Merry Christmas to all

Merry christmas to all my readers from the snow-clad banks of the river Hamble.Thankyou all so much for all the lovely enthusiastic comments ive received this year.I hope you will continue to enjoy the art here in 2011,my very best wishes to you all.

Labrador commission progress

With the background toning finished for the moment ive now made a start on Amber the labrador.Because she's quite pale in colouration i wanted to set up my tonal values for the piece by drawing the darkest areas first,in this instance Amber's nose and muzzle.Doing a couple of dark areas first makes it easier to judge the tones on her coat and therefore i can approach this element with confidence knowing exactly which grades of pencil will suffice.under normal circumstances progress would be relatively rapid from this point in the drawing but as its almost christmas with all that that entails the drawing will be a little stop/start on occasion.

Background developing

The background to this piece is slowly developing thanks to multiple layers of H,HB and B grade pencil.i'm now starting to work up the abstract shapes in the background that will serve to add a little interest and bring out certain areas of the dogs face.

Start of a new commissioned drawing

Not very exciting to look at i know but this is the very initial stages of my latest project.The drawing is a commissioned piece featuring a lovely labrador called Amber whom i was privileged to spend a couple of hours with getting some lovely reference photo's and just generally getting a handle on the dogs character to try and get that across in the finished drawing.what you see here so far is the result of a couple of days work.the first stage in all my drawings is naturally to work up an outline from my references on bits of old cartridge paper which once i'm happy with it i trace onto my prepared drawing paper.the paper is hot pressed watercolour paper which has been immersed in water and then stretched onto my drawing board and left to dry overnight,this results in a lovely subtle 'tooth' which grabs just the right amount of graphite without being too rough or smooth.the next stage of this particular drawing is to create an abstract,blurry background to enhance and push forward the dogs head.here i have already painstakingly layed down one layer of H grade pencil over a period of hours and now i'm beginning a second layer using the same pencil.as i work up the background i will progress through several different grades of pencil,layering and blending as i go to create the effect i want to achieve.the background alone is likely to take many days to get right until i can make a start on the animal itself.as a final note i'd like to add that in the last week i had a bit of a disaster with my laptop which i managed to well and truly fry and lost a good deal of data and in particular most of my email contacts and so i would be obliged if any of my clients reading this would be good enough to just drop me a line so that i can retrieve email and contact details.luckily my photo library is safe and sound and i'm slowly getting to grips with my new laptop and new operating system.

presenting 'Jiji' 9" x 8.5"

I'm calling the drawing complete now.the drawing is slightly looser than my usual style,governed mainly by the reference available however i think ive managed to capture the essence of Jiji and i hope her owner will be pleased.

Dog portrait almost complete

with the head of the dog complete except for some minor tweaking later ive moved onto the neck area and in particular the task of re-creating the lovely long curly fur found there.once the correct tone has been achieved by layering graphite several times over i can start to use the pencil in much looser,long strokes to try and emulate the long hair.here you can see my initial long strokes plotting out the general fur direction,these i will elaborate on and define further until it looks natural and soft.

a day at the drawing board

start of day

Lunchtime

Evening

i thought i would post the progress of my latest commission as i worked on it throughout the day yesterday.This portrait of Jiji is being created from some slightly poor quality reference photo's taken on a mobile phone and so i'm unable to see all the details necessary to undertake a really detailed study.in this instance ive opted to go for a slightly looser style to accomodate the lack of detail.the looser style still allows me to capture a little of the character and hopefully the 'look' of jiji.

retriever drawing-a little progress

some progress to report here as i slowly layer graphite onto the dogs face building up shape and form.the left hand side of the face is almost complete now and ive done some more work on the jaw area.jiji is slowly starting to appear and hopefully by my next posting should be looking very familiar to her owner.

new commissioned drawing

this is the start of a new commissioned dog drawing for a dear friend of mine. jiji lived in thailand and unfortunately passed away fairly recently and the only references i have to work from here are a couple of grainy mobile phone photo's.as you can imagine it's quite a tough challenge and frankly one i wouldn't normally attempt but i know how much jiji meant to her owner and so i'm giving it my best shot.ive started with the outstanding features and set in place my darkest tones to help a little with the more subtle tones to come.the eyes will go in fairly early in the drawing,which,as those who follow my blog will know,is unusual for me but because i havn't got such fine detail to work with its important to discover early on if i can make this drawing look like jiji.

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Seeking Shade-Baby rhino
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Northern wanderer


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Next Generation

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Young Tuskers

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Waterside Rest

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Solitary hunter-amur leopard

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Silverback-lowland gorilla

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Shadows-white rhino

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Prickly pair


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Matriach


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El Tigre-Jaguar


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Cool contentment-siberian tiger


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Boundary patrol


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Lying up


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Following a decision by my publishers to discontinue offering the last few of my early lithographic limited edition prints which were all editions of 595 hand signed and numbered by myself the remainder of the print stock and some artists proofs were handed over to me to free up valuable space for my latest and upcoming giclee releases.each print is mounted and cellophane wrapped and comes with a certificate of authenticity ready to go straight into a frame.there are a very limited number of numbered editions and artists proofs available of each image and i am offering these at the prices shown under each image which represents a 50% discount on the previous price.For non-uk orders the print will be rolled and dispatched in a tube and a further discount will be applied.This is a fantastic opportunity to own a clive meredith limited edition print or an even rarer artists proof.For more details or to place an order please email me at clivemeredith@hotmail.com


Please note these are lithographic prints not giclee images

Stealth-Sumatran Tiger 15.75" x 10.5"

The completed Sumatran tiger study.this will remain on the drawing board for a day or two just in case i spot any areas i want to modify after which it will be whisked off to my publishers for scanning and framing.

sumatran tiger-The stare is there!

The tiger drawing isn't very far away from completion now and as is my custom ive left the eye's until fairly late in the piece.i just felt as i was getting near the end and things were slowing down a little i would give myself a lift and fix the stare in place.this has well and truly brought the piece to life now and despite the awful wet,grey and windy weather outside my studio window its given me the impetus i needed to crack on and get it done.

sumatran tiger-the appearance of detail

having first worked up the tigers stripes then work has to start on building up shape ,form and tone in the rest of the cats face.after much subtle layering of graphite to build up the tone and shape,details of fur texture are now being added to really bring the piece to life.All this is accompanied by much tinkering around the edges constantly refining subtle details to ensure accuracy.

Sumatran Tiger drawing update

this past week has been so busy with art-related business that i havn't had as much time to devote to my tiger drawing as i would have wished.essentially ive managed to complete both ears now,which always comes as a relief to me as i find cat's ears such a tough proposition in graphite that i like to approach them fairly early on in the developement of a piece.i am now working up the facial stripes of the cat in my usual manner of layer upon layer of graphite slowly building up the dark tones whilst retaining the details.once the stripes are all in place work will then continue a pace to define the rest of the fur.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The start of a new commission

My tiger drawing has been set to one side for a while as i have a new commission to undertake and time is a little short as the drawing is wanted for a birthday.The subjects of this drawing will be a very handsome pair of german pointers full of character that i hope to get across in the finished piece.It has taken a couple of days to get the dogs sketched out to a nice size and having stretched the paper ive made a start on one of the dogs.regular readers of my blog will know that i build up my images using many layers of graphite applied with a full range of pencils,starting with the harder grades and gradually working my way through the softer grades in turn.here you can see my outline that ive transposed from the rough 'working out' paper onto stretched HP watercolour paper and my initial layers of graphite that have been applied.ive applied two layers of H grade pencil over most of the face as a starting point and now i'm working up the details by layering from H thru to 2B grades so far on the left hand side of the dogs face.the ear is pretty much complete and im busy layering and blending over the rest of the face until shape,form and tone is correct and then i can add fur details etc.there is a good deal of careful blending to be carried out as the dog has a lovely shiny coat that i want to stand out.at this stage i'm blending using just the pencil and variable pressures to acheive the required result.

New Greetings cards to order

Winter Barn Owl 8"x4"

Red Squirrel 6"x6"

Lion 6"x6"

Black Leopard 6"x6"

Bengal Tiger Cub 6"x6"

African Elephant and calf 7"x5"

As well as over 50 limited edition prints available from my website i now have a brand new range of fine art greetings cards available to order.There are six designs in my current range with another six new designs to follow shortly.Each card is made from 300gsm white card and includes an envelope,clear polypropylene sleeve and labelled 'blank inside' and features one of my award winning images.The cards are available to order direct from me by emailing your order to clivemeredith@hotmail.com whereupon i will advise you of payment options.Cards are priced at £2.50 each including p&p for UK orders,for overseas orders please email for a price.