Photoshopping Knitting

As part of my annual apprasel at school, I said I would like to have some trainnig in the use of Photoshop, so I could see how it could help the students develop their ideas for Painting and Graphics. I thought (craftily) the best way into it for me, was to see how it could work when trying out my own ideas. After drawing the knitted boats last week (for my next painting -
 'If  The Boats Come In'), this time I took some photographs of them, ready to work with Tony , my long suffering teacher. I had also taken some digitol photos of the real toy sailing boats, just to see which would work best. My hour's lesson was so disturbed by students coming in to ask questions, that we didn't get very far, but we took some close-up shots of a knitted scarf and started to project these onto my boats. We hope to project a knitted rough sea onto the background next week. Will it be useful? To early to say, but it certainly gives me an insight into just how clever the students are - and how creaky my brain has become!

Knitted Drawing or Drawing Knitting?

I often tell my students that they must not treat drawing like knitting. In other words, they must keep alert and not let the drawing become repetitive and merely filling in the shapes - rather like knitting, infact. Ofcourse knitting demands it's own skills and I certainly couldn't do it, but imagine my dilemma when I started drawing knitting, last week! I was making some preliminary sketches for my next painting 'If The Boats Come In' (I am having a break from my current painting 'Love That Dares' while I decide what to do next) and was doing some drawings of knitted boats that my sister-in-law, Julia had made for me. I tried to draw every weave and wobble of the wool and also keep the shape of the boat. I used a soft pencil and coloured pencils to try and achieve the texture and my next challenge will be to have a go with oil paint, which ultimately I shall be working in in the final painting. Julia has just let me know that she has finished knitting the sea so I shall be making a stab at that, too. In the painting, the knitted parts eventually turn into real boats and water, so I feel this painting is going to push my skills to the limit.

Prints For Sale - At Last!

Just to let you know that, after being down for over a year, you can finally buy prints of some of my paintings and drawings from my website. From the PRINTS FOR SALE page, just click on the UKPHOTOGALLERY name and it will take you straight into my part of the site.
The work on offer includes my latest painting 'Another Year' and Nigel Bloxham, who runs the site, will do you a good quality print and all I have to do is sign it, to show I approve of the colour, tone etc. before he posts it off to you. So what are you waiting for?!

A Work In Progress

Daniel has now put the first few postings of my current painting, 'Love That Dares' on the NEWS AND REVIEWS page of my website. I have tried to photograph it's progress at the end of each session but as the painting comprises of two canvases, this is not so easy. I am trying to get  each canvas to the same stage before I photograph them. Anyway, inspite of my wobbly photography, I think Daniel has done a terrific job so far - see what you think. The next stages (photographed but not yet on the website) show the front animals coming out into the light. Watch this space!