New Painting: Aberdeen

My latest painting is from a trip to Aberdeen a couple of years ago. My friend Daisy and I went to visit my cousin Miriam who was at university there. We did lots of exploring including hitting up three castles in two days.

For this painting I used a short video I'd taken as a referance. I just paused it on a good shot and took a screen shot.

The canvas is 40x50cm and painting using oils.

Painting Commissions

 Hi guys, today I wanted to share a couple of recent commissions I've been working on.

 The first was from my cousin. I painted his dog a couple of years ago as a Christmas present (this one) and since then he's got another dog so wanted another painting to match the first.

The second painting was for my friend's boyfriend, whose dog sadly passed away so my friend asked if I would do a painting to commemorate him.

It's interesting that both dogs are white and fluffy which meant I had to think carefully about brushstrokes and look for all the subtle colours in the shadows of the white fur.

I'm really happy with how these paintings turned out and their recipients were pleased too!

Cards Using Paintings

I've had my paintings printing on greetings cards by photo websites before but you have to buy in bulk and have at least 10 printed of each design. When the only person buying your cards in your Grandad this can be a problem. So I've come up with a way of creating cards using my paintings that are one offs. And they start to use my ribbon stash and my blank cards.

I printed some of my paintings, like this one and this one, onto paper them stuck the picture onto white card and trimmed it so it left a small border. 

The part that took the longest was deciding which ribbons to use and how to place them. I put a few small bits of double sided sticky tape on the ribbon to stick it on the front, then a used selotape to stick them to the inside. I think I will cover the end with a sticker to neaten it up.

I used glue dots to stick the card to the front.

I think the ribbon adds to the image as it picks out the colours.

I can see myself making lots of these using all my different paintings.

Night Time Skyline Painting

As well as a collaborative street drawing, the kids at Art Club on Saturday also made night time skyline paintings. This idea came from The Usborne Book of Art Ideas, another one of the many books my Mum has on the subject.

To make the painting I was going to use as the example I started by drawing a skyline on a piece of sugar paper and cut it out.

I laid the cut out on some black paper and weighed it down. Using an old toothbrush and a lollypop stick I flicked watery yellow paint over the painting.

At Art Club they used thick, bristly brushes and plastic knives to flick the paint as that's all I could find.

When I removed the cut out I was left with this. Pretty impressive.

Once the paint had dried I added window details and a reflection with coloured chalks.

This is what the kids came up with. I let them pick the colour of paint to flick with so we had white, yellow and blue lighting up the sky (and covering the tables/floor/walls).

Open Exhibition

I mentioned on Sunday that I'd been helping to put up the open exhibition at the arts centre, but I didn't tell you that I have two pieces in it.

I put in my recent self portrait with the pink jacket.

I had a bit of an issue over how to hang it. I didn't want to get it framed because for one that's expensive as the board didn't fit a standard frame from a shop, but also I think the messy, unframed look suits the urban feel of the painting.

The woman in the framing shop suggested I use some sticky patches that are usually used for hanging decorative plates. The patches have a metal ring on the them and I was able to attach hanging wire to the rings of two patches. It worked a treat!

Everyone at the arts centre has been saying, 'Lisa, there's a painting that looks like you.'

To which I reply, 'It is me! I did it!'

I also put 'McCreerys' in the exhibition, a piece I made at university.

It was highly commended for the prize they were giving out!

To make the piece exhibition worthy I attached an MDF base and back to strengthen and straighten it out.

I think I might go through all my old pieces and do that same as it makes them look much better.

Photo Transfer On Canvas

You may have seen tutorials for transferring photos onto canvas. The first one I can think of is from A Beautiful Mess. I'd bought some small canvas boards from The Works on sale and decided to use one to display one of my favourite photos from the end of uni.

The tutorials say to use a gel medium, and I happen to have some from a pack I got given in my first year of uni. It's meant to be mixed with acrylic paint to create texture I think, but I've never used it.

I printed off my photo using a laser printer. That bit's important. You also have to remember that the image has to be in reverse. I say this because I forgot and had to print it out again.

Then I generously covered the canvas board with the gel medium and put the photo on top.

Once it had dried over night I dampened the paper and started rubbing it off.

Elsie says to expect an imperfect image but I was surprised by how well the image had transferred.

I decided to add paint to the image. It is on a canvas after all.

Using acrylic paint I filled in the white edge of the canvas board and then went over some of the photo.

You can see the difference between Natalie's face, which is mostly still the photo, and my face which I've painted over.

I added paint to large areas, like my dress and skin, instead of trying to recreate some of the details like my eyes. I think combining paint with a photograph creates an interesting look.

My house is my personal gallery

Some of my art that's around my house I have put there, but some has been put up by my parents on their own accord. Yay proud parents!

This triptych is hanging in the hallway right where you come in the front door.

My Dad actually commissioned me to paint it.

Another painting is hanging in the living room. Mainly because there was a spare hook there.

This painting at the top of the stairs just appeared here when I came home from uni.

In my sister's old room I've made use of the picture hooks she had in the wall.

It's also where I store some of my larger paintings.

And my other sister hasn't even moved out yet and I'm already using some of her shelves to keep my miniatures.

So I have art work in almost half of the rooms in my house. I'm slowly taking over.

Need to find some bathroom appropriate art...

Paintings on Display

I currently have some of my paintings on display at Franklins Art Gallery in Haynes.

They only charge 1p per square inch of painting which makes it really affordable for a student like me.

The work is for sale and there's an auction next month.

You can see the paintings a bit better here, here, here, and here.

The gallery is in a barn and they've attached hessian across the beams to hang the work from.

These people seem to like my work.

(These people are my sister and my Mum, heehee)

Now lets hope they sell!

1 photo 3 ways

I took this photo when I was on holiday in France in 2007, and lately I've been using the image to be creative.

I did a small watercolour painting with pencil over the top.

I covered the original photo with sequins, which was inspired by Color Me Katie.

And then here's the failed screen print where I used the image in my Print and New Media taster during my first year at uni. In my defence it was my first time screenprinting and we had to use four different technique in the one image.

My tutor and I decided I didn't get on with screen printing because working with block colours just ain't my thing.

'The Places I Have Been' Exhibition

I currently have an exhibition up at the Letchworth Arts Centre of some of my landscape paintings.

The paintings were made between 2008 and 2010 and depict places that I've been, as the title of the exhibition suggests.

There are paintings of France, New Zealand, Australia, Budleigh Salterton, Norfolk - where I go to uni, and even a couple of my hometown.

You can see some of the paintings closer up in the landscape section of my paintings page.

And of course here's the 'artist with their work' shot.

Last night the arts centre held a private view for the current exhibitions, inlcuding mine, which focused on the sticky tape project they've been working on for a long time. You can read more about it here.