Having a wee change from the colourful landscape and going back to some underwater pictures. I’ve been laying down some soft backgrounds today. This is my favourite part of painting: you feel super-productive as you can start 20 pictures at once. Check back in a week to see my progress.
I’ve been working away on these for quite a while now. Looking forward to showing the finished pictures soon.
Last wee picture to go in James’ gallery.
Rising up through the water with his eyes on a blue sapphire. What are his chances?
Falling to bits, well chewed, a bit rusty, almost like belly button fluff with a hook. The old flies are the best.
Have been busy painting some more underwater pictures for the upcoming exhibition. It’s good the sun’s been out a bit recently. It’s helped me gather some lovely photos to inspire these optimistic fishing paintings.
Here’s a couple of recently finished pictures for the exhibition. The print was made with the help of John McNaught at the Highand Print Studio in Inverness and the painting was made in the wee shed.
Pikie painting in progress. Getting ready for the exhibition in July.
How to make your own mezzotint plate
First take a nice shiny copper plate and rock the mezzotint rocker across its surface to cover it in lots of wee dots
(1 hour later) As you add work across the surface of the plate you will create more and more wee dents that will hold the ink nicely.
(4 hours later) After a while you will see that it is possible to create a nice black tone.
(8 hours later) After about a day of mezzotint rocking you will be close to getting a nice even texture to your plate. You will have decided that the £35 that the art shop was charging for machine mezzotinted plates was an absolute bargain. You will go to bed and dream about mezzotint rocking that night.
(12 hours later) You will have vowed never to mezzotint a copper plate by hand again, but your 10x15cm plate will print a nice rich plack.
You create your image on the mezzotinted plate by selectively polishing areas of the plate so they don’t hold the ink as well.
The polished bits will be a lighter tone. You will have to make lots of wee test prints along the way to see how you’re doing.
done
Getting ready for the wee exhibition based on this wonderful film. Having a great time making fishy pictures. Hopefully all complete for the 4th of February.
