Thursday 19 November 2020

Fall colours in the park

 Since the Covid 19 pandemic hit I've been spending more time indoors and working from home,  it's changed a lot of my daily routines.  For instance my commute to work which took around 30-40 minutes in the morning was inspiration time for me as an artist,  I would study the landscapes before me and think about how best to compose them into a painting or what colours to use when capturing the changing leaves in fall...

The past couple months I've been determined to get back into the habit of a morning routine, as I can see it's benefits creatively and for my health.  So before starting work I go for a walk in the park getting a half hour walk in while studying the landscapes before me.  

Here is one of my recent plein air adventures in the park.  I'll be sure to post more in the coming months.




Oil on Linen canvas, 6x8




Another recent sketch, thinking about composition

 



Tuesday 3 November 2020

Parking lot sketches

 Some random sketches while waiting in the car and around the park. Sketching with ballpoint pen while it rains adds a bit of a watercolour effect.  :)












 

Friday 30 October 2020

View from boat pavilion

 Went out at lunch to do some quick sketching in the park. The temperature is dropping and wanted to see how I hold up sketching in the cold. It was 1 degree celsius so was happy to be drawing with some gloves on but after about 20 minutes standing in the same spot I was happy to wrap things up.

It's fun doing sketches like this to get a feel for the composition, think I'd like to come back to this location some time to work on a painting.





Friday 28 August 2020

Barn at Chinguacousy

 A small lunchtime sketch across the pond from the barn at Chinguacousy park.




Monday 24 August 2020

Visit to Toronto Zoo

Yesterday I visited the Zoo with my in-laws for my Father-in-laws Birthday.  It was a hot day under the sun but that didn't stop us.  We got to see a whole variety of interesting animals, tigers, giraffes, rhinoceros and orangutan.. the list goes on.  Below are a few quick sketches I managed to get.



Wednesday 12 August 2020

Petting Zoo Sketches

Visited the petting zoo at Chinguacousy park in Brampton for some quick sketching.

Hope to make it a regular habit to visit while the weather is nice.

Spent about 20 minutes there today.



Friday 13 March 2020

More..Meeting Sketches

Yeah I tend to sketch the same people during meetings
a bit like sitting at the same seat at your favorite restaurant.



Wednesday 26 February 2020

Cobalt Hue

One of my favorite things to do in the studio besides painting is filling tubes with oil paints. As of late I have been interested in using Cobalt blue as my primary blue.  (being inspired by looking at paintings by Monet and other Impressionists)  For the past couple years my palette has been mostly Phthalo blue, Magenta, Lemon yellow and Titanium white.

One day I did an experiment with 3 different cobalt blues to compare the quality of colour when mixed with titanium white.  A tube from Pebeo, Winsor & Newton and Georgian Oils. I found the W&N and Pebeo to be very close in tinting strength even though the Pebeo was $8 versus W&N being $30.  I also noticed the contents of what made up the Pebeo version of cobalt didn't actually contain cobalt which was a happy surprise since cobalt does pose a potential health hazard. (though only apparently in dust form) So I thought why not mix my own Cobalt Hue which is basically finding the right amount of Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue and Titanium white.

I would always prefer to use traditional Cobalt Blue, it's lightfastness or permanence as a pigment has been proven to stand the test of time, but when in need of a cheaper solution I'm happy to use the Cobalt Hue mixture.

Below you can see my 200 ml tube of mixed Cobalt hue.


Wednesday 5 February 2020

Random cafe sketches

I always keep a small sketchbook in my coat pocket
It’s a bit like an artistic security blanket, if I feel the
creative urge to draw something it isn’t far away.

Back in my college days when I was taking illustration
my teachers encouraged us to always keep a sketchbook
Handy saying  “ideas are golden!” You might think of an
idea today and forget about it.  But it could lead you to the
next great painting, or movie script or business idea.
Being a course on illustration they would encourage us to
communicate ideas visually and not just in the written
form.

Ok no great movie scripts here, just some sketches of people
at cafes, just some fun.









Friday 31 January 2020

Game time

Everyone gets their game face on while strategizing
their next move, though Charlie usually wins!
The game they are playing is called Splendor
A favourite of the Romanowitch family.


Saturday 25 January 2020

Classical Inspiration

Growing up I was inspired by my Grandfather’s enthusiasm for all things classical.  He made pottery in the style of the Greeks, collected old coins, always had a picture or two of Michelangelo’s hanging on the wall and would tell me courageous tales of warriors who lived in ancient times.  As an impressionable young artist it wasn’t long before I wanted to try my hand at recreating a few of these things, in turn most of my teenage years were spent copying old works that inspired me.
Below are a few of them that are still around.








Greek Vase painting close upGreek Vase painting close up, boy playing flute, greek dancersPottery made and painted in Egytian styleoil paintingachilles drawn in blue ballpoint penleonardo master copylaocoon group sketch
pencil on paper sketch
michelangelo master copy
master copy, painted in oils on canvas.
sculpted then cast in cement

Friday 24 January 2020

Erik at work

Some days I like to spend my lunch break plein air painting
or sketching. My usual go to sketching equipment is a trusty
ballpoint pen and sketchbook (so I don’t waste any time
sharpening a pencil) Although in this case I used a mechanical
pencil for a change.  My Friend Erik was busy working away
on his computer and roughly held the same pose for about an hour.
Thanks Erik!   :)

Pencil sketch of Erik working at computer over lunch

Monday 20 January 2020

Yolanda Driving

It’s fun when you make the best use of a long drive.
Having a good conversation, listening to music, listening to an audiobook.
In this case there was a moment of silence on our way to Yolanda’s parents
to celebrate her Birthday so I decided to sketch.  I usually don’t sketch while
in a moving vehicle, I tend to get a motion sickness feeling but I seemed ok
with it this day... the bumpy road added something to the sketchy lines.

Sketching Yolanda while she drives to visit her parents.

Saturday 11 January 2020

Sculpture sketching

A sketch done earlier in the year while visiting the AGO.
I’ve always enjoyed drawing from sculpture, I like to walk
around the piece and find the most interesting angle with a
strong silhouette and shapes that convey volume.

ballpoint pen sketch from a bronze nude sculpture while visiting the AGO

Friday 10 January 2020

Christmas Treats

After a Christmas dinner my in-laws like to put out an assortment of treats to nibble on. My eyes are bigger than my stomach so I decided to appreciate them with a sketch.  It had also been a few days since drawing or painting anything with the holiday rush so I was looking forward to getting some time in to sketch.

small sketch done in ballpoint pen after a Christmas meal at the in-laws

Wednesday 8 January 2020

Meeting time

I enjoy sketching people doing their everyday tasks
in meetings or at a restaurant or cafe chatting with friends.
When people are relaxed and don’t feel like they are being
observed their body language better reflects their state of mind.

- ballpoint pen
Ball point pen sketching, during a meeting... drawing from life is fun!

Fall colours in the park

 Since the Covid 19 pandemic hit I've been spending more time indoors and working from home,  it's changed a lot of my daily routine...