meldrum art
I wasn’t feeling very well on Saturday but I was determined to get out of the apartment and meet my life drawing buddies. I just didn’t have the energy to perform well so I said to myself, “Relax and enjoy yourself”. So I did and I actually liked the result. It’s better to try a little than not to try at all.
Capturing light in watercolour is what we all try to achieve and it’s difficult, this is why I practice all the time. I just visited the Singer Sargent exhibition at the National gallery here in Stockholm one last time, it reminds me that I have far to go before I can call myself a master.
I am enjoying painting people and portraits, I think I will continue on this path for a while.
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Yeap, it was a very grey day in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland. I walked my mother’s dog and then sat in the passenger seat of the car and painted this quick sketch of the boats that were on land for the winter.
It’s been grey since I arrived, I hope it clears soon, it’s quite depressing.
I love to be beside the sea, I like Donaghadee but I never feel at home, I’m uneasy here.
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I was struggling with this one until I painted the dramatic red background. Now I think it’s pretty cool.
I am having fun with the images I caught just before it got too cold here in Sweden. Having a big zoom is certainly an advantage when photographing people in the street.
Title: Walk on the wild side 36 x 26 cm
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This is part of my ongoing effort to become better at painting people, be it portraits or just urban scenes like this one.
I bought a new camera recently, it has a mega-zoom capability (Nikon Coolpix P1000). So far I feel a bit like a voyeur but I guess I’ll get used to taking pictures of people without them knowing it after a few months of practice. It’s all about practice, that’s how you become a good artist or a skilled voyeur.
I painted this sketch on an Arches paper block, 31 x 23 cm – rough.
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Yes, I am having fun practising my portraits, the reason for this is I can see a large improvement every time I paint a new one. I have been using portrait images downloaded from Sktchy App (iPhone) which is great for artists and self-obsessed selfie users who want a free portrait of themselves.
Painted on Saunders Waterford 26 x 36 cm
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I would love to just paint portraits everyday until I felt I had mastered them but there is always something that gets in the way. It’s not good to be so manic either, I can always try to be better at several things at the same time. My progress may not be as fast but at least I’ll be having more fun.
The model for this watercolour portrait was once again from Sktchy App.
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I am enjoying my return to figure painting. I have been using charcoal for ages but not anymore, at least until I crave a change, … which happens quite often. The poses here are 2-5 minutes long, the drawing has to be quick as you can imagine. I paint as much as I can, no time to be fussy -that is why it’s so much fun!
I don’t know how long I can keep this up? I want to paint a portrait every day for the foreseeable future so that I can improve in this area. The only problem is there are other projects that need to be taken care of too. I can juggle pretty good but dealing with my new art career is tricky.
I am happy enough with this portrait, I like the nose – that’s enough for me to like the painting. See, I am not too demanding on myself! I spent too much time fiddling with the shading so it’s not perfect but I know I will improve each time I do a portrait and that’s incentive enough for me.
Painted on Suanders Waterford CP 26 x 36 cm.
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