Tram Man Project

Here's the latest tram painting after a session at the Artists' group: -

I'm pleased with the way that the tram itself is coming along in this painting. Not sure about the figure, but it's early days yet for this painting.

Yet Another Glasgow Tram

I enjoyed painting the last one so much that I've already sketched out the next. However, this time I wanted to put a narrative into the painting, and it seemed to me that the best way to do that would be putting a figure into the foreground. Here's my sketch onto canvas: -

I deliberately sketched in the figure with his back to the tram, and looking slightly past the viewer's right shoulder. He's got the traditional cap on, but also a collar and tie, which begs the question where's he going? He's maybe taken the tram to get there, and he's made the effort to dress up to the extent of the collar and tie, but then he seems to have a rather grim expression on his face, maybe apprehensive, not looking forward to some appointment?

This is a bit of a departure for me, combining different images to make a new image entirely. I'm unlikely to do much else with it before Wednesday.

Commission: Puppy

Hot on the heels of the Glasgow tram, I've been asked to paint this puppy. Here's the photo: -

Cute little chap, isn't he? Here's the preliminary sketch onto canvas

I'll maybe keep the background white on this one. Here's the painted dog anyway: -

Commission: Glasgow Tram

I took the painting along to the artists' group last night, and it took a couple of hours to finish it. Here's the finished painting: -

Glasgow street scene with tram

I'm pleased with the way that the cobbles turned out. Basically I laid down a wash of very light, creamy yellow, and let it dry while I added other touches like painting in the tram wires. Then I used I browny purple, and a grey blue to paint in the cobbles - different dilutions giving me pleasing different shades of each. 

Criticism: - The tram itself isn't at all badly drawn, but it's not perfect, and could have been done better. 

However, as an example of the learning curve I'm on, I have to be pleased with what I've accomplished here. Buildings and cobbles are nicely done, and I think show a lightness and delicacy of touch that I wasn't capable of 6 months ago. 

As regards the chap who commissioned it - well, we didn't discuss price before I started, and I'm waiting for him to get back to me.

UPDATE - 19/2/16 - This painting has now been sold 

Commission: Glasgow Tram: Day 2

I started early today, and continued from where I left off yesterday - the buildings. First job was to paint in the rest of the stone/brickwork, trying to get in the variation of the colours in the stones/bricks as I went.

This was taken after about 45 minutes more work. The brickwork is done at this stage, and some of the windows, although there was still a bit of work to do. Within an hour and a half of starting I'd finished this part of the painting, which you can see in this next photo, which was taken after about 2 hours. : -

By this time I'd reached street level, and I got to paint in the little car, which I really wanted to do yesterday. You can also see two of the three figures as well. As you can see, I've been using a pretty watery palette - for the background buildings at least, I pretty much completed the buildings within between two and a half and three hours of starting out today, and then it occurred to me that it might be nice to work towards a finish tonight at the artists' group. So I stopped for now - here's the painting as it is now: -

Commission: Glasgow Tram

Right, do you remember the Glasgow Tram that I painted a few weeks ago? well, when I sold it the buyer mentioned that he'd love some more Glasgow tram paintings. Cut to the chase, I've been in touch with him, and he's commissioned another. So this is the preliminary sketch for another 12x10in painting: -

Glasgow Tram

It's a more obviously city scene, and a rather newer tram.

Now, really and truly it makes more sense to me to put the backgrounds in first before painting in the foreground. But, well, I was just kind of enjoying myself with the painting today, and so after I put the sky in, I cracked, and started on the tram. This was after an hour or so's work: -

Glasgow tram after about an hour

I carried on working on the tram for at least a couple more hours, and there's still more that I want to do on it. But I also started painting in the buildings, and the rails. I wanted to at least get as far as the small car immediately in front of the tram, but my grandson arrived unexpectedly, and so I downed tools. This last photo shows how far I'd reached by the time I knocked off: -

Glasgow Tram after about 4 hours

You can always find fault with your own work, and that's probably no bad thing at all. Allowing for that, though, I'm pretty pleased with the days work , and I certainly hope that my client will like the finished product. When it's finished, that is.

Port Talbot Painting: Royal British Legion

So this is the first 12x10 canvas I've painted of Port Talbot. Here's the photo again: -

Royal British Legion, Talbot Road, Port Talbot

Now, here's the sketch on canvas: -

Royal British Legion - sketch

And here's the finished painting: -

Royal British Legion, Painting

Here's a point. The building on the left of the painting is Customs House, the building which replaced the Customs House that I painted last weekend. The original photo I took standing in Eagle Street beside the Plaza cinema, looking out to the Legion across Talbot Road.