Four weeks to Christmas

and Ive promised Peter that Ill finish his yacht by then so here goes!
It was maybe 40% done about a year ago but now Ive really decided to get into it. Especially as Im more confident now on seas (after the Gambia!)

You can see the masking tape to get nice straight lines for the mast etc. Ive had a goo go at the hills but it needs another layer and the clouds which might be done! A white spray primer works wonders!

As usual its more of a seascape than a boat. The boat come last!

and just for completions sake here is the Macchi jet after scanning and cleanup.

Ill tried to dedicate as much of this weekend to painting as I can but theres lawns to mow and cricket to watch!! I still get 2 or 3 print sales a week but I feel I need to turn over my stock (ie: draw some more.. faster...) and retirement is beckoning or as Ive taken to calling it, reWIREment! coz I think Ill be busy as!

Greens and Greys

I think Ive used all my greens and greys in doing this plane! But its nearly there now..
Which is good as I have that boat waiting in the wings and another painting I really want to do over Christmas... which is only 7 weeks away now!

The photo has overdarkened some parts but Im sure you get the idea.. I still love the attitude of this plane!  Port wing only to go now!!!

Fast jet

Got the hurry up on a commission of a yacht so have to get on with this wee jet.
Couldn't resist the kiwi roundel!

Had lunch with Warwick earlier in the week. Nice to see him doing well and hopefully restarting some drawings again.
Rugby World Cup final sunday morning.. GO THE ALL BLACKS!

Macchi-nations

Started a pencil vignette of the RNZAF Macchi MB339.

Tricky colours and am having to guess a tad from another photo but so far so good.

X-Allent!

Falcon XA finished.
Showing Jim Richards McMillan Ford Falcon in the early 70's

Took most of last week off for a trip on the Tranzalpine down South and then suffered horrendous caffiene withdrawal headache for last Friday. Didnt do much drawing but managed to finish this one today. Off to see daughters new fur baby (dog) this arvo. Hope he's friendly!

The Falcon is Flying!

Well Jim Richards XA Falcon actually!
From way back in the 70's here's Jimmy punting the Falcon hard around Puke.

About 4 hours on this so far. Nice clean easy car to do so shouldn't take too long.
The Escort is selling like Hotcakes too.. great stuff and Im planning another plane for my next one. Then I have to attack Peter's sailboat again!!

Hannu Mikkola 1973 Heatway Rally Mk1 Ford Escort

Finished! signed, sprayed, scanned and printed.

Looks nice and the first print sold almost immediately!

mud, mud, glorious mud

Thats the side of the car done and it sure is muddy!
Just the windscreen to be done and a touch of track underneath..

Father's day today. Got a nice T-shirt from daughter. Son off on world trip again, Vietnam this time.
Oh to be young again! well I giess Im always young actually but you know wot I mean!

Grilling it

saturday morning and planning to go out tomorrow for a birthday lunch at a winery so thought I'd better get into the drawing while I can!
doesnt look like much progress but plenty of grill, bumper and lights work and I started the windscreen to give it some feeling of proportion.

dug out the better camera again also.

let there be Lights!

Sick day today, hunkered down in my burrow and did a little work on the Escort.
Cibie lights are a blast from the past.. tested out the deep blue / purple of the bodywork.

Woolmark Escort

Been a couple of weeks now. Finished the Gambia painting and sent it off to the commissioner. She loved it apparently which is Great! and I look forward to a picture of it framed one day.
Had a few sales last week which was  very welcome as a few new Magic card must-buys have come into the card shop!!
I met up with Warwick last week when he came into town on the pensioner express (which I am almost qualified for myself) and had a good chat. Apparently the trains are selling well and he's started a couple more. Maybe we'll see them here soon?

So what is next? well I thought another Rally car would be saleable especially an escort and especially a famous New Zealand rally escort. So Ive started Hannu Mikkola's winningWoolmark escort from the 1973 International Heatway Rally of New Zealand.
The picture captures the car in late afternoon sun hence the yellow nature of the light.

Nearly Done!

Some layers of glazing done and looking better I think.
Note the weird cloud effect is due to a wave in the canvas, the actual clouds are more together than that!
Ill leave it for a day or so and decide if its done!

Glazing

Tidyied up the ship quite a bit and have applied the first glaze layer to the sea. Naturally that has washed out the whitecaps so they need redoing! but I think its tied the colours together and made it a bluer sea. Might need more clouds now!

Photo was taken under yellow bulb light so looks a tad different to the previous pics!

Waves waves waves!

redid the sky to be less dark and smerge into the lighter right hand side and had a good go at the waves on the sea. I think both the sea and sky will benefit greatly from a glaze soon. A dark ish sea color glaze over the sea will tie it all together! Now on to some ship detail with a teeny tiny brush. This pic is quite large for me A2 size is some 25.5 inches x 18 inches and occupies a lot of my work table and uses a lot of paint each time!!
1 month left!

Rustification

Hooray, some rust at last! and the 3 corsair planes too!
Redid the sky again! but still needs another layer I think, clouds are a bit heavy!
Maybe onto the foreground(!) sea next.

Had a day off while the car was in the garage undergoing surgery!! Good opportunity to progress.

The Skies the limit

Had a go at the sky and clouds to fill in the top and have pretty well completed the ship (as a first painting!) Sky needs more and the planes need outlining too. Am determined to get the rust started as well today!

It all feels a little Mk1 - ish as it now needs the detailed go over but at least the canvas is filled!

and the All Blacks won in Ellis Park again too!! Whew, what an intense game!

Slowly filling in the superstructure!

Slow going... Im doing this with technique that may be thought very naive! Small brushwork all the time almost like using a pencil. But Im slowly covering the canvas!! About 1.5 hrs at a time is all I can stand.. Maybe do a tad more this afternoon. Ive masked the A2 size and roughed in the sea (but that needs heaps more work on waves!). Im finding with the cold weather its tricky to get to the painting during the week so I mainly work on it sunday morning..

I do want to get onto the rust! and Id better speed up a bit now.. we're nearly into August!

ps: I did manage to get my super application away last week. I find Im quite looking forward to a supergold card! Also managed to spend quite a bit on my Magic the gathering card addiction! so another reason to get on with the painting... :)

Gambia Hull and Sea

Not the best photo, left hand edge has a shadow showing.... slow going though..I'd say I only have the basic undercolors in process so far. Painting like this isnt a matter of wide sweeping strokes, its more fiddly close work with a tiny brush and plenty of smerging with a fingertip or sponge dauber thingey I have. There will be a LOT of detail painting over this eventually.. But I have all of July and August to do it!

Note the darker area of the hull which was a camo attempt I think to give the impression of a smaller ship.

Gambia painting

Started the Gambia over-painting on canvas!
So far better than I expected... now for some rust!

Bambina Finished

Signed scanned and sealed!

I muted the boared window a bit to remove the distraction!

Now on to a re-paint of the Gambia commission in A2 size - Gulp!

Bambina Background

pretty well completed now!
Not too sure about that boarded up window on the left but tried to lessen its impact.

Bambina pavement

Another couple of hours goes by!
pavement coming on OK, car more or less complete..

Slow week for prints.. just one! hope next week picks up but maybe its the time of the year.
Warwick has gone quiet again, hope all is OK.

Bambina Rocks

Managed a bit during the week but had a bit of a binge this morning (Sunday) and was only going to do the side but somehow just kept going. I even managed the wee red FIAT badge on the front.
I hope youre liking it David?! Maybe just a couple of weeks to go..

Re other things.. Ive been watching a very expensive Magic card on the net since Modern Masters 2015 came out and I got the feeling it bottomed last weekend in price so I finally cracked and bought one! Yay.. I now have a Tarmogoyf winging its way to me (and Im much lighter in my paypal account)!

The new printer worked out well as I had 3 prints sold last week and he printed as and when I needed them and the colours are super good.

Work is semi interesting and I may have some good (I hope!) news on that front soon.

I also notice warwick has gone Gold (Super Gold even) and can now travel free on trains etc so Im hoping to see him for a coffee in town sometime!  Oh well Hey Ho.. better go mow the grass before it starts raining again.

Monday Blues

Blue greens actually.. The Fiat 500 starts to get a nose..
Monday Holiday here in NZ, gardening morning, out for a drive in the afternoon and then some more drawing in the evening.. coming along nicely.

Long Live the Queen

Queens birthday long weekend.
Sunday already... where does the time go?
Managed an hour or so on the Bambina this morning.. got some colour into it.

The news is that my printer has closed up shop for good so I had an issue right there for prints. But luckily I found another one right around the corner in the Hutt and so far the test prints look superb.

Another commission popped up last week too. Wanting an acrylic painting of my Gambia ship drawing. So I had the drawing printed onto some canvas in A2 size and will aim for Christmas as a present for her dad.  This is my current drawing... and the book cover that shows the ship in colour.

should be a breeze!!!!!

Bambina Beginning

Started the next commission. A Fiat 500 Bambina for a chap in Italy no less!
Just the wheels so far.

The Labours, continued

Thank God for my Derwent electric eraser. My drawing table is covered in shards of rubber. I don't think I've had to correct so much of my work before. At least the C130H is complete. And I don't have to be quite so accurate with the background (ideally it should be slightly out of focus to accentuate the Hercules) so the level of detail is less important.

Again, no image with this post, although I have been taking progress photos - my laptop just doesn't have the intestinal wherewithal to handle Photoshop or Paintshop quickly enough. I have decided that I want to deliver the finished product to the commissioner this weekend so that's where my priorities lie.

Shelby Mustang GT500

finished.
I left the background as just an impression. It is actually very red but I only implied that in the lettering. It leaves the car to pop out from the paper and I think it looks cool.
Amazing again how seemingly random colour patches in certain areas look like something when one stands back. The drivers helmet for example. Great fun to see..

The Sky Above

Tricky week for drawing what with Storms/Floods and being trapped in Wellington thursday night and then Friday Night Magic on friday but managed to progress the bonnet area. Its a black car but the bonnet is very shiny and is reflecting the sky.. might have to darken it a tad..

cobralicious

Slowly slowly coming along. Who'da thunk there were so many blues purples greys and even browns in a black car!

The Labours of Hercules

Arrgh! I'm beginning to know how Brett must've felt when trying to paint his Island Fishing Boat commission...

The Hercules had NZ roundels on its upper wings (a red Kiwi on a white circle surrounded by a blue ring). No worries. The roundel partially obscures the light green panel on the upper wing. No worries. But, [sigh] I ended up with the roundel on the right wing the wrong size and in the wrong place! So I'm going to have to carefully remove it and do it again.

Herculean effort

The RNZAF C130H 'Hercules' NZ7002 is progressing well. The plane itself is almost complete -  the markings on the upper wing surfaces need to be clarified and a little rework on the spinning propellers. As the drawing is for an ex-RNZAF member with an eye for detail I have to get it right. Then I can start on the background - an aerial view of Wellington. Because I haven't installed Photoshop on my back-up laptop yet (my PC has died) I haven't been able to create an image for this posting, but watch this space, to coin a phrase.

By the way, those silver reflections on the Mustang's rear wing are looking good, Brett.

Update - just as well I checked - the upper wing surfaces & top of the fuselage have pale green panels. And here was I thinking they were white or pale grey/silver. 

Snakey Shelby

Few more hours... tricky rear three-quarter but starting to come together now..

Couple more sales this week from Tauranga so feeling fit!

Bottoms up

Start with the wheels I always say... and then the undershadow and then the bottom of the car...
and slowly it starts to come together..
Im liking this Muzzie...

There's a LOT of work in those wheels!! maybe a tad more shadowing to go...

wheely dark

front wheel starts to get real..

Black GT500

Started a new commission. A modern Shelby Mustang GT500.
As usual just the wheels to start with and barely that. But it feels OK so far..

long way to go...

the Porsche still needs finishing, the Yacht is continuing in the background and Ive got a new commission from Italy (a Bambina) to consider for next month maybe..  It never rains but it pours... lovin' it!

Tiny but perfectly formed?

1 week elapsed time but only A5 size after all...
Just a few more tweaks and it'll be completed I think.

Black and Blue

Bit more progress on my tiny Porsche..

Love the Train Warwick!! Especially the work on the front.

Streaking into the wild blue yonder

Finally got the scan of RM123 back and I've spent some time cleaning the background and tweaking the colours. So here, for your delictation, is NZR Railcar RM123 'Blue Streak'.

A French Letter

from Waikanae!

Yep, as Warwick said, drove out to the 'gold coast' this morning for a reprise of our old sunday drawing get togethers. and gold coast it certainly was today, blue skies and windless! great drive!

Started a tiny pencil drawing as a bit of a fill in. was going to use marker pens more but in the end only used black then pencil over the top. You can see how tiny this one is based on the pencil!

Its an Aussie drivers porch, one Rusty French by name and I think I just liked the colours, the contrast of the black with a large shot of yellow orange flame out the back!

Still, small = fast I think! (actually a Porsche 935).

Nice to see warwick getting into the Herk finally and looking good. maybe we'll see the finished Blue Train up on the Blog also soon!?

Must note the 2 hours was complemented by a great cheeseboard, nice coffee and good ole Radio 5 Live from the UK on the iphone!

Would love to do it again sometime.

Herculean task

A beautiful autumnal-like day here on the Kapiti Coast made all the better by a visitation by Brett. He had brought his pencils and was starting on a new drawing. So, coffee, cheese (brie, emmentaler and cranberry & macadamia cream cheese) and biscuits were in order, as in days of yore. I started on a new version of the RNZAF C130H Hercules - I had made a few blunders on the previous effort so this time I started with the nose (rather than the tail). Two hours later and NZ7002 is definitely underway.

Billowing Spinnaker

well, Im a bit laid up with a debilitating cold. started over Easter and has got to the coffing/sniffly/miserable stage..

But I can struggle on with the yacht. Rough stuff but its amazing how the smallest of efforts starts to bring the picture alive. n'est ce pas?

Blues used are very much a guess as the reference photo is quite faded.

Have also started glazing the old Moffat Mustang painting. It reached its limit of 100 prints last year and the original has just been sitting on the wall. So Im going to give it some pizzaz with glazing and put it up for sale as an original... worth a crack!

Four Flying Cranberries

Done!
Four days work, will mull over it for a bit but its feeling finished.  Little bit of history: After receiving nine B(I)12 and two T.13 English Electric Canberras at Ohakea in 1959, 14 Squadron deployed to Singapore in September 1964 to defend Singapore and Malaysia at the end of the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, (following in the footsteps of No. 75 Squadron RNZAF's Canberra B.2s). No 14 Squadron operated from RAF Tengah with detachments to Labuan (North Borneo) October/November 1964, RAF Gong Kedak (Malayan Peninsular) June 1965 and RAF Kai Tak (Hong Kong) October 1966. The Squadron returned to Ohakea in November 1966. The Canberras were phased out of service in July 1970.

WTG on the Blue train Warwick (FINALLY!) thats a real winner, as Ive been saying for 2 years or more!!  Spotted a nice Hercules to do while I was scanning the proboards too... hmmmmm..

nah, back to the commission now.  and Matinee Idle this arvo I suspect.

Blue, blue, my love is blue

Current WiP. Yeah, I know, looks nothing like a C130H Hercules but I made a bit of a mess of that and had to start again. So, a Blue Streak railcar (RM123, not to be confused with a blue TranzMetro English Electric multiple unit) seemed appropriate (it's one I'd started earlier). Then, back to the Hercules (I promise) and then a streamlined NZR Ka942.

It's 'yacht', Brett, but I suspect you know that, although 'sailboat' is easier to spell. I have to admit that the Canberras are looking really good - nice grouping. I'd keep the background minimalistic - maybe a simple pale sky blue and a slightly (slightly) darker blue lake surface (assuming that's what it is). Nothing too detailed that will detract from the Flying Cranberries.

The Four Cranberries!

Nearly there after an intensive 3 days!
Tweaking and some more work balancing the background perhaps but the basis of this vignette is done..

I think it definitely has potential as a seller.

Four of a kind

well the yot is taking a wee break (on the commissioners request) for a week and its Easter so Ive started another plane pic that caught my fancy.  Quite a well known reference photo but in black and white! Ive always liked the RNZAF Canberra ever since I was a lad in Feilding and the local Ohakea base was flying Vampires and Canberras overhead. The green and grey colours with the wee black and white kiwi on the tail is striking also.

I will NOT be doing much background on this, just a pencil outline of the hills which they are flying over to give some depth. Its supposed to be a quick study of the planes only.
So here's a start, two of the shark like Canberras.

had quite a windfall of car prints this last week too.. been wrapping up tubes all morning which is very gratifying!

riding along....

on the crest of a wave!!

couple more hours on the sea... hmmm.. better but lots to go. Might have to start the actual boat soon to see (sea?) some real progress.

Today is world cup cricket finals day... want to watch but dont want to watch.. might jinx the kiwis eh? aaargh..

A yahct.. I could never spell 'yot'

Started the next commission on a rainy sunday arvo...
Just splatted in the main colours! and waved a brush at the sea...
But it gives the impression aye?

that sky needs to be much lighter (lucky I have scads of white paint) and not really lookin' forward to the detail in the water or hills but hey.. its gotta be done. Coz I want to get back to the pencils and restock the racing car stocks... Suspect Ill focus on the yahtc/yatch... boat next!

Lifes a Beach

Well... thats that!... what a saga..
as I've posted before, although the painting was complete I had to repaint it to more accurately copy the slightly rotated photo of the commissioner. and then tweak the left hand to be under the right arm! Then scan the painting (A3 size) and use photoshop to insert the black and white photo. Then get the scan printed BUT.. the printer noticed scan lines in the printed output and suspected his fuzer unit. I then waited a week until this was fixed and in fact he has reserved a fuzer especially for my art prints now and because its a 10min job to replace it in his large professional machine he has asked that I only do prints on Fridays! So I waited until friday and we went to redo the prints BUT the lines were suddenly obvious on the scan.. which meant my scan had put them there.. aargh. So we redid the scan (I drove home and got the painting and brought it back all around 5pm on Friday) and then had to redo the insertion of the black and white photo overnight so he could use the new reserved fuzer unit when he first opened for business saturday! .. I told you it was a saga!  Unfortunately I had a social card evening that friday night (8 - 12) so had to do the photo shopping first thing in the morning to get the scan to him by 10am..
But I managed it and it looks good.. well as good as it can be given the resolution of the black and white pic.

Then I had to pack the stuff up to send it away.. Managed to convert two old boxes into one long enough for the painting and used some polystyrene blocks to locate the painting into the box without touching the sides (after wrapping it and adding cardboard corners) then added the plastic wrapped prints (which proved too wide so I trimmed them to fit) and THEN burned a CD of the scans and photos shopped image (twice, as it failed first time) and THEN wrapped the whole thing in wrapping paper... 2 hours later!!  ready to mail.

Whew!! mops brow!! was it worth it? If he's happy then, for sure Im happy but I AM glad thats completed.. Unfortunately the next project is another commission.. The Boat! More on that next time.

Datsun done

The 240Z is essentially finished. I'll put aside for a few days, tweak any remaining bits I'm not happy with then get it professionally scanned prior to printing and sending off to Megan.

So, now I'll go back to the RNZAF C-130 Hercules that I've sketched up and start working on that. Because the plane is essentially white, I'll be adding a background - Rongotai & the Mirimar Peninsular as they were a few years ago...