Saturday 30 October 2010

Sumatran Tiger drawing update

After finishing my commissioned drawing of Tess and Buster i have now re-started work on my Sumatran Tiger drawing that i put to one side at the end of last month.I havn't progressed it much so far other than to finish both fore limbs and alter the background toning a little.ive made a start on the cats ears,which is always my least favourite part of a big cat drawing,because the hairs are so complex and detail difficult to suggest easily.one ear is complete and the second has some tones layed in with much more to do,but once that is complete i can start to plot in the tigers stripes and begin to bring the animal to life

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Presenting Buster and Tess 14"x19"

This is the finished portrait of Buster and Tess the german pointers.It's been quite a challenge to get these two just right in particular catching the lovely sheen on they're coats but i think ive not just caught the dogs accurately but hopefully a bit of there character shines through.The acid test will of course be there owners verdict but i do hope they will be delighted.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Buster and Tess portrait-nearly there

The portrait of Buster and Tess is tantalisingly close to completion now,after a weekend spent away from the board running my drawing workshop i got back to this drawing yesterday and spent almost the whole day completing tess's ear.there are a myriad of layers of graphite applied here to build up the shape and form before adding the fur details and being so close to completion i now have to take my time and resist the temptation to rush to the 'finishing line' thus un-doing all my good work so far.All that remains to be done is to complete the neck of the dog and then go over the whole piece with subtle tone adjustments here and there until it all gels nicely

Friday 22 October 2010

Dog commission-quick update

Tess is progressing nicely now with only one ear and the neck to go until complete.hopefully i should be able to complete this drawing by the end of the month.i am running a pencil drawing workshop this weekend at Browns Fine Art in Locks Heath,Hampshire,uk and so i wont be back at the drawing board now until monday,but it's great to escape the confines of the studio and talk art with a great bunch of enthusiasts.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Buster and Tess update

The darker areas of Tess's face are now more or less complete after a great deal of subtle layering and ive been able to add the eyes and bring the piece to life

Sunday 17 October 2010

six new greetings cards designs arrive

greylag geese trio 7"x5" On thin ice-moorhen 7"x5"

Ring tailed lemur 8"x4"


Golden eagle 7"x5"



Black labrador 7"x5"




baby giraffe 8"x4"
i have added six new designs to my greetings card collection.all are printed on 300 gsm white card,blank inside and supplied with an envelope and cellophane wrapped.these are terrific quality cards and are available for £2.50 each including p&p for uk orders.payment can be made by cheque or via paypal just email me in the first instance at clivemeredith@hotmail.com with your requirements.non-uk orders email for price.





Friday 15 October 2010

Buster and Tess portrait update

this past week has been one of those weeks when everything that could go wrong has gone wrong and ive spent the majority of it dashing around or on the phone fire-fighting the seemingly endless stream of hitches that have come my way.yesterday there was finally light at the end of the tunnel that is this eminently forgettable week and i managed to reach the sanctuary of the studio and make a start on Busters companion Tess.Ive managed to complete one ear and have started the layering process on tess's face that will build up to give shape and form prior to adding details.due to the stage that this process is at you can clearly see the different layers in action here as i progressively build up the darker tones and leave lighter those areas of the coat subject to shine

Thursday 7 October 2010

Buster completed


just a quick update today as ive not had much studio time due to other committments.i shall be moving onto Buster's buddy Tess very shortly.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Almost there

Buster the german pointer is almost complete now,just some dark toning to add and a little more work on his coat required and then it's onto Tess his companion.

Monday 4 October 2010

Someones looking back at me

Had a long day yesterday,firstly, handing in and setting up for the forthcoming 'Along these lines' exhibition at the Sir Harold Hillier gardens in romsey,uk which will feature the work of prominent hampshire artists working in many different styles and media an exhibition which will feature 5 of my original pieces as well as limited edition prints and the new greetings card range and secondly a delightful meal and drinks in the evening with some old friends who i dont get to see often enough.Hence this mornings start in the studio was slightly belated and i havn't therefore got quite as far with this drawing today as i would have wished but nonetheless theres good progress to report here not the least of which is that Buster the german pointer is now gazing back at me.always nice to get the eyes complete and bring life to the piece.

Saturday 2 October 2010

Dog commission-a little more progress


Another long day in the studio see's Buster the german pointer starting to emerge from the paper with the aid of lots and lots of graphite layering.in some of the darkest areas completed so far i have used pencils as soft as 4B on top of every other grade of pencil from H thru to 3B.i like to set a couple of the darkest toned areas at the outset of a drawing as it helps with judging the overall tones to be used elsewhere and means i can approach other areas a little less tentatively.There is an awful lot more layering of graphite to go before Buster finally arrives but you can see the way the drawing progresses here.