New paintings and regular art updates.
I did this drawing for remembrance day on Sunday and made a donation to the Royal British Legion. I cut two curves in the paper before colouring it in to make the petals come forward. I made it look similar to the poppies that are usually on sale at this time of year and then shaded the petals to enhance the 3d effect. I added the Motto “Lest we Forget”. I mean this to represent everyone, everywhere not just certain people or countries. I hope this makes sense?
The poppy appeal this year won’t be able to do door to door collections, the Royal British Legion are urging people to download printable poppies or order them on line. I don’t have the link to their site but I’m sure there are more details available. As with the NHS earlier in the year they are asking people to put pictures in their windows, in this case a picture of a poppy. I will print a copy of this and put it in our window and send them a donation. Poppies have been the symbol of remembrance since the end of the First World War over 100 years ago in 1918. Lest we Forget.
A poppy painting I did a while ago.
This recent warm sunshine is bringing all the poppies out into flower. We walked into town, and where the pathways have not been sprayed with weed killer, all sorts of plants, including oriental poppies, are springing up. Mother nature is taking over.
But… In places where people have been allowed to meet up, the beaches, and parks, the main growth is in litter. People do not take their rubbish home with them. Why are humans such a filthy, messy, species. I thought we were giving the earth breathing space. But people’s ethos seems to be having what they want, and ignoring the damage they create.
I don’t think humans deserve this wonderful world. Really.
One of my favourite plants is a poppy, the red of them is beautiful and I painted these to try and express their beauty. They are on a long thin canvas. Painted in acrylics and made to look a bit like pottery tiles. I showed this here a while ago but saw it on Facebook so thought I would share again.
Red is a colour that not many mammals can see. Apparently we see it because it’s the colour of some sorts of ripe fruit. Humans were attracted to it so red became a special colour. Red lipstick, red racing cars, red fruit, so many things that are visible only to a few animals in the world.
About a random photo…
Yellow gold,
Spun sunshine
Fresh greens
Like limes
Flowers like crumpled paper.
Lemon yellow
Papaver Hibernica?
Welsh poppy
Red drained to orange and yellow.
High in windblown meadows,
Summer in your petals
Giving your celtic roots
Room to roam.
Hmmm, so I got a strong red from the shop and decided to overoaint the poppy. Then I attacked what I think is a dahlia… In that one I really think I need to look at a real one. The third picture is my attempt at a dragons eye.. Don’t know why? The fourth just is, but I’m not sure what yet. Each need taming. Green might be OK. We will see….
This is going to be a poppy painting mimicking the style of old tiles so I’m going to section it off as if it’s split into three. Then add a dark green background to be displayed vertical, horizontal or even diagonally. Might put pale or dark centres in the poppies.
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 8″ approx.
An acrylic on canvas from 2013. This was one of my favourite paintings and I used it as my profile picture for a few years. I’m no longer sure it’s as good as I thought. I would change the background to a darker grey green now to make the red Zing even more.
I think I will base another painting on it though. I’m thinking of doing a long thin painting that could be hung horizontally or vertically. The design would have to work in both directions and perhaps even upside down.
Today is the 100th anniversary of the end of the 1st World War, on 11 November 1918 at 11am the guns fell silent and war ceased. The war had spread not just across Europe but parts of the Middle East and Asia too.
So much has been written and broadcast about it that makes me realise how little I know about what happened. All I can say is that I will be wearing this poppy in support of the many people, soldiers and civilians who died in that and following wars. I hope we never step over the precipice into another world war. The thought is devastating.
Both these drawings were done as digital finger paintings in ArtRage oils, a free app in the Galaxy play store.
I’ve had the app for ages, so like a lot of things you become blase and don’t remember to use it, but it’s there in the background. Anyway I liked playing with these drawings, there is a metallic option and with the first I gradually dialled down the metallic pen as I worked my way out . This also has the effect of making the colours paler. I only used the thick oil brush on its widest setting.
The second picture, poppy, was drawn over the top of the first. Instead of just using one brush I used the driest brush option and used dots as well as streaking the red colours across the picture.
I’m sure there is much more I can do. I love vibrant colours and this app gets me excited. I love having a 3d effect when I’m drawing digitally.
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Mallaband-Brown