Aldburgh, Suffolk - Oil Painting - Paint Mediums

I'm staying with coastal themes for this week. With the weather as dull as it is I need to work with a bit of colour. Of course it's always nice to visit Aldeburgh, famous for it fish and chips, welsh rarebit, pork pies and Adnams fine ales. Not to mention four art galleries.

A day in Aldeburgh is always a treat but the painting didn't go smoothly. I'm having a few problems with my paint handling at the moment which made the painting session a struggle. There's been a subtle change in the transparency/opacity and the viscosity of the paint. Thinking about it now it's so obvious, I feel foolish. After fighting with two other paintings, I realise the issue is my paint medium. When I paint outdoors I usually add a small amount of Liquin to the paint for the under-painting, Liquin speeds up drying and I can finish the painting in one session. But a couple of weeks ago I ran out of Liquin and started using turpentine, I've been using it since. I know now that the change of mediums has tripped me up.

Clacton Pier

Helter Skelter, Clacton Pier, Essex - Oil on Board

After working on Parisian street scenes for the past few weeks I can see the attraction of coastal locations. In fact anything with a bit of colour is very welcome at the moment. I painted this small study to give myself a holiday from French limestone.

Cambridge Corner Oil Painting

G Peck and Son - 9" x 7" Oil on Board

Weather! We've had weeks of cold grey days, then yesterday the sun came out. The transformation was dramatic, I noticed the shoots of snowdrops poking up out of the soil and bizarrely the postman was wearing shorts. Warm sunny days are such a rarity in February I was completely unprepared, I had to get out and capture an image, but what? The trouble is you can't rely on the sun, I didn't want to spend too long travelling on this beautiful day, I wanted to be out in the air, but where?

After breakfast and a walk with the dog, I was still at a loss. The day was just too perfect and it threw me. It was then that I decided to visit my local art gallery, for gallery time is never wasted. I had the idea that I might find something to paint around Cambridge market on my way to the gallery, this proved false as it was too busy with everyone enjoying the sun.

But I found my painting directly opposite the Fitzwilliam Gallery in Cambridge. It's the little chemist (pharmacy), I pass two or three times a week. The copper shield above the door reads "G Peck and Son, Dispensing Chemist, Est 1851".

Six Corners of Paris Oil Painting

I painted these small, 5"x5" views of Paris over the past week as studies for a larger painting I'm about to start. These paintings will be sold individually but I couldn't resist mounting the paintings in this beautiful frame. I picked up the frame together with its original painting, an amateur life study which is signed and dated 1929, from a charity shop.

I'm enjoying architectural painting and these miniature Flatiron buildings are my current obsession. Paris has dozens of narrow corner buildings. Most going back to the original Haussmann plan of 1853, but new narrow corner buildings continue to be built to replace old ones as they become derelict.

Custom Strap for Leica Monochrom

I'm grateful to Marc Mennigmann for sending me this photograph of his Leica M-Monochrom with a custom strap from your truly. This is the first time I've seen a Monochrom, a niche camera from a niche manufacturer. Marc is a very capable photographer specializing in low light, black and white, you can see his work at his web site. You can purchase the strap at my Etsy shop.

New Version of Queen Victoria Gothic Florin Ring

I was delighted with the ring made from an 1875 Queen Victoria, gothic florin. The jeweler "Pasquale", had agreed to paid with another florin (1874), which I put in the mail during the middle of December. Last Monday and totally unexpected I received the ring pictured above.

The jeweler had made the ring using the one I sent as payment, this one retains the original coloring to show the gothic text and decoration in greater detail. There are no problems with the original ring but Pasquale is a perfectionist and wanted to make make a variation of the original. It's fabulous, it retains the gothic feel but looks contemporary.

The last ring I owned was a gift for my 21st birthday, I lost it before my 22nd birthday and haven't wore jewelery since. But I do like this ring with its symbolism and the story behind it. I've sent Pasquale a note of thanks and another florin for his troubles.

5th Dimension - Paper Cup

Like Amazon reviews, sometimes the user comments on Youtube are more entertaining than the actual video. I'm a big fan of The 5th Dimension and Jimmy Webb whose videos attract some creative comments on Youtube:

"This is the best song about paper cups that I've ever heard!"
"Here inside my paper cup, everything is looking up"
"I must admit it`s in my " paper cup songs " top 5 !!"
"I've heard they really would cut up...tear it up...and cut a rug at those live performances."

Sketchbook Pro for Nexus 7 Tablet

January in England is very dull. So dull that I have to walk the dog by 3pm because by 4pm it's dark and I can't see what I'm treading on, or in. Therefore most of my creative pursuits involving colour are done between 9am and 1pm. However, thanks to Santa I can now draw and paint in colour even in the dark, I have a tablet with SketchBook Pro.

My tablet is a Nexus 7, I use it to check my email and listen to radio stations around the world using tunein. I can store and edit photos as soon as I've taken them using Photoshop Touch, and I watch arts documentaries from the BBC archive, like the one below.

Tove Jansson documentary on BBC iPlayer

I installed SketchBook on Christmas Day, it cost $2.99. I made drawings over the holidays, each one a little quicker and a little more pleasing than the last, then on New Years Day, I happened to see a review of SketchBook Pro on "PC Advisor" web site. After reviewing SketchBook Pro they gave it 3.5 stars out of 5. I ask you! This app costs less than a cup of coffee and a lot less than a tube of paint and they give 3.5 out of 5. Not only that, but the reviewer didn't show any drawings, which leads me to assume he can't draw. So I'm here to redress the balance and give you my honest opinion.

My own experience of SketchBook is that it runs smoothly on my tablet, it's easy to learn and that it's a pleasure to use. The biggest hurdle to drawing on a tablet is using a stylus but this can be a big advantage. I discovered years ago that my paintings improved if I used a bigger brush. (Ron Ranson demonstrates using a 2 inch brush and an eye patch). Using a stylus feels like painting with a big brush. The stylus (I use a $2 stylus from Amazon), initially feels clumsy, like tying shoe laces while wearing boxing gloves, but after a few goes you start to adapt and get a feel for it. As you can see below, the stylus tip is very big, which is good, it stops you fiddling.

Painted in oils with brushes shown

Big tip of stylus can feel clumsy - it stops you fiddling

One you get a feeling for drawing with the stylus SketchBook Pro has everything you could possibly need for drawing. It has 150 brushes, each one adjustable. Infinite colours presented as either, colour picker, colour chart, colour wheel etc, plus you can store favourite colours and brushes in a library. Between the brushes and the colour controls it's possible to make any mark, fat, thin, opaque, transparent, scumbled, cross hatched and anything else. I drew the matchbox below with Sketch Book to illustrate a few of the painterly marks you can make

On my tablet the brushes are pressure sensitive, just like a real brush.You can draw with layers! Like using clear acetate you can put each part of your drawing on separate layers, foreground, distance, sky, colour and figures. You can choose from 3 canvas sizes, it's possible to draw on a big canvas that can be exported as a Photoshop, PNG or JPEG file.

Going back to the "PC Advisor" review, what's not to like? Improvements! An Albrecht Durer auto drawing mode would be a nice addition to the next up-grade. Other than that I can't see what else is required.

I love this little app, it does all the above and more for less than the price of a cheeseburger.
I give SketchBook Pro ♥♥♥♥♥♥

SketchBook is available for Android devices, Ipad and Iphone.

Music from Mali

Fatoumata Diawara - Sonkolon

For Pencil Lovers - Better than the iPad?

I can't comment on Blackwing 602 pencils they were never available in the UK (the new ones can be obtained on Ebay), but I understand the sense of loss and longing.

Blog Stats

This is a screen shot of stats for this blog for Friday December 28th. The 638 page views account for roughly 230 individuals who drop by to have a browse. There's enough material in the blog so that views slowly rise over time, whether I add content or not, but I would imagine there comes a point where the blog reaches its peak and levels off, otherwise everyone with access to the internet will pass through here at some point in their life.

Of the 230 individuals who visit 80 are regulars, the other 150 drift by never to return but are replaced by 150 new visitors the next day. If I die or just lose interest, the blog sails on like the Marie Celeste.

Christmas Gifts

Gift Number 1

I received not one, but two perfect gifts in my Christmas stocking this year. To be honest I'd be very disappointed if I hadn't received at least one, because I've been dropping hints and leaving clues around since last October. Gift number one is an M+R pencil sharpener.

I've long admired the brass M+R pencil sharpeners and always envied the owners of these beautiful objects. It's one of those items that although not extortionately expensive, would make me feel a touch of guilt if I bought one for myself, which makes it a perfect gift. My sharpener is so heavy that at first it feels alien, no pencil sharpener is as heavy as the M+R. The blades (there are two), are hardened steel, so sharp they make fine continuous shavings with ease. And it has a unique cut away design so the lead never breaks.

M+R pencil sharpeners have been made in Germany, by the same family since 1908. In that time the products have evolved and improved to the extent that now they make the perfect pencil sharpener. Rest assured my pencil sharpener has been busy over the holidays, every pencil I own is now pin sharp.

Gift Number2

My other perfect gift is a tube of Michael Harding, titanium white oil paint. I use a lot of white paint, about one tube every two months (a tube of cobalt violet lasts me 10 years). My current favourite is Blockx, which is very, very opaque with a buttery smooth texture. However Michael Harding's paints are recommended by the gods of painting, so I can't wait to give it a try.

I did get a few more gifts, one of which is a Nexus 7 tablet. I've installed SketchBook Pro on it and will let you know my thoughts on it when I've done a few more drawings. One thing that does already impress me is how cheap and easy it is to purchase the apps. Sketchbook Pro cost $2.99, that's a lot less than a decent pencil sharpener. I did the sketch below in thirty minutes, sitting in a cafe opposite the college. Don't worry, the irony of pencil sharpener and tablet computer isn't lost on me.

Trinity College Cambridge - My first sketch using a tablet

Happy Christmas

I have a few last minute jobs to do before I leave for a family Christmas in London. I'm mindful of eating, drinking or watching too much TV, the only things I would live to regret. I'll be back at work on Boxing day and I'm thankful for that.

I'd like to wish you a very happy Christmas, may all your dreams come true.

Tim

Grass as Art

Lives of Grass by Mathilde Roussel, courtesy of the artist. Photograph: Matthieu Raffard

I'm intrigued by this piece by french artist Mathilde Rousse. Great inventiveness and wonderful drama for a sculpture. I left the show thinking anything is possible!

Sebastião Salgado's Portrait of a Siberian Sled Dog

One of the final trips of his Genesis project. This photograph is from Sebastião Salgado's visit to the Nenets of northern Siberia.  Courtesy of Sebastião Salgado/Amazonas/nbpictures.

The temperature here in England is 0 degrees, but I can't moan after looking at this photo. 

Silver Coins into Rings

I found this coin in July. I was metal detecting with a friend on the hottest day of the year. We were in the middle of a large wheat field with no shade, I was slowly roasting and very uncomfortable. Sometimes when you go metal detecting, objects and coins pop out of the ground with enough regularity to keep your mind occupied, but not this day. I spent ten mind numbing hours walking around the field with nothing to show except three ring pulls from soft drink cans. As the light started to fade we called it a day and started walking the mile or so back to the car. Always the optimist, I kept the detector switched on as we walked back and as you might have guessed I found this coin within twelve feet of the car!

The coin isn't particularly rare or valuable, but it is special. It's an 1875 Queen Victoria florin, the first decimal coin (One florin = one tenth of a pound). Britain didn't make the complete change to decimalization until 1971. It's made of pure silver and it has two other unique features, the design is gothic as was the fashion in the mid 19th century, and it was the first coin where the word "God" was dropped from the currency. It's called a Gothic Florin or a Godless Florin by collectors.

I don't collect coins but I do admire the design of this one, so after much consideration I found a jeweller who could turn it into a ring. Here is the finished example below. The jeweller was as enthusiastic as I was, he did the work in exchange for another silver coin I'd found.  I'm thrilled with the ring, it feels comfortable and of course it reminds me of hot summer days.

   

Smoked Fishes

I'm back at the seaside and having a lovely time. The mornings are best, bright clear skies, although bitterly cold. If you're wondering what a Canark is, so am I! The owner of this fish smoking hut wasn't around for me to ask and no one else seemed to know. At times like this I like to think a portable device like an iPad would give me an instant answer but I had to wait until I got home and looked it up on their web site. Nothing there, so I tried Google, still nothing. Does anyone know what a Canark is?

Red Wrist Strap for Fuji X-100 and Leica

Originally made for a friend to attach his knife when he went sailing, now I make wrist straps for photographers. The wrist strap makes perfect sense for every day use. It's keeps your camera secure in public places and it makes one handed operation easy. I'm making these wrist straps in black, olive, khaki (it looks gold), and red. Available from my Etsy shop.

Dust on Sensor

I read on a photography internet forum that someone has made a movie about dust appearing on the sensor of his new Nikon camera. At first I found it amusing that someone should film dust, what will he film next? Next I felt a little sad in that I'd used my time to read such trivia.

A few years ago while living in Spain I spent months photographing cloud formations above mountains. I soon began to notice fuzzy blotches in the photos. One or two fuzzy blotches I can live with, but it was getting worse by the day. The camera in question was a Canon Powershot G5, which has a fixed lens, and which you would imagine would be dust proof, but not so. Fixed lens cameras with telescopic lenses act like a bicycle pump. When you turn the camera on, the lens extends, sucking air and dust into the camera.

When the build up of dust in my camera became too time consuming for me to remove, I returned the camera to Canon who cleaned it and returned it to me in 48 hours. However, within a few day of use the dust started to appear again and at that point I sold the Canon Powershot. Incidentally, the Canon Powershot S100 that I now own has two specks of dust on the sensor. I can live with that.

My advice to anyone who discovers dust on their sensor is to accept it, and move on. Do not worry about it. Do not discuss it on forums. Do not make a movie about it. Do not write about it on your blog :-)

Horned Helmet

This remarkable item is the full face helmet of King Henry VIII. Made between 1511 and 1514, It was presented to Henry by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Modeled on Maximillian's face, attention to detail includes facial stubble on the chin.

Courtesy of The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds Collection.