<<00c1_10.jpg>>
I know the idea of a pochade box is to make it easier to paint outdoors from real life but while I get used to the smaller format I thought I'd try a few in the comfort of my own home.
I painted this picture of Loch Lomond from a photograph. I'm quite pleased with the result and think I'm now ready for a bit of plein air painting!
Going to see the finished automata tonight so hopefully video will be on here tomorrow or Friday.
<<SDC11729.jpg>>
Completion edges another week closer as more of the background ruins are painted in. Patience has been the keyword this week as dad handmade 120 individual bullets for the ammunition belt that will run through the gunner's (bottom left) machine gun.
He says it should be finished this week. If you can all contain your excitement for just a few more days, I should have a video of it working on here sometime soon!
<<afd3_10.jpg>>
Had a nose around the craft fair yesterday at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I felt a little sorry for one woman trying in vain to sell her artwork. She had paid £60 for a stall and sold practically nothing. I know from my own limited experience how difficult it is to sell at these fairs.
Looking around the other stalls, most of them were selling items for less than a fiver; I think that's about as much cash as the public intend to part with at these shows.
This is another painting I made up as I went along. For some reason I couldn't photograph it head on as the light kept reflecting off the paint even though it was dry.
Here's the video of me painting the picture in the previous post. In past videos I've split them up into parts but this one I've speeded up so you see the whole painting in about 6 minutes.
<<bb13_10.jpg>>
I painted the sky from a photo I took travelling through France on our way back from Spain. The land I just did off the top of my head.
Looking at it now I've noticed I forgot the put any mountain reflection in. Hopefully no one will notice!
<<Home%20Sweet%20Home_.jpg>>
I painted this watercolour a while back and have dug it from the archives. I must confess I copied the composition from a book (Frank Halliday I think). I know it's cheating but it was such a nice scene I couldn't resist it!
Off to the craft fair at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Sunday week in search of some inspiration. I've no stall, just browsing. Should be well worth a visit for anyone in the area.
<<SDC11695.jpg>>
Most of the mechanics are now in place and it's time to start on some of the finer details. The brickwork looks quite effective and the background ruins are being painted in.
Once it's finished I'll post a video and show it in all its glory!
<<SDC10594.jpg>>
I painted this watercolour earlier in the year and then asked my dad to make a driftwood frame for it. It's probably my favourite painting that I've done.
However, after 6 months on eBay I just couldn't get what I wanted for it and ended up giving it to my sister as a gift!
I think one day soon I'll try something similar and get my dad to make another driftwood frame. I do like the driftwood effect though rarely see these sort of frames in the shops or galleries. Maybe it's just me and they're not actually that popular.
<<SDC11560.jpg>>
The project's really starting to take shape now. I mentioned to my dad that my only reservation is that most of the mechanics of the thing are going to be hidden from view. I think it's a real shame that people will see very little of what's driving the machine.
Personally, I think watching all the cogs and levers moving is just as fascinating, if not more so, than the animations themselves!
<<SDC11632.jpg>>
It had been 5 years since my last visit to Barcelona and I was eager to return. Before disembarking at our main hotspot at Las Ramblas, we paid a short visit to the Olympic Stadium at the top of the hill. As I stood with my camera it dawned that my first visit here was before this stadium was built. The main thing I remember from those '92 Olympics was Linford Christie's gold in the 100m final. I tried to imagine it full of screaming fans as the fastest men in the world stretched for the tape.
Before long we were in the cauldron of Las Ramblas and the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Pickpockets are rife in this area so I set off with hand firmly on my wallet. You can buy just about anything you can imagine along this stretch, providing you don't mind paying over the odds. £8 for a coke and coffee was a little over the top I thought.
The most memorable part of Las Ramblas for me however are the living statues that spring to life once you've made a deposit towards their keep. The time and effort that goes into some of their costumes is staggering.
