Saturday 8 December 2007

girl on her back

Terry laughed at this one ,he nearly fell over in fact .



I do wonder sometimes why i spend all this time looking at people.

Saturday 1 December 2007

carbon pencil

Well here are the carbon pencil drawings ,im trying to get away from pure line like what the old fellow who taught me anatomy uses .Hes a sculpture and being more of a painter id like to use tone more in my drawings. There are some nice bits but i tend to get lazy and put my marks on genericly instead of using them ot draw the forms.



I quite like the far calf muscle on the woman as i moved the line around the form were i didnt with other parts i also ran out of time and ideas a little about how to go about the rest of it .the light in the room is not controlled and there are about 20 people with you so what you can do is limmited. Am looking forward the the day when i can afford to have these people all to myself.

Thursday 11 October 2007

blog continues

Am now in work which is alright and a few quid, is always like this and anyone reading will get this first as the blog is not cronilogical. Any how they asked me to work the turner prize private view but i cant as im in germany. Is a bit of a shame but they dont pay extra and im missing eileen.

On with the nudity.



The tutour from JMU had a few things to say about my method and i agree with him i dont variy my lines enough, but he said the drawings are solid.

Had another bash with pastles after last saturdays meeting.





I like this sort of stuff and we have some degas upstairs here in the gallery. I realy could do with a bigger range of colours as you cant mix them but there about 3 pound each so it gets expensive very quickly and ive been going a bit wild with my money anyway. Went the next portraite comes in i might do it.

I like the Blue and green got that of a luicean freud DVD i was watching recently, interviews with all his sitters. She has pale skin which is difficult i think building the tones up in charcol first is the best plan and then i built the layers up ,Used a whole bottle of hairspray on it.



This is the actual drawing it was taken off. I wanted her to have a curve and there was a bit of a show down with terry over that as she was more straight. I tried to force it and it didnt work so well. The leg is to long i think but i enjoyed studying her bum (Its quite good fun to say things like that as its hard to know which way its ment and which way it should be taken) she's got fat muscle and you can see the pelvis ,is an exelent model.




I picked this lad up in the JMU life class was a little nervous at first but got into it. My portraiture still has a long way to go but all the anatomy is there, not much expression though. One of his flat mates will come along in the next few weeks.




This is yesterdays effort loved the pose, would be nice if we had a bean bag at the club.



He did a similar one straight after was good talking to the tutor about it and he said i should try and be a bit more free .hes correct but its always a problem with getting somthing thats solid and free. Most free drawings are just all over the place very few people have ever got it both ways.

october nudes

Well lets start with the first ,had a go with pastles but didnt balance my colours and ran into trouble.


Have others that im more happy with.

This next one is a very good model and i did a portrate of her that i thought was ok she looks a bit rough here which is my fault. am not going to put her portrate up as i dont think she would apperciate it next her nude.



The tate have just phoned and want me in so i will continue with this later.

Thursday 4 October 2007

bus folk

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no access

Myspace is doing somthing so blog is here.

Have started using facebook a bit and has turned up my old flat mates from uni. Like everyone i supose we were a wild bunch of boys drinking a lot and missing classes but it will be intresting to see were there at now 7 years later im still with the girl i met in 1st year another lad lives on the Isle of man.

Hva decided to buy a data projector will cost a few pounds and there is a post stike on which has cabbaged it a little but think somthing good may come of it. This is going to be my christmass present to myself.

Have been very moody of late and am not to sure why ?Am feeling down at the minute and then sometimes feel great am not to pleased would like some consistancy (not constant missery). Am worried about painting the future and everything, have a load of new canvas's (some arnt the squarest of things) and belive that if i paint a serise of master peices that the world will suddenly be great again. The more I think of this as a job what im trying to do the more it looks like an addiction or a mental illness.

AM struggling a lot with a paying job and will meet two people about work tonight so will be intresting.

Eileen disaproves a little of me blogging about her so i wont say much but will be nice to see her. There are somthings id like to talk about but i dont think she will be in the mood with all the work she has on.

Saturday 15 September 2007

drawings and such

once again myspace is being difficult seems to not want stuff from my site. so here it is.



This is today effort feet are a little week as usual but is an ok drawing.



not sure if this one has been up before.

And then theres these from the portraite class is going ot be a bit of a trick getting a model next week have been promised one but not been given the phone number which is never good .Lots of promise but it coming together is another thing.


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Saturday 25 August 2007

phil garret award

here is todays drawing, its a very terry drawing using line and coloured pencils

ben

Is here incase theres a teenager on myspace who worrys about seeing a naked man.

Anyway i entitled this blog the phil garret award as old terry was going on about this drawing phils done and he said he was jellous of it,(must be somthing) but phil is in sweden at the moment so it has to wait but it seems the time hes been putting in with the royal collage of surgeons is paying dividends.

Anyway that was the banter is my drawing good enough for the phil garret award, terry wasnt amused with me. He didnt have a good day but kurt did hes lost the plot a little with the life drawing since coming back from italy i think as he was putting the two of us to shame regurly before he left and not doing the constant drawing for a month has given us some breathing room.

anyway ill do more gossiping in myspace ill just say here that i had a good angle and theres some exelent natural shapes in what i got .

Monday 20 August 2007

last things i did

Well back to the internet after a week off doing family things. Here are the drawings i did before my life got very busy.
ben small
This was a new model and was her first time, she was a little nervous but kept still which was exelent. I only spent 2 hours on it as i had to invidulate at the red wire show but terry said it was good except for 2 toes and the left hand.

ben small

Just a fellows back ,hes an exelent model and is a keen runner so he has a good figure.

ben small

This was a five minute sketch i did three which i loved and i think the work on the bus helps me there with short time i wonder why though with more time there not better again ,anyway i liked this pose has a lovly movement to it.

ben small

ben small

those are the other 2 five minute ones.

ben small

This was 40 minutes and it tickeled me a little when terry saw it and had not see the model .He said id been quite kind to the fellow but thats just the way it was. The head is terrable and does not sit correctly on the body so i supose that its good that theres a bit of a dissraction. I didnt get to have a second go at him as the tate called and i had to cover for someone who was ill. Shame realy.

Was just looking at it again and admiring the legs and feet (isnt it great when you admire your self only a leo can do that with integrity). The hand realy lets it down though ,is a real shame that with those legs.

Thursday 9 August 2007

Myspace ???

Myspace is not letting me in so the blog is here.

Am worried about the hair in my dentists picture will send him a text and sort it out i think. On the bus this morning there was a review of our exhibition in the metro ,I didnt get a mention which was a bit of a dissapointment butmaybe it will help with getting people to visit .Had a slightly unproffesional moment when the cafe staff nxt door all went off to wales not telling anyone and we could not get the keys anymore. Wasnt open for a day but a spare set have been aquired .

Have been getting a lot of work in the tate and am tired was difficult to get up this morning didnt get out of bed until 7. AM wondering about my career again is strange that some people are so keen and others have absolutly no intrest.

Told John who was over from china about jenny saville chris offil and anne magill. I kind of like the idea that me saying somthing here in a pub might have an impact in china and a painter i admire will be showen there .But thats all a bit of a dream , still would be good maybe i could ask for a catolog. (i dont get them here at tate like the other staff as i dont have a contract).
Wonder how the fortune cards are getting on, had a difficult member of the public yesterday who staired alot and told me about snow lepoards. It quite upset me actualy as him insisting this painting of snow lepoards was amazing didnt realy make much sence to me as i couldnt see it and didnt know it. But still he told me that it was realy propper painting for 12 minutes, make you glad that you earn just above the minumum wage.

Sunday 5 August 2007

nudes

Heres what i did on saturday



Am quite pleased there are flaws in it but its a great improvement on what ive been doing for the past few months. This new way of doing toes is better was tricky to get and its not all there yet but will show this to old terry on monday and see what he says.



Heres tuesdays without the edit. Was very pleased with the feet on this one.

Tuesday 31 July 2007

usless myspace blog

have put this here until myspace functions again is the 3rd time i have tried to type it.


what a tuesday
Did a bit of work on a commission this morning and it hasnt started with confidence so i think its going to drag a little. How ever after eating lots of pasta to help frighten myself in to having to buy new and larger trousers i went and did a bit of life drawing.



The computer just threw a wobbler and lost the whole blog after here am not amused. should have knowen

Anyway Besides having to deface it so its nice for people who dont like full frontal male im quite pleased. Terry said i was a bit to kind with his knob but i said you should always romantise the sitter. What im so pleased about is the feet there actualy ok . There not going to win an award but there ok which is quite unlike every drawing ive done for the past 2 years. Am quite impressed with me (theres the modesty again).

Friday 20 July 2007

more doodles

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quite like to look of these two am off to bed now so no in depth analisis now.

good night

Saturday 14 July 2007

get a grip

was quite odd life drawing this morning ,had the usual problems with hands and feet but ive noticed that when i start i grope at the model a lot and its not sure firm and confident. Is funny that as your drawing whats infront of you. Noticed it last week whe i was doing the models wrist and this week i had trouble with her hips which realy should not be a problem. I wonder if theres to much thinking and if it should just be instinctive but then im not much of a planner as my driving instructor tells me. Not sure if thats correct just might not be a coherant plan often when i play chess its start and see what happens rather than game plan go. Intresting how charicter has such an impact on what you do.

Sunday 8 July 2007

pastels



Satyrday morning am thinking of doing more pastel work as have a big pile of drawings under the bed and maybe these will be easier to get rid of. Cant see anyone wanting line drawings.

Thursday 28 June 2007

peter blake eating breakfast behind me

Am in the staff resource room and peter blake the pop artist is telling one of the cutrators what he likes for breakfast ,full english. Is all go here his show is opening.

But lets get back to me and my ego.



This is what i ended up with was happy witht the sholder and upper arm but the rest isnt realy setting the world on fire, is always the way.



And heres one from a few weeks back much the same thing realy, I wonder were my problems are that always makes things easier having a clue. Tones are not correct and i got scared as well which is never good .Started one last night just doing tones and will be intresting to see what i make of it with a fresh eye.

Had a little look through the libary and did a bit of the K section. kossoff he seems to be a solid painter a friend of mine phil has mentioned him a few times. reminds me of jack yates but with out the colour. There was de kooning not so sure on him. kokoschka got some nice things going on as well some nice figure work but isnt a very good book we have here. Actualy the next book is much better oil painting with plenty of marks not enough darks for me realy though, but still good.

Tuesday 19 June 2007

disection



Im pleased with this so far a friend told me the thigh was good but he sholders and head are too small. I think that it is a gradual distortion were ive enlarged everything slightly as ive gone down the canvas ,maybe i can give her a bit more on the chin.

Im quite worried that im going to butcher it the next session and go to tight with it, its ok now and its all mid tones so i should be able to get some volume in it , is always bad when you start to light.

What i realy want to do with her is have a fair bit of pink in it, there was a point were she was embarresed a little and the blood rose to the skin and i think that would make a nice painting. Im very concerned about the feet the left one in particular and the fingers are looking like bananas any way see what happens next sunday.

liverpool academy of arts

The academy had been running since 1763 and looks like it will close in december just before the capital of culture year. Is a bit sad realy ,the council for a long time has give the academy a little money to help suport it and so exhibitions can be advertised but that has now been stopped as there has been an over spend of about 18 million ,(people are jumping ship now). The culture company that was formed to co-ordinate the culture year and events leading up to this , i dont realy want to write about it its just sad and to think William Roscoe was involved with it and what he did for the art collection this city has. And what the people in charge are letting go on, very poor leadership is a plesant way of putting it.

william roscoe a scouser worth reading about.

Monday 18 June 2007

potential.

Here is what i started on sunday am hoping it will continue to go well will be intresting to see what i end up with when the lighter tones go on.



Will write about this and the sad state things are in when the culture company spends 18 million over its budget and dose not give funding to the liverpool Academy of arts which the council has suported for many years.

When Im not so eager to get to bed. good night

Friday 15 June 2007

rambeling pen

More drawings have commented on what my impression of the people in them is in the other blog at myspace here . But will write about the drawing here.
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The toros is a mess here you would think he was superman but liked doing the drawing might be somthing i will put in a future work. That right hand looks like it might be a prosthetic or somthing as well.

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would actualy like to do a painting of this got the angle of the bar wrong so its out and a man sat in front of me so i had to guess after a bit but there was a nice composition ,can always go back and have another pint.

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This woman was on the bus one morning, the big line for the cheek was put in eairly and was what i built the face around but id done it to large and so when i was finished i was a bit dissapointed as it goes almost right up to the eye. would have been happier if it was a bit shorter, but the ines are nice and clean.

Will make this the last one
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Am always doing the back of peoples heads thats just how bus rides are i supose wonder if you can become famous for doing the back of peoples heads?

Saturday 9 June 2007

life class a usual saturday

Sorry i cant put up the drawing they dont photo well and are to large for the scanner

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the foot nearest Terry drew over and corrected.

This is a detail Ill just put down my old masters advice about it (is good to have one) Theres no straights which you should use to show the diffrence between bone and flesh and it dosnt matter if you have a lot of them as in the whole drawign they are not seen and people just asume your using curves when you are not.

I should also put anatomy in when i can see it ,this is a point i disagree with you should draw whats in front of you i think, but his drawings are better and more informed because he does that so im not in a possition to push my view. He is correct not sure why im a bit difficult on points like that but if Im not an arrogant apperntice who fancy's him self there wouldnt be any fun in our conversations. The others in the art class think its hilarious that i dissagree with him as he is quite set in his ways. He finds it funny to and enjoys the battle its go to the point now were i dont point out mistakes on his and theres banter around it.

he gave me one of his drawings that isnt finished am going to study it to see how he dose it.

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Saw some police officers doing there paper work out in the sun ,was a lovly hot day today. did the mans head wrong and havnt got the light correct , didnt want to hang around incase they took a dislike to me.

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I liked doing the man on this one he had a stong face and the women sitting next to me were looking over my shoulder, was a bit uncomfortable doing the girl friend as she was showing a lot of her chest and i didnt want her so see me looking at her (wish she had a better bra). I like the torso on the man best the rest is just a set of out lines and isnt realy drawn so much .Is difficult small and at distance.

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Last one for today am going to have dinner now. Is a better bit of drawing than the one above, I quite like how the cheek holds the face together but the eyes are a dissapointment ,they were the first thing i did and i knew they were wrong as soon as i started them. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Friday 8 June 2007

cloakroom shift

Am in the cloakroom at work and so have a little time and access to a computer so start with this one.

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I think this looks better on screen than in life am pleased with how its quite free as well and the shadow on the left hand side. This is the kind of thing i realy want to be doing id like to develop it in to something that is actualy mine so when you see it you know but theres lots of things to work on yet. Colour is one thing ive noticed a lot of my work uses the same pallet which is ok but id like to take it some were else, were im not sure. And id like to have my figures more solid ,this is about 40cm by 50cm but i think if i did larger ones then i could stay free and relaxed and have a better level of detail and marks. Luican freud works quite big on some of his had a good book from the libary of him working in his studio and was intresting to see how he creates his paintings.



this is not the work i like of his but i picked this one as its in the gallery up the road from me and its the one i always see ,realy wish we had some more of his stuff here in liverpool he lived here for a short while actualy when he was in a the navy as a young man. And my coligies here at tate say that he came up one day when his retrospective was on just in the middle of the week unanounced.

This is the other one i did its the same size and much the same thing.

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I think with this one especialy if it was bigger with better skin tones and strokes that it would make a great diffrence but it is what it is.

ironing not blogging

sorry will try again in lunch break

Thursday 7 June 2007

busy

am busy but will write about these in another entry when life is a little more quiet.

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and another

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am going to have a drink now.

Wednesday 6 June 2007

bar work

Here is another one am working on some paintings of people in bars for an exhibition at the moment am hopeing i will have a little sucess at selling some .

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quite like this little drawing i have lots of problems when i try and transfer these sorts of things to paintings it all seems to drift apart for some reason but it is getting better. Am hoping the future will bring somthing good.

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Here is a fellow i work with , he was doing a cross word in the staff room so i thought i would jot him down.



image found at http://www.grandimage.com they are a company that sells prints of contempery work ,theres a lot of money in that sort of thing if you can get into it and have a good contract

Here is another artist that i was a big fan of through my time at art school Anne Magill, when i was in the art shop buying paint one time the lady there rose told me that she lived in liverpool for a little while .Its not exactly wht i want to do but its more to my liking than Jack Vettriano whos a bit to romantic for me.