Dragons: Day 1 – Initial Sketching

Last week I brought in a new commission, on the subject of great big winged flying majestic lizards – I’m going to be painting dragons. The client would like to replace a print over her mantelpiece, meaning it’s going to

Allegro, Day 3

Today I added the sky, and the whole painting started pulling together. The sky is cobalt blue with titanium white, fading to a yellowed blue at the bottom for the atmospheric effect. The very lowest bit of the blue has

How To: Tighten a Canvas

Canvas is a historic material for paint, and provides a pleasant surface to look on, but it is not completely stable. While modern materials allow for a fully synthetic weave, the traditional surfaces are still linen and the more modern

Allegro, Day 2

The second day of painting on the Allegro was slightly shorter than the first, but as I had folded the sketching time into the first, I can still face my conscience. At the end of the day I had done

Planning a Painting: First Sketches

Part of the process of making a painting is working out what will go where. Part of the process is working out what shapes it will be, and how the shapes interact. Sketches help with both of those. The first

A Quick Guide To: 3D Printing

Alongside my fine art work, I also have access to the fantastic resources of makespace, a workshop in the centre of Cambridge, where I have some responsibility for a pair of 60W laser cutters, and a mill. Over on one

Allegro, Day 1

This commission started, as they often do, with sketches and squinting at the canvas. I painted a purple background, made of the blue and red I used for the sail with titanium white, which is a workhorse white; it’s nothing