persue it a bit more in the future.

Leopard - 'Concentration'

I started this one a very long time ago and always meant to get around to finishing it. My upcoming exhibition got me motivated and here it is.

Measures around 14" x 16" using pastels -Derwent and Faber Castell Pitt pencils and some softer sticks for the background. Support is maize coloured Clairfontein Pastelmatt.

'Heavyweight' on Derwent's watercolour pad

I am really chuffed to see my Rhino painting 'Heavyweight' used on the new Derwent range of watercolour papers. It was done using their new (well, relatively new) range of water-soluble pencils. I am really pleased with how it looks.

The first Swallow

I saw the first swallows arriving in Somerset last week while out walking Tilly in the fields. It was a fine afternoon, briefly between showers. A small group of  4 or 5 were skimming across the fields taking advantage of the sunshine and picking up the odd insect to get their strength up for bringing a new brood into the world. It is difficult to believe that they had just completed a huge marathon all the way from South Africa.

Boxer Blaze

This is my latest commission. Her name is Blaze and sadly recently passed over the Rainbow Bridge. Luckily I had a great photo to work from which made my life so much easier, and her owner happy that I could do a good portrait for her.

Please people, if you have a beloved pet, take loads of really good photos while they are in good health, you may not want a painting now but you never know how you will feel when they go.  I have had to turn down a number of commissions because of really terrible photos and it is too late to do anything about it. The disappointment is sad to see.

Measures A4 and is done on maize Pastelmat using coloured pencils and solvent.

Coloured Hare

This was something completely new for me, loose and in bright colours. I used Sennelier Oil pastels, which are very soft and buttery and are a joy to work with. The support is off white mattboard, measuring around A4 which is quite small for oil pastels but it did stop me getting into the detail.

I may well attempt another in similar style.

Image of the Week

Here is the next 'Image of the Week'. This is pastels on Fisher 400 sanded paper using a watercolour wash under the pastel in the sky area. It worked very well. I have called it 'Dreamchaser' and Measures 20" x 16" framed size

The original is for sale, if anyone is interested please contact me for more details.

Image of the Week

Oh boy, I really must stop messing around and get back to producing some new work, I just cant seem to get motivated.

To keep you going here is the next portrait, a beautiful Weimaraner dog called Oscar, quite a difficult colour to recreate but I think I got it right.

Image of the Week

This weeks image is of a ginger tom, called George. And a very handsome boy too.

For some reason I don't get asked to do many cats, so when I do, I enjoy painting them.

This is Pastels on Fisher 400 sanded paper and measures 10" x 12"

Image of the Week

 

This sad looking fella is Tommy, and is now hanging in his loving owners home in South Africa.

Graphite on Mellotex and measures A4

African Painted Wild dog

This was a new try-out for me, a very detailed animal in transparent watercolour.

I am a long way from being comfortable with watercolours but this was something I had wanted to try for a long time. So here it is, an African Wild Dog or Painted Dog. I have called it 'Rear Guard' as he seems to be checking for any stragglers in the pack.

It measures: 11" x 8.5"

Paper used is Fabriano Artistico HP watercolour paper

Paints. Windsor and Newton artists colours.

A&I Featured Artist

I was very chuffed that Artists & Illustrators wanted to use some of my pictures for their 'Featured Artist' slot in their online magazine.

You can see the images and read about my work here: http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/featured-artist/animals-wildlife/494/featured-artist-bev-lewis

'Big Red' won Highly Acclaimed Award at the UKCPS 2009 exhibition and it is featured in A&I January 2012 Issue, which you can also see online.

 

Big Red is pure Coloured Pencil on Drafting film and measures 16" x12" and is for sale.

Image of the Week

Saffy is my choice for this weeks image. She is a lovely, happy, Springer Spaniel who is forever on the go, just like all Springers. They really seem to enjoy life.

Pastels on Mountboard. Size 20" x 16".

Image of the week

Next in line of commissioned portraits is little Joss, not so little anymore! As a pup she was fascinated by the fish in the pond and I thought this was an ideal photo to use for her portrait which now hangs in her proud owners home.

Image of the Week

I have decided to start the new year on a new note and try and post on a more regular basis. Very often it will take me longer than a week to complete a new picture so I have decided to delve into my archives and have an IMAGE OF THE WEEK, where I will post up an old (pre blog) image. The first ones will be of commissions I have done in the past. 

I hope you enjoy looking at some of my older work.

 

Meet Fudge, a very sweet King Charles Spaniel. I did this one in October 2009. Pastels on Fisher 400 sanded paper.