Whats the secret?

So little has been done today in the studio as I am currently sat in a tractor leading bales in as we are currently on with Harvest at the farm, so what better way to spend those pit stops in between driving back and forth than writing a blog post as I have been neglecting it for a while and I can only blame myself!

This blog is a little different as I tend to reflect on the month past when really I should be typing a blog that you guys actually want to read and get some information about my work than listen to me drone on and on. So I thought what about a blog about my materials and processes throughout drawing??? You get a little intel on how I work and what materials i.e. Paper, Pencils, Pens, Watercolours that sort of thing... Without further a do here are my "secret weapons"

So every painter and illustrator needs paper, its the only way we can create our masterpieces! I can't seem to fault this brand of paper but obviously its each to their own. I always use Saunders Waterford, St Cuthberts Mill Paper. Whats great is I can use is for my Pen and Watercolour paintings as well as my pure coloured pencil work. Saunders Waterford also sell the lovely big rolls of paper too as I am not a stickler for staying to the standard sizes i.e. A4, A3, A2 I tend to veer off a little doing quite long pieces and also bigger pieces which are a metre plus.

Saunders Waterford, St Cuthberts Mill

What I also love about Saunders Waterford is its all made in the UK, and all my prints are printed onto Saunders Waterford paper so I try and keep it all the same with my Originals and Prints.

So you now have your paper, now we need some pencils to get that Stag sketched out. What pencils do I use well non other than Faber Castell (the green ones). Again I wouldn't use any other especially when I am only using them for sketching and making faint lines before I add the colour. 

The Green Ones!

If you were me I would choose the HB, 2B and the H for really faint marks!

So you've hopefully sketched out your Stag like I did earlier, if you don't like Stags then draw something else! I ain't stopping you as long as you are drawing. If you have been following me via social media you'll recently seen this guys progress throughout, but here is "Rannoch" as a simple pencil sketch.

All sketched out and ready for his debut in colour!

After I have sketched him out and happy with it all the fun part begins and its like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. I always always always start with the eye of the subject. Their is so much personality and life within the eye that if I get that wrong at the start then the painting itself will be a mess! 

So for my Watercolours I don't have a particular brand.  My watercolour palette is a mess I use that many different colours. Daler Rowney, Winsor and Newton Cotman are the two main watercolours I use. Their is just so much variety in each brand of watercolour, if the colour is right then it gets added to the painting. I use the watercolour as a base layer so its always a pale wash colour sometimes it'll be a stronger colour but I like using the watercolour as base layer before applying the coloured pencil.

For me and like so many other artists the brand of Coloured Pencil I use it, Faber Castell Polychromos. They are worth their weight in gold! Again lovely rich, vibrant colours and the texture is beautiful when added to the paper. Blending is easy and well yes.... Can you tell I love them? And of course my Ceramic mugs are the perfect fit for my Coloured Pencils and paintbrushes!

Well worn Faber Castells!

You have all your gear now to work like me! So what are you waiting for? Get back to your desk and get creating. But a last minute essential for me to work is a good old fashioned cup of tea. I cannot live without a mug of tea next to me its an addiction that I will never part with. So with all that said and done I have everything I need to keep working on the Stag and eventually after suffering major crossed eyes and a shortage of tea bags in the house, I end up with something like this!

The beautiful man himself "Rannoch"

Now I know its easier said then done, but its taken me years to get to where I am with my drawing, and if you love it just like I do then theirs no reason to. And what keeps me going with my drawing?  You guys are the main reason I keep working and keep progressing through my Art. With all the lovely comments and continued support by you it means I can keep creating and actually have a career that I love. I draw every single day whether thats all day or just half an hour before bed, so as always and yes I do say this a lot to you but thank you for letting me pursue what I love.