Smirk 1 - 30 minute sketch in blue biro
Smirk 2 - 15 minute sketch in blue biro.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Singapore preperation
A growing log of my sketches and doodles to loosen up my style before going traveling. I want to capture the feeling of the city - not just the structure of the place.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
About the Artist
This is a quick blog about me, my life and how I got into art. It is quite narcissistic and has lots of photos - you have been warned :)
First of all my name is Sophie, I live in essex with my parents, siblings, boyfriend, 2 dogs, 4 cats, maxi cob, corn snake, crocodile Skink and Leopard Gecko.
Me aged 9
I have been drawing and painting for most of my life, being dyslexic meant that colours and shapes have always made more sense than letters and words.
A shetland, drawn by me aged 7
I managed to pass my GCSEs with better grades than expected and finished 6th form a few years after that. I had never considered going to university but suddenly I was presented with the opportunity to do so.
I experimented in my foundation year with colour, sculpture and paint, having stuck to skin tones and graphite due to shyness during school.
After my foundation year, I got into the university I wanted.
In the first week we were asked to do an art exercise - pull an item out of your bag a create a project based on that item. I pulled out a small perfume. I made a project on the impact of smell on memory and nostalgia. I picked a huge metre canvas and started my first oil painting.
I drew and (partially) painted my first animal in 9 years and loved it.
It was another year before I gained the confidence to draw a horse again. I was a weird kid in school - being horse obsessed and having a learning difficulty that meant I was mildly bullied for a year or two. It was enough to knock my confidence, making me stop my constant equine doodles at the age of 11.
My whole year held an art exhibition just before our graduation. Before the exhibition had even opened to the public all my paintings had sold, it was at that moment that I realised more people than just myself and my family (who might be slightly biased...) like my work.
I graduated in July 2013 with a 2:1 and the rejuvenated love of animals, colours and paint.
I am now making the first few cautious steps towards making a career out of making art.
First of all my name is Sophie, I live in essex with my parents, siblings, boyfriend, 2 dogs, 4 cats, maxi cob, corn snake, crocodile Skink and Leopard Gecko.
Me aged 9
I have been drawing and painting for most of my life, being dyslexic meant that colours and shapes have always made more sense than letters and words.
A shetland, drawn by me aged 7
I managed to pass my GCSEs with better grades than expected and finished 6th form a few years after that. I had never considered going to university but suddenly I was presented with the opportunity to do so.
I experimented in my foundation year with colour, sculpture and paint, having stuck to skin tones and graphite due to shyness during school.
After my foundation year, I got into the university I wanted.
In the first week we were asked to do an art exercise - pull an item out of your bag a create a project based on that item. I pulled out a small perfume. I made a project on the impact of smell on memory and nostalgia. I picked a huge metre canvas and started my first oil painting.
I drew and (partially) painted my first animal in 9 years and loved it.
It was another year before I gained the confidence to draw a horse again. I was a weird kid in school - being horse obsessed and having a learning difficulty that meant I was mildly bullied for a year or two. It was enough to knock my confidence, making me stop my constant equine doodles at the age of 11.
My whole year held an art exhibition just before our graduation. Before the exhibition had even opened to the public all my paintings had sold, it was at that moment that I realised more people than just myself and my family (who might be slightly biased...) like my work.
I graduated in July 2013 with a 2:1 and the rejuvenated love of animals, colours and paint.
I am now making the first few cautious steps towards making a career out of making art.
Friday, 31 January 2014
Frequently Asked Questions.
1) What sizes are available?
I do two ranges of paintings.
Miniatures which are small square paintings that get parts of animals faces painted onto them rather than whole faces. I can paint the whole head of a dog onto these square portraits
"Head and Shoulders" paintings where I paint whole portraits not he canvases.
Miniatures come in three sizes.
10x10cm priced at £40.
15x15cm priced at £60.
20x20cm priced at £80.
Head and Shoulder paintings also come in three sizes.
25cmX20xm priced at £140. (suitable for small animals and cats)
41cmX30cm priced at £180. (suitable for dogs)
56cmX46cm priced at £260. (suitable for horses and large domestic animals)
2) What size would be best for me?
The different painting ranges suit different peoples taste. The miniature paintings are more modern and abstract and the large "head and shoulders" paintings are more traditional.
I can paint any animal on any sized miniature, but it will be part of the face rather than the whole thing.
The head and shoulders paintings are more restrictive.
The smallest size is suitable for rodents and reptiles.
The medium size is suitable for dogs and cats.
The largest size is suitable for horses and farm animals.
3) Which colour?
In general everyone has a colour they like for their pet. We often know what collar suits our dog or what coloured rug we put on our horse. All the colours look nice, it depends on what colours you like.
Lots of things can effect how a colour will look for you specific pet - lighting and your animals actual colouration for example. If in doubt ask - I usually have some example images I can show you.
I have a blog post detailing which paint colours suit which animal colours here.
I have also started painting Real Colour portraits, you can find more details of these paintings here(realcolour blog post).
4)How many animals can I have painted?
You can have up to three animals painted on a canvas, but you will probably need to "size up" the canvas, increasing the price. I can quote you based on your individual photographs however. It costs £50 more if you want two heads rather than one.
5) When do I pay?
You pay an initial 25% deposit for your painting in order to book its slot, this amount is nonrefundable once I have started your painting. You pay the remaining 75% once the painting is completed.
6) How do I pay?
I accept paypal as I find it is the easiest and safest way for everyone, but I am adaptable. I can also set up payment plans starting from as little as £20 per month until your painting is paid for.
7) What should I do if my painting gets damaged?
The best way to heal a dented or stretched canvas is with water - take a damp sponge to the back of the canvas, wetting the fabric in a circle around the damage.
If the damage happened during the shipping process please contact me.
I do two ranges of paintings.
Miniatures which are small square paintings that get parts of animals faces painted onto them rather than whole faces. I can paint the whole head of a dog onto these square portraits
"Head and Shoulders" paintings where I paint whole portraits not he canvases.
Miniatures come in three sizes.
10x10cm priced at £40.
15x15cm priced at £60.
20x20cm priced at £80.
Head and Shoulder paintings also come in three sizes.
25cmX20xm priced at £140. (suitable for small animals and cats)
41cmX30cm priced at £180. (suitable for dogs)
56cmX46cm priced at £260. (suitable for horses and large domestic animals)
2) What size would be best for me?
The different painting ranges suit different peoples taste. The miniature paintings are more modern and abstract and the large "head and shoulders" paintings are more traditional.
I can paint any animal on any sized miniature, but it will be part of the face rather than the whole thing.
The head and shoulders paintings are more restrictive.
The smallest size is suitable for rodents and reptiles.
The medium size is suitable for dogs and cats.
The largest size is suitable for horses and farm animals.
3) Which colour?
In general everyone has a colour they like for their pet. We often know what collar suits our dog or what coloured rug we put on our horse. All the colours look nice, it depends on what colours you like.
Lots of things can effect how a colour will look for you specific pet - lighting and your animals actual colouration for example. If in doubt ask - I usually have some example images I can show you.
I have a blog post detailing which paint colours suit which animal colours here.
I have also started painting Real Colour portraits, you can find more details of these paintings here(realcolour blog post).
4)How many animals can I have painted?
You can have up to three animals painted on a canvas, but you will probably need to "size up" the canvas, increasing the price. I can quote you based on your individual photographs however. It costs £50 more if you want two heads rather than one.
5) When do I pay?
You pay an initial 25% deposit for your painting in order to book its slot, this amount is nonrefundable once I have started your painting. You pay the remaining 75% once the painting is completed.
6) How do I pay?
I accept paypal as I find it is the easiest and safest way for everyone, but I am adaptable. I can also set up payment plans starting from as little as £20 per month until your painting is paid for.
7) What should I do if my painting gets damaged?
The best way to heal a dented or stretched canvas is with water - take a damp sponge to the back of the canvas, wetting the fabric in a circle around the damage.
If the damage happened during the shipping process please contact me.
Choosing a colour for your pet.
Quick warning - this post will have lots of photos in, so may take a while to load.
Choosing a colour for your painting can be tricky. I know from experience as I have half finished painting of my dog Maisie that has taken 4 years to even get this far.
The easiest way to decide on what colour to get painted is to look at what colours you automatically choose for your pet.
For example - my boy Jacko wears either red or different types of blue. Since the way I paint means red is actually pink I could easily narrow my decision down to blue shades. My favourite type of blue is the tone right in between blue and green - so turquoise. This makes my process seem quite long winded - but it was a very quick decision in reality
This type of choice isn't fool proof - chestnut horses generally look amazing painted pink, but people often find pink rugs and head collars clash with their rich coat.
Another example is with my two dogs. They are very different personality-wise but wear quite similar colours.
Maisie - under all her fluff has a red collar.
Alice has a pink harness but also a purple collar (because accessories...)
Maisie doesn't suit pink. at. all. While Alice suits almost any colour, So (when I get around to painting them) I think I will simply swap their colours over - Alice a naughty candy pink, and Maisie a royal purple.
Another thing that can often dictate what colour will look good is the photo itself. The paler, more subtle colours that have gold or orange tones really benefit from photographs that have lots of highlights.
Photos where half the face is in shadow, and half in strong light, like in this photo of my super fluffy cat.
Hope this helps everyone make more confident colour decisions.
Choosing a colour for your painting can be tricky. I know from experience as I have half finished painting of my dog Maisie that has taken 4 years to even get this far.
The easiest way to decide on what colour to get painted is to look at what colours you automatically choose for your pet.
For example - my boy Jacko wears either red or different types of blue. Since the way I paint means red is actually pink I could easily narrow my decision down to blue shades. My favourite type of blue is the tone right in between blue and green - so turquoise. This makes my process seem quite long winded - but it was a very quick decision in reality
This type of choice isn't fool proof - chestnut horses generally look amazing painted pink, but people often find pink rugs and head collars clash with their rich coat.
Another example is with my two dogs. They are very different personality-wise but wear quite similar colours.
Maisie - under all her fluff has a red collar.
Alice has a pink harness but also a purple collar (because accessories...)
Maisie doesn't suit pink. at. all. While Alice suits almost any colour, So (when I get around to painting them) I think I will simply swap their colours over - Alice a naughty candy pink, and Maisie a royal purple.
Another thing that can often dictate what colour will look good is the photo itself. The paler, more subtle colours that have gold or orange tones really benefit from photographs that have lots of highlights.
Photos where half the face is in shadow, and half in strong light, like in this photo of my super fluffy cat.
Hope this helps everyone make more confident colour decisions.
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
New Year Offer
Hello everyone, hope your have a fabulous new year with your friends and family.
This offer only stands for january 2014 only, although if people like trying-before-buying I very likely to repeat this experience. So let me know.
First a few guidelines.
-You have the whole of january to post your photos.
-It can be any animal that your own.
-Only one animal per canvas.
-You can put up as many photos as you like.
-You can choose the style you prefer : either "multiple-miniature" or "large-singular" and can request a colour or you can leave it as a surprise.
-I will photograph any resulting paintings as soon as possible after they are finished.
-I will not alert you if your beloved pet as been chosen, you need to keep checking back on my Facebook page.
-If you like idea but are not able to photograph your pet for any reason let me know so I can alert your personally if I repeat this offer later on in the year.
I think that's about it, if you have any further questions just ask.
Price and Canvas size reminders
Large Singular Portraits - £200
Medium Singular Portraits - £150
Small Singular Portraits - £100
10cm Miniature Portrait - £20
15cm Miniature Portrait - £25
20cm Miniature Portrait - £30
You can request real colour on these smaller portraits - but there will be an extra 50% charge on their original prices.
Hope that explained the offer very throughly, any questions or objections please don't hesitate to ask.
This offer only stands for january 2014 only, although if people like trying-before-buying I very likely to repeat this experience. So let me know.
First a few guidelines.
-You have the whole of january to post your photos.
-It can be any animal that your own.
-Only one animal per canvas.
-You can put up as many photos as you like.
-You can choose the style you prefer : either "multiple-miniature" or "large-singular" and can request a colour or you can leave it as a surprise.
-I will photograph any resulting paintings as soon as possible after they are finished.
-I will not alert you if your beloved pet as been chosen, you need to keep checking back on my Facebook page.
-If you like idea but are not able to photograph your pet for any reason let me know so I can alert your personally if I repeat this offer later on in the year.
I think that's about it, if you have any further questions just ask.
Price and Canvas size reminders
Large Singular Portraits - £200
Medium Singular Portraits - £150
Small Singular Portraits - £100
10cm Miniature Portrait - £20
15cm Miniature Portrait - £25
20cm Miniature Portrait - £30
You can request real colour on these smaller portraits - but there will be an extra 50% charge on their original prices.
Hope that explained the offer very throughly, any questions or objections please don't hesitate to ask.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Miniature Portrait Pricing Plan
I have been debating for a while how to encourage multiple sales of my portraits, not because I'm greedy, but because I think they look great as a "herd" like my degree show.
At £200 a pop, this is a pricey option.
So I have listened, sketched and practiced to develop a series of smaller sized portraits.
The practical information about sizes can be found here.
The Prices.
10cm - £20
15cm - £25
20cm - £30
I have also started to slowly incorperate "real colour" back into my portraits since they look very nice next to a bright coloured portrait of the same animal as seen here.
However these take much longer to complete so the real colour portraits are 50% more expensive. I also only offer real colour on these three sizes.
Real Colour Prices
10cm - £30
15cm - £38
20cm - £45
The Deal
When you buy three (or more) portraits you get 10% off the total.
This include the larger portraits I have been doing previously.
Examples
15cm+15cm+20cm = £80-£8=£72 in total
10cm+10cm(real colour)+20cm = £80-£8=£72 in total
At £200 a pop, this is a pricey option.
So I have listened, sketched and practiced to develop a series of smaller sized portraits.
The practical information about sizes can be found here.
The Prices.
10cm - £20
15cm - £25
20cm - £30
I have also started to slowly incorperate "real colour" back into my portraits since they look very nice next to a bright coloured portrait of the same animal as seen here.
However these take much longer to complete so the real colour portraits are 50% more expensive. I also only offer real colour on these three sizes.
Real Colour Prices
10cm - £30
15cm - £38
20cm - £45
The Deal
When you buy three (or more) portraits you get 10% off the total.
This include the larger portraits I have been doing previously.
Examples
15cm+15cm+20cm = £80-£8=£72 in total
10cm+10cm(real colour)+20cm = £80-£8=£72 in total
Miniature Oil Paintings
I have decided to develop a slightly new idea for my portraits. I have used much smaller canvases.
10cm
15cm
20cm
These new paintings are really great fun to do, since I can finish a couple everyday, so I get to enjoy lots of colours and lots of different animals. They are also, in most cases, inexpensive enough that you can have a small collection of them without breaking the bank.
I tested the sizes and colours on my own pets, funny looking bunch that they are.
I also experimented with using "real" colour for the first time in a long time to depict my little Maisie's brown nose. I have also finished my hore in teal, a tribute to the very first colourful portrait I ever made.
Photographing these paintings took longer than usual because I had a little helper...
The price explanation can be found here
10cm
15cm
20cm
These new paintings are really great fun to do, since I can finish a couple everyday, so I get to enjoy lots of colours and lots of different animals. They are also, in most cases, inexpensive enough that you can have a small collection of them without breaking the bank.
I tested the sizes and colours on my own pets, funny looking bunch that they are.
I also experimented with using "real" colour for the first time in a long time to depict my little Maisie's brown nose. I have also finished my hore in teal, a tribute to the very first colourful portrait I ever made.
Photographing these paintings took longer than usual because I had a little helper...
The price explanation can be found here
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