I've been having a go with the water colour markers and I'm quite impressed by the colour and how easy they are to use. Here is a painting of some California poppies that I did recently.
George F Mason author, angler and artist
Sunday, 18 February 2018
Water colour markers
Hi all,
I've been having a go with the water colour markers and I'm quite impressed by the colour and how easy they are to use. Here is a painting of some California poppies that I did recently.
The colours are really bright and the whole thing was very easy because I did not have to bother mixing paint. I will do more and try to put them up frequently.
I've been having a go with the water colour markers and I'm quite impressed by the colour and how easy they are to use. Here is a painting of some California poppies that I did recently.
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
A Little Bird
Hi all,
I'm being quite successful at the moment doing sketches on a regular basis. I am find it quite therapeutic during these cold days. My wood turning workshop is as cold as an Eskimo's fridge, but at least while my wooden creations might be suffering, my art skills are getting a chance to improve.
I have decided to concentrate my efforts in certain areas. Flora and fauna and small birds are going to be my main focus. The former, just because they are beautiful, and the latter because they are not only beautiful but will also be the subject of some woodcarvings I hope to do in the spring.
I thought that sketching birds would help me to understand their shapes better.
Here my first attempt.
Sorry about the quality of the scan, but it gives you an idea about where I'm going. The sketch was done using pencils, graphite, brown pencils, plus pen and ink.
The next one I did was a goldfinch, which is a bit more colourful.
This one was done using the set of 12 winsor and Newton watercolour markers that my wife bought me for Christmas. I really like using these because they save me having to mix paints in the conventional way. I use them mostly in conjunction with a water brush and they work like magic. Highly recommended if you are thinking about giving them a go.
In my next post I'll show you how I'm getting on with the flora and fauna.
I'm being quite successful at the moment doing sketches on a regular basis. I am find it quite therapeutic during these cold days. My wood turning workshop is as cold as an Eskimo's fridge, but at least while my wooden creations might be suffering, my art skills are getting a chance to improve.
I have decided to concentrate my efforts in certain areas. Flora and fauna and small birds are going to be my main focus. The former, just because they are beautiful, and the latter because they are not only beautiful but will also be the subject of some woodcarvings I hope to do in the spring.
I thought that sketching birds would help me to understand their shapes better.
Here my first attempt.
The next one I did was a goldfinch, which is a bit more colourful.
In my next post I'll show you how I'm getting on with the flora and fauna.
Wednesday, 3 January 2018
Take 2
Hi All,
It's been a long time since I've done a post on here. I spent most of the summer and autumn honing my wood turning skills, but now that winter is upon us I need a change. The reason for the change is that my workshop is as cold as an igloo so I've had to come indoors for some warmth.
So, I've gone all arty again. I have bought a couple of books and some more art supplies and I'm giving it another go. I am also trying to do one sketch or drawing per day; at the moment I'm doing about five a week but that's five more than I was doing a month ago.
Anyway, I purchased some watercolour markers and was inspired by a rose that was on the front of one of the books I purchased.
The book is by a brilliant botanical artist called Billy Showell, and it is just amazaing. I have only flicked through it but it looks great. I am hoping to try out some of the exercises soon and will show you how I got on. I am also trying to write/draw in a journal every day so I may share some of that with you too.
Regarding the wood turning, here's a couple of items that I did before the winter froze my appendages off.
You will notice a theme with these two items and I'm going to make it a set of three if ever the weather warms up again.
It's been a long time since I've done a post on here. I spent most of the summer and autumn honing my wood turning skills, but now that winter is upon us I need a change. The reason for the change is that my workshop is as cold as an igloo so I've had to come indoors for some warmth.
So, I've gone all arty again. I have bought a couple of books and some more art supplies and I'm giving it another go. I am also trying to do one sketch or drawing per day; at the moment I'm doing about five a week but that's five more than I was doing a month ago.
Anyway, I purchased some watercolour markers and was inspired by a rose that was on the front of one of the books I purchased.
The book is by a brilliant botanical artist called Billy Showell, and it is just amazaing. I have only flicked through it but it looks great. I am hoping to try out some of the exercises soon and will show you how I got on. I am also trying to write/draw in a journal every day so I may share some of that with you too.
Regarding the wood turning, here's a couple of items that I did before the winter froze my appendages off.
Tuesday, 8 August 2017
Perch
Hi all,
In my last post I showed you a picture that I'd drawn of a fish called a perch. He's a miserable looking critter, but I don't suppose I'd be too pleased if my diet consisted mainly of worms.
Anyway, I was quite pleased with my efforts, but they were soon over shadowed when my wife showed me the hare that she'd just painted.
This is an amazing painting and I guess the devil must have got into me when I challenged her to try painting a fish like my perch to see how she got on with that. "Hares are one thing," I said, "but painting a fish takes real skill."
A couple of days later she showed me this.
I might be biased but I think it's very good. The thing is, she could probably make some money from painting but she hasn't got that sort of motivation. She is happy to paint a bit, make a few things from polymer clay and enjoy a range of other crafts as the mood takes her. Oh what it must be like to be multi-talented.
By the way, I am giving away free downloads of one of my books, "Bun In The Oven" from the 9th of August until the 11th. Please grab a copy and enjoy. To get a copy just click on the BOOKS tab at the top of the page and then onto the book's cover.
In my last post I showed you a picture that I'd drawn of a fish called a perch. He's a miserable looking critter, but I don't suppose I'd be too pleased if my diet consisted mainly of worms.
Anyway, I was quite pleased with my efforts, but they were soon over shadowed when my wife showed me the hare that she'd just painted.
A couple of days later she showed me this.
By the way, I am giving away free downloads of one of my books, "Bun In The Oven" from the 9th of August until the 11th. Please grab a copy and enjoy. To get a copy just click on the BOOKS tab at the top of the page and then onto the book's cover.
Thursday, 6 July 2017
Fishy
Hi all,
I keep trying to get around to doing some painting and drawing but wood turning keeps getting in the way. However, I did manage a drawing this week and I'm very pleased with it.
I've tried pencil drawing a few time but have been put off by the shading process. To shade a piece in I would go backwards and forwards across the part to be shaded lots of time. It was hard work and I was always left with a series of line, which didn't look very professional.
Anyway, I was perusing youtube the other day and fond somebody who used home made graphite powder to do their shading and it looked very good. The artist had a couple of very small jars in which were some broken up pieces of lead from her pencils. She had two pots, one for pencils from the high end of the B range, which she used for her very darks and another for pencils at the lower end of the B range, which she used for lighter shading.
So, I destroyed several pencils by removing the leads and crunching them to dust before putting it in their relative pots. I then went about doing a drawing of a fish called a perch to try out my new method. I wasn't expecting much but I was really impressed. The drawing below was completed in less than an hour and there aren't many shading lines to be seen.
Perhaps I'm seeing it through rose tinted glassses but I think it is quite good. I would be pleased to know what you think of it.
Woodturning.
Here's a few items that I finished recently. The first one is a pen with pyrography and stain.
The second one is a bird house made for the mother in laws birthday.
The third was a woodstained vase that I wanted to make look as if it was ceramic.
Lastly, this was a small pot with a shoal of pyrography fish.
Hope you enjoyed looking.
I keep trying to get around to doing some painting and drawing but wood turning keeps getting in the way. However, I did manage a drawing this week and I'm very pleased with it.
I've tried pencil drawing a few time but have been put off by the shading process. To shade a piece in I would go backwards and forwards across the part to be shaded lots of time. It was hard work and I was always left with a series of line, which didn't look very professional.
Anyway, I was perusing youtube the other day and fond somebody who used home made graphite powder to do their shading and it looked very good. The artist had a couple of very small jars in which were some broken up pieces of lead from her pencils. She had two pots, one for pencils from the high end of the B range, which she used for her very darks and another for pencils at the lower end of the B range, which she used for lighter shading.
So, I destroyed several pencils by removing the leads and crunching them to dust before putting it in their relative pots. I then went about doing a drawing of a fish called a perch to try out my new method. I wasn't expecting much but I was really impressed. The drawing below was completed in less than an hour and there aren't many shading lines to be seen.
Woodturning.
Here's a few items that I finished recently. The first one is a pen with pyrography and stain.
Hope you enjoyed looking.
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Queen Wasps
Hi all,
Sorry I haven't been about for a bit, but I have been busy woodturning and having some teeth pulled out. Other than drawing designs for my wooden pieces, I haven't had much time for any other sort of art. Hopefully, that's all about to change and I hope to show you some art work in few days time.
Besides that, there are two other reasons for this post. Firstly, to let you know that one of my books,
will be free to download from amazon, until and including Friday 19th on April. Just click on the books tab at the top of the page, then click on the book's cover to go straight to amazon for the free download.
Secondly, I would like to know if anybody else has noticed the horrific number of queen wasps that have been flying around for the past few weeks. Each spring I would average on see, but not always managing to kill, perhaps half a dozen queen wasps. However, this year my wife and I have dispatched well over 100 queen wasps. These are the ones that were foolish enough to have a shufty at the inside of our conservatory or came into our kitchen when we opened the windows. Whilst in the garden or out and about I have seen hundreds more.
So what, you may be saying. Well if I tell you that every one of those wasps will go on to make a nest and have thousands of off spring you might just realise that we are in for a very rough summer. Do not expect to have a nice picnic or a quiet pint in the garden of the pub any time after the end of July.
The facts are that queen wasps, unlike their offspring, manage to make it through the winter. They pop out once the weather warms up in April or May and go about finding a nice place to make a nest. Inside somebody's loft is a favourite. Once they have found their dream des res, they lay thousands of eggs which are incubated and turn into the nasty little wasps that we all enjoy through the summer. They usually start making their presence felt by Mid July and will increase in number until they start to decline in October.
So please be warned and do yourself a favour. If you see a queen wasp, don't let it out of the window, bash the blighter with a rolled up newspaper, And if you fancy a gamble, buy some shares in a company that sells wasp nest killer products because I predict that they will make a killing this year.
Oh and by the way, take no notice of those who say that if you kill a wasp its mates will smell it and come and get you. It is just complete rubbish, just another one of those silly myths that do the rounds like, "you are never more than 10 feet from a rat."
Sorry I haven't been about for a bit, but I have been busy woodturning and having some teeth pulled out. Other than drawing designs for my wooden pieces, I haven't had much time for any other sort of art. Hopefully, that's all about to change and I hope to show you some art work in few days time.
Besides that, there are two other reasons for this post. Firstly, to let you know that one of my books,
Secondly, I would like to know if anybody else has noticed the horrific number of queen wasps that have been flying around for the past few weeks. Each spring I would average on see, but not always managing to kill, perhaps half a dozen queen wasps. However, this year my wife and I have dispatched well over 100 queen wasps. These are the ones that were foolish enough to have a shufty at the inside of our conservatory or came into our kitchen when we opened the windows. Whilst in the garden or out and about I have seen hundreds more.
So what, you may be saying. Well if I tell you that every one of those wasps will go on to make a nest and have thousands of off spring you might just realise that we are in for a very rough summer. Do not expect to have a nice picnic or a quiet pint in the garden of the pub any time after the end of July.
The facts are that queen wasps, unlike their offspring, manage to make it through the winter. They pop out once the weather warms up in April or May and go about finding a nice place to make a nest. Inside somebody's loft is a favourite. Once they have found their dream des res, they lay thousands of eggs which are incubated and turn into the nasty little wasps that we all enjoy through the summer. They usually start making their presence felt by Mid July and will increase in number until they start to decline in October.
So please be warned and do yourself a favour. If you see a queen wasp, don't let it out of the window, bash the blighter with a rolled up newspaper, And if you fancy a gamble, buy some shares in a company that sells wasp nest killer products because I predict that they will make a killing this year.
Oh and by the way, take no notice of those who say that if you kill a wasp its mates will smell it and come and get you. It is just complete rubbish, just another one of those silly myths that do the rounds like, "you are never more than 10 feet from a rat."
Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Another Election
Hi all,
I can't believe we are going to have another election. I doubt very much that I will bother voting this time. I am 66 years old and have never failed to do my duty because I truly believed in democracy. Not any more, politicians a ruining this county because they are all looking after their own ends instead of doing the bidding of those who voted them in. It is nothing but a bloody shambles, but worse than that, can anybody see how it will get any better with another election?
Ah well, that's enough ranting about something I can't do anything about. This is just a quick post to let you know that one of my books, "Bossyboots" will be free from Wednesday 19th of April until the 23rd. To get your free copy just click the book's tab at the top of the page and then on the book's cover. You will be taken straight to amazon for you free copy.
It is a funny book and just what is needed to help the political nonsense we are faced with fade away. Don't let the title put you off because it is a book written for grown ups especially those who have had a mid-life crisis.
The lathe work is still going strong and I will leave you with a couple of recent creations called needle pots.
I can't believe we are going to have another election. I doubt very much that I will bother voting this time. I am 66 years old and have never failed to do my duty because I truly believed in democracy. Not any more, politicians a ruining this county because they are all looking after their own ends instead of doing the bidding of those who voted them in. It is nothing but a bloody shambles, but worse than that, can anybody see how it will get any better with another election?
Ah well, that's enough ranting about something I can't do anything about. This is just a quick post to let you know that one of my books, "Bossyboots" will be free from Wednesday 19th of April until the 23rd. To get your free copy just click the book's tab at the top of the page and then on the book's cover. You will be taken straight to amazon for you free copy.
It is a funny book and just what is needed to help the political nonsense we are faced with fade away. Don't let the title put you off because it is a book written for grown ups especially those who have had a mid-life crisis.
The lathe work is still going strong and I will leave you with a couple of recent creations called needle pots.
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