Merry Christmas to all

A Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.Thankyou to all for your generous comments and just for looking this past year.I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas wherever you may be.

Serval kitten drawing complete

Serval kitten  50cm x 30.5cm graphite and carbon pencils on paper

Sales at London International Horse show,Olympia

This weekend is the last opportunity to view a selection of my original works and limited edition prints on stand N26 the Collier and Dobson ltd fine art publisher stand.The show has run from 16th-22nd December and this year has been a very successful show for me with all three of the above images selling thus far as well as lots of prints including my latest release 'Watching' my African leopard portrait.I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and hope that you will all join me here on my blog in 2014.

Serval kitten drawing almost complete

Progress with this drawing has been a little slow but luckily I have the festive season to blame for the many distractions over the last couple of weeks.suffice to say that i'll be very happy to have this finished before Christmas.

Serval kitten drawing update

here's a quick update on progress with my latest drawing of a serval kitten.This drawing once again pairs conte pierre noire pencils for the darkest tones with my usual derwent graphic pencils for the rest of the piece.the cats head is taking shape now with some areas complete including fur details whilst other areas you can clearly see are in the process of the graphite being layered to build up the required strength of tone before the details are added.

Another cat drawing

Ive made a start on another cat drawing,this time its a serval kitten.the background toning has been completed using layers of graphite working from an H grade pencil thru to a 2B and next i'll make a start on the cat itself.the edge of the image needs breaking up by erasing fine hairs into the background toning and the spots need to be completed before I start(as usual with cats) on completing the ears.ive had to put oils to one side for a short while as I complete a series of pencil drawings for publication by my publishers Collier and Dobson early in the new year.the first two of which will be 'Watching' my African leopard study and 'Snow prince' my snow leopard cub drawing.Alongside the pencil drawings being published by my publishers I will be self-publishing a select few of my more specialised pencil drawings in small editions of 50 hand signed and numbered prints which will be exclusively available from my website www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com  in the near future.i'll keep you posted here on my blog once they are available.

Snow leopard cub drawing complete

After several days work on the body fur of this young cat i'm calling the drawing complete.the completed image measures 13.75" x 17" and will shortly be winging its way to the publishing house for scanning.This piece has been a little experimental for me as ive been trying out several different types of pencil in combination to see if anything can be 'added' to my imagery by incorporating one or more different pencils.apart from my usual derwent graphic graphite pencils ive also used wolfs carbon pencils and my latest addition the conte pierre noire pencil.both the carbon pencil and pierre noire produce very deep,matt blacks ,and after initial scepticism about the sheer 'blackness' of them compared to graphite ive decided I rather like them when combined with the graphite,i think it adds another dimension to the work.i think I will find more of a use for the conte's than the carbon pencils as they have several advantages over them whilst giving very similar results.The major disadvantage I found with the carbon pencils is that they cannot be used over graphite meaning that they had to be used very precisely to avoid problems,i also didn't particularly like the feel of the pencil when applying to paper whereas the conte's can be used over and combined with graphite very successfully and I found that suited my purposes better.i hope you've enjoyed watching this latest pencil drawing coming together.limited edition prints will be available in due course on my website www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com

Snow Leopard cub drawing update

The drawing is progressing nicely now with the head of the cat complete.I'm now beginning to layer graphite on the body of the cat in preparation to create the long wispy fur  of the neck and chest.this is quite a large part of the drawing and because of the intricate nature of the hair and subtle colouration it will take an age to complete effectively.It is a particularly taxing element of the drawing demanding a lot of concentration and as a result is mind-numbingly boring,however i'll persevere.

New graphite/carbon pencil drawing

My latest drawing is a bit of a first for me as ive decided to try utilising some carbon pencils in my work for the first time.Ive had a few carbon pencils knocking around in the studio for a few years and wasn't particularly keen on the feel of them or the intense blacks they produced but decided an experiment was in order.I'm using them sparingly,purely for the very darkest elements in the drawing which requires a bit more thought and planning than a simple graphite drawing as graphite and carbon pencils do not mix and carbon cannot overlay graphite and so I have to place the carbon very carefully throughout.So far i'm happy with the results and getting accustomed to the intenseness of the blacks.The subject of this drawing is a delightful Snow Leopard cub.

swan painting complete

my mute swan oil painting 22" x 18" oil on canvas is now completed.i hope you've all enjoyed watching this one come together,now all that remains is to come up with a title.

Mute swan painting update

The underpainting for my swan oil painting finally dried and so ive now made a start on the final coat of oils and here ive completed the bird and will shortly be turning my attention to the reflection.

Swan painting-underpainting complete

This morning ive completed the underpainting of the swan and its reflection.It now needs to be put to one side to dry thoroughly before I start work on the detailed coats of paint and really strengthen the colours.

Swan painting progress

As usual ive got several images on the go at the moment and after finishing my pencil drawing of a leopard I took a few days to prepare a new drawing,this time a snow leopard cub,and ive sketched out the initial drawing and started the long process of toning the background in layers of graphite.there's not much to see so far as its all a little dull until I start work on the cat itself at which point i'll post something.Ive reverted back to my mute swan painting during the ever-shorter daylight hours and so far ive completed the water and have now made a start on the underpainting of bird and reflections.This is the first rough coat of loosely applied oils where I define areas of the bird and start to work up colours and shadows on the plumage.I'll move onto the underpainting of the reflections next and when complete make sure it seems to be 'sitting right' before I go ahead with the second,more detailed,coat of oils to completion.

Young Leopard portrait 12.5" x 11" pencil

Here is the completed pencil study of a beautiful Young African Leopard,i hope you've all enjoyed watching this gorgeous cat come together.

Leopard drawing further progress

The young Leopard portrait is coming along nicely on the drawing board today and so here's a quick update from the studio.

Young Leopard drawing progression

The obvious difference between this image and my last update is the completion of the cats eye's.often when working in graphite I leave the subjects eye's until last as the sort of 'icing on the cake' at the end of the process and watch it come to life but in this case the engaging stare of the leopard is the key to the drawing and so I opted to complete them earlier than my norm in order to judge the effectiveness of there gaze.i have to admit that I was very pleased and very aware of the way they stare at me as i'm trying to complete the rest of the drawing,so job done I guess!.still a fair way to go and i'm working on the right side of the cats face at the moment,i can already see areas that will require some minor adjustments but thus far all's good.

Works in progress

                                                                      Mute Swan

                                                                         Leopard
Since my last post of my Leopard drawing in progress ive done a little more work,adding in more of the cats spots,completing the second ear and nose and now i'm starting to gradually add layers of tone to the cats fur which will give it shape and form before completing the fur details.Progress is gradual but slow as i'm also working on a couple of oil paintings simultaneously as well and now that theres something to see ive posted the first image of my new Mute swan painting.i started with the water and have completed a couple of layers of oil here and am happy that the lovely colour I wanted has been achieved.all that will remain to do to the water will be to add a final glaze or two to subtly alter the colour and give depth.its now been put to one side to dry before I make a start on the swan itself.

Start of a new drawing

This is the start of a new graphite project that will,i hope,result in a paired drawing for my very popular and almost sold out 'Shadow Hunter' drawing of a black leopard.The subject of this drawing is a delightful young African leopard and the main focus of the drawing will be the eye contact between viewer and cat.my initial rough pencil drawing has been traced onto stretched HP watercolour paper and as is usual for me ive made a start on the background first.in this case the background will consist of layers of abstractly applied graphite in a blurry effect primarily designed to 'lift' the subject from the paper and add some much needed depth.once the initial layers of graphite have gone in I decided to plot in a few darks to help me judge tonal depth more easily.the obvious darks in this case were the spots of the cat and so a few of those have been added in.my darks are not just made up from a single soft pencil they are layered from several grades of pencil to help build solid unbroken tone and ultimately more depth to the finished drawing.having got some darks in place I then made a start on the ears of the cat,for no other reason than I find this the most challenging part of a cats anatomy to get right and therefore tackle it head-on.in the studio photo you can see ive completed one ear and have started the layering process on the other.i hope it wont be too long before I can post some more progress on this drawing,i also have a couple of oil paintings started but in very early stages as yet and so posts on the drawing will be intermingled with oil painting updates too.i hope you'll enjoy watching these all come together and welcome any feedback

Sumatran tiger 28" x 20" oil on canvas

my latest oil painting is now complete,as usual it will sit in the studio for a while whilst I determine whether there's anything else I need do to it.now for a day off to catch up with all the little jobs ive been putting off before I get stuck in on new projects.

an almost complete painting

Having had this tiger painting kicking about the studio for a couple of months now in various states of completion and often wondering whether i'd ever get it finished I am relieved to report that it is now tantalisingly close to completion.i am very pleased indeed that ive almost completed successfully all the oil projects I hand prepared canvases for when I took delivery of my enormous roll of canvas a couple of months back.i think i'm borderline ocd when it comes to completing projects before starting new ones but ive finally got around to stretching two new canvases for my next projects,however my inspiration for paintings changes with the weather these days and ive already got half a dozen other images on my mind!. I hope to post the completed painting in the next day or two.

Sumatran tiger painting update

I continue to work on the tigers face,and yesterday in particular I added a second layer of oils to the tiger's stripes which helps me to better judge the strength and boldness of colour for the rest of the cats face.apart from a very loose oil sketch a couple of years ago this is my first tiger painting and i'm learning just how difficult it is to achieve the correct colours,i think there will be a fair amount of glazing required.the image is a little paler than reality due to the camera set up i'm having to use at the moment.my slr lens has malfunctioned and rather than fix it i'm thinking of replacing the whole camera with a newer,better version which ive been promising myself for some time.so for now the studio shots are being taken with a little compact camera.

Back to oils at last

I enjoyed immensely my detour back into graphite for my peregrine and crows drawing and have decided that pencil will regularly feature in my workload as its such an 'immediate' medium and the time away from it has allowed me to appreciate the process once more.Meanwhile my Sumatran tiger painting had been languishing in the studio untouched for a month and after a couple of false starts I finally got around to continuing with it yesterday.From its completed underpainting stage ive now worked up the cats body and added in the eyes as a focal point.i also completed the ears and have made a start on the cats mouth.I'm working in a order that allows me to complete specific areas each day and I try to work in a methodical sequence,allowing for paint drying,that will not hold me up as I have no other painting projects underway as yet.i have plenty of ideas for upcoming projects and i'm  just fleshing those out before I assemble the new canvases.

The Uninvited guests 13" x 20.5" pencil

my latest pencil drawing is now complete.i'm really pleased that ive managed to describe the confrontation between peregrine falcon and crows that I witnessed on minehead beach a couple of winters ago.

A short break

dear friends,from 6th September until 14th September i will be taking a short break with friends to recharge the batteries and enjoy the last of the English summer in beautiful Somerset.i wont be posting whilst i'm away but rest assured I shall return revitalised with lots of inspired ideas for new works.so bye for now.

Peregrine drawing progress

i'm making slow but steady progress on my latest drawing,i'm happy with how the birds have worked out and so i'm on the home straight now with lots of rocks to complete.

Peregrine and crows drawing update

Once again I wait for my oil painting to dry and so ive moved back to my pencil drawing today and begun to work up the juvenile peregrine falcon in my scene.the feathers are particularly complicated and ensure slow progress but the bulk of the tricky plumage has now been accomplished.

Tiger underpainting complete

Today has been spent completing the underpainting of my Sumatran tiger painting.This is my favourite part of any oil painting as I get to work with bigger brushes and undiluted oil paint and really scrub paint into the canvas without worrying too much about the accuracy of the colours and dream that one day i'll master the art of painting loosely.once this has dried i'll make a start on the details.

Back to pencil for a day

whilst waiting for elements of my tiger painting to dry ive returned to my pencil drawing that's been waiting patiently for attention on the drawing board.both crows have now made an appearance and the next to be tackled will be the falcon and its prey.

Sumatran tiger painting

The first layer of oils has now been worked up on the cats body and now i'll move onto the underpainting stage of the head.

new projects underway

Ive two new projects underway right now.the first is a pencil drawing that may turn out to be a prelim for a full-size oil painting,just fancied trying it in graphite first.the drawing depicts a scene I came across a couple of years ago whilst walking along a beach at Minehead,UK.A juvenile peregrine had taken a rock dove and was busily plucking it on the beach,before too long it was joined by a crow who in turn was joined by another and so forth until the poor peregrine was surrounded by a murder of crows.despite the provocation and having to endure wing and tail feather pulling from the crows the falcon ate its fill before being driven off.fortunately I had my camera with me to record the events as it was too far away to see anything clearly with the naked eye and I think there will be a few images produced in oils and pencil of the encounter eventually.this drawing depicts the early part of the falcons encounter when there were just a couple of initial crows starting to get a little too close for comfort for the young bird.at this stage the falcon would occasionally abandon its prey in order to turn on its tormentors and drive them back a few feet.it was a really amazing event to witness and I hope the drawing will do it justice.
my second piece is an oil painting,itself a re-working of an earlier graphite drawing entitled Stealth,prints of which are still available from my website www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com .the big cat is a Sumatran tiger and like my previous cheetah painting the cat is looking very purposeful.the rather odd underpainting is as a result of originally planning a completely different subject on the canvas and starting that underpainting before I lost interest in the piece.

Cheetah 18" x 16" oil on canvas

Cheetah painting now complete,apologies for the terrible glare on the photo,cant seem to get a decent shot of this one.now onto new projects.

Cheetah painting update

after my week as artist in residence at Nature in Art last week ive been rushing around catching up with internet orders and answering a weeks worth of emails as well as returning all my stock of prints and cards etc into its rightful places.whilst I was in the studio at nature in art I was working on my cheetah oil painting and managed quite a bit of progress.there is still a little to do but mainly tinkering,glazing and a few alterations here and there.i took the unfinished painting to my bespoke framers yesterday for measurements to be taken and decisions made on the framing finish so that they could proceed with making and finishing the frame so that the painting could be rapidly fitted on completion as it is due to hang in an exhibition at the end of this month!.

Artist in residence

From 5th-11th august I will be the artist in residence at Nature in art  which is located in Gloucestershire at Wallsworth Hall,Twigworth,nr Gloucester. the museum is the uk's only museum dedicated to art portraying the natural world and I will be working on the painting of a cheetah above and drawing live in the garden studio.visitors will also be able to see a range of original works,prints and fine art cards as well as have a chat with me.in the meantime my publishing company Collier and Dobson ltd have a large stand at Gatcombe park,gloucestershire at the gatcombe international horse trials over the next three days displaying some of my original pieces and limited edition prints.

New fine art card range launched

                                                                barn owl touchdown

                                                                     evening hare

                                                                         leopard

                                                                      fox portrait

little egret

                                                                       brown hare

                                                                        barn owl

                                                                         kingfisher

red fox

                                                                         caracal
my new range of fine art cards are now available to order from my website www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com   each card is printed on 280gsm smooth card with a lovely gloss varnished finish and come complete with envelope and cello wrapping.the cards are blank inside for your own greeting.
cards are priced at £1.80 each + £0.90 p&p or ;
5 cards at £7.50 + £1.20 p&p or;
10 cards at £12 + £1.80 p&p
p &p prices are for 1st class delivery within  the UK
for overseas orders please ask for a postal quote 

NEWA 2013 exhibition charity auction update

by way of an update on the auction  of donated wildlife art including my own avocet painting at the NEWA exhibiton I am delighted to say that over £10k was raised on the night for the various wildlife organisations sponsored this year.my avocet painting also found a new home.over the weekend an art market was held alongside the main show and whilst business was slow mainly due to the incredibly hot weather making it near impossible to spend a good deal of time indoors at the venue the comraderie amongst fellow artists and the hilarious banter that ensued made the event enjoyable.it was great to meet and spend time with so many talented artists.

NEWA 2013 live art demo's

from 19th-21st july alongside the NEWA wildlife art show in the Wirral a group of professional wildlife artists will be demonstrating in various mediums as well as displaying original works,prints and cards.this rather grumpy looking cheetah is my underpainting that ive prepared for my demo.i will be showing some original works and ltd edition prints(some very special show offers) and my brand new range of fine art cards.

NEWA 2013 exhibition and charity auction

 

 

On Thursday 18th july the preview night and special charity auction will be held at the 20th annual NEWA wildlife art exhibition.the oil painting above entitled 'elegance-avocet' has been donated by me to the charity auction all the proceeds of which will go to wildlife charities.many artists have donated original artworks to the auction and details of the exhibition and auction of wildlife art can be found on the newa website www.newa-uk.com  .following the preview night the exhibition will run from july 19th-august 4th and from 19th-21st of july alongside the main exhibition will be a special event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of newa.a group of select wildlife artists including myself will be demonstrating in various mediums as well as showing a range of prints and cards and some more original works all of which are available to purchase.there will be some very special offers at the show and so if you're in the Wirral area during those three days pop in,speak to and learn from some fabulous artists and bag yourself a bargain!.the full venue address is Gordale garden centre,chester high road,south Wirral,burton,ch64 8tf

Roe deer study 20" x 16" oil on canvas

A little more work on the body and nose of this roe study and i'm calling it done.new projects are beckoning.

Roe deer study work in progress

Here's another oil painting i'm working on right now and its a study of one of the many Roe deer who visit my garden for a tasty morsel every so often.its been quite heavily re-worked since I initially underpainted it,with three changes of background colouration ranging from hideous greens through to the current grey-ish colour.whilst the photography doesn't really show it too well here the current colouration is made up of colours I saw within the deers coat and whilst its a little plainer overall than I had anticipated I think the colour sets off the deer nicely.as you can see the animals head is almost complete,i just need to tinker with the nose some more.the body has had two coats of loosely applied oils and the next coat will add some nice fur detail in.all the references ive used for this painting have been gleaned by me doing a little amateur deer stalking in my own garden(luckily theres plenty of cover) and as you can see from the positioning of her ears she was desperately trying to work out where the camera clicks were coming from!