tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90997854070408793482024-03-13T23:09:09.473+00:00Laura Barber-Riley- Equestrian ArtistI am a British artist working to master oil painting; this blog follows my works in progress and other bits and pieces surrounding my art. Most of my work is equestrian based, I never tire of painting horses! I produce a mix of original and commissioned paintings, all the while juggling the demands of my 1 and 2 year old boys!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-24311475074080277452013-10-21T14:22:00.001+01:002013-10-21T14:22:21.951+01:00'At the Water'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'At the Water' study, currently available on ebay <a href="http://r.ebay.com/LK77AE" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://r.ebay.com/LK77AE</a></td></tr>
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It's been a busy few months, yet again my blog has gone un-updated for too long! Since I last posted the Society of Equestrian Artists annual exhibition took place at Mall Galleries (I managed to get three paintings selected this year which I was thrilled about, two of which have now sold), I have kept up with plenty of life painting, and had commissioned work keeping me occupied.</div>
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The little 7" x 5" painting pictured above is the first original piece of work I have produced since the summer, it is currently up for grabs on ebay starting at 1p (it had been bid up to £77 the last time I looked). You can find the auction at <a href="http://r.ebay.com/LK77AE" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://r.ebay.com/LK77AE</a>, it ends on Friday evening. I have just collected several beautiful bespoke Harris Moore canvases from their shop, once of which is earmarked for the painting that this study was in preparation for- looking forward to getting started with it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-36501951893830125442013-06-26T17:01:00.000+01:002013-06-26T17:01:04.811+01:00'Bodey III'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodey III, 26th June 2013</td></tr>
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My third attempt at painting Bodey from life, painted this morning. Was lovely to have good friend and fellow equestrian artist Hannah Merson joining me today, and Bodey was as perfect a model as always!<br />
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Today's attempt looks a bit better in the drawing department, although I have made his head a bit too big making him look rather pony like! Will have to paint from a different angle next time I think.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah and I painting</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-87275412710224654212013-06-19T13:21:00.000+01:002013-06-19T13:24:30.715+01:00'Bodey II'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bodey II' 19th June 2013</td></tr>
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Week two of my life painting project! This morning I managed another hour long sketch of Bodey, in the same pose as last week. There are some definite issues drawing wise, that I struggled to fix, but overall I think the painting and use of colour has come on from last weeks effort so I'm pleased! Looking forward to going back next week and seeing how I get on. Feels good to be getting regular life painting done, I love doing it, especially stood in the sunshine like today!</div>
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<br />Laura Barber-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01413342075441286981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-51309796223400604132013-06-12T13:27:00.001+01:002013-06-12T14:17:00.080+01:00Weekly Bodey Painting!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bodey I' 12th June, 2013</td></tr>
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My new little spare room studio is fast filling up with newly started paintings; I am keen to enter six to the Society of Equestrian Artists annual exhibition and the deadline is only 6 or 7 weeks away! Lots to do. That said, with my brilliant week painting in Somerset fresh in my mind I am remaining committed to my work from life and have thought myself up a project to keep me focused over the summer!<br />
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Meet Bodey, my wonderful friend Jo's beautiful cob, whom I am lucky enough to ride regularly. He is a real star of a horse; fantastic fun to ride, safe as they come, and great with children too. Bodey is such a credit to Jo, I adore him! I have been meaning to paint him for ages but somehow haven't got round to it, until today. Feeling inspired and armed with my new easel (which makes getting set up and packed away when painting outside so much easier) I managed a quick (one hour ish?) oil sketch today, and now plan to paint him every single week, without fail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My eldest, Oliver, and Bodey</td></tr>
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I have seen before just how much I improve when I paint the same thing over and over again, so I am hoping that when I look back on 'Bodey I' several weeks down the line I'll see a big difference compared with 'Bodey V', and so on. My expectations for today's painting were low and I wasn't sure whether knowing him well would help or hinder me? I worked fast and the end result wasn't as bad as I was expecting! Bodey was a great model, stood very nicely for me. I got in a bit of a muddle with his ever shifting hind legs but wasn't too worried about fiddling fixing them, wanted more just to capture him today and get a feel for painting him. Thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm very grateful to Jo for being so very generous with her lovely horse.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodey and I having fun!</td></tr>
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Ultimately I'd love to one day get a life sketch accepted into the SEA exhibition... long way off being able to produce that sort of standard but perhaps with some hard work I might just manage it eventually!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-61321860095478655072013-06-08T16:04:00.000+01:002013-06-12T14:17:40.279+01:00Life Painting with the Society of Equestrian Artists, Porlock Vale 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite of the work I produced during the week.</td></tr>
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Yesterday evening I returned home (completely shattered!) with a car full of paintings after just THE BEST week away in Somerset painting horses from life with <a href="http://www.equestrianartists.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Society of Equestrian Artists</a>.</div>
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I try and paint horses from life as often as I can, so the opportunity to spend 5 full days painting with fellow artists and fantastic tutors at the beautiful country house hotel <a href="http://www.porlockvale.co.uk/" target="_blank">Porlock Vale House</a> was one I leapt at! The venue was idyllic, and the sun shone all week for us. The tuition from Malcolm Coward, Colin Allbrook, Jim Power, and Barry Peckham was invaluable and it was such great fun having a brilliant bunch of artists all staying at the same venue. Don't think I have ever laughed as much! </div>
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Some of the highlights for me were three of our equine models roaming loose around the pretty orchard we were painting in most days (while the fourth was held still for us), painting the amazing scenery on top of Porlock Hill, wine and conversation flowing in the evenings, and a fantastic bonfire on the beach next to the local pub on the final night. The weather was glorious every single day (soooo lucky!!) and the food (all included in the price of the workshop) was absolutely delicious!</div>
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I think I produced about 14 paintings over 5 days. None were as good as I'd like them to be of course, some were complete disasters, but I'm proud of how my life painting has developed over the last couple of years and I learnt a great deal painting every single one of the 14. I'm especially grateful to Malcolm Coward who has been so generous with his time and knowledge since I started focusing on this sort of work. </div>
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If anyone is thinking of going next year then my advice would be to get in quick because the vast majority (if not all!) of those who were there this time were desperate to put their names down for 2014 before they even left Exmoor! Can't thank the organisers Jim and Jean Power enough, the week was a roaring success, thanks to their very hard work.</div>
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Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting with fellow artist and friend Hannah Merson on Porlock Hill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketching</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting in the orchard using my new Soltek easel- which I LOVE! </td></tr>
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Roll on next year....<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-11274604489668840882013-03-23T09:10:00.001+00:002013-06-12T14:19:08.306+01:00'Barney' <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a commissioned painting that I delivered last weekend, of beautiful traditional cob Barney! 20" x 13" oil on box canvas. I had a great time meeting him and his lovely owner. The painting was based on a photograph taken by the wonderful equestrian photographer Dan Foster whose work I really admire.<br />
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I continue to work hard on commissioned paintings, not much time for anything else, although I have been managing to fit in some riding- very much enjoying riding my friend's brilliant cob Bodey!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-10510397057878757782013-02-24T16:16:00.003+00:002013-02-24T16:16:37.343+00:00First horse life painting of 2013- bit rusty!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Managed these this week, first attempt at life painting horses this year! Still a bit cold to be sat outside with an easel but nice to get back to it. Apart from the biggest sketch where the horse was tied up but busy prancing about (excuses excuses haha!) these horses were turned out in a big field so even more difficult than usual to capture! Rubbish sketches but such great practice trying to work quickly and trying to use more colour to describe light, shadows, form.<br />
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I am hoping to dedicate a fair bit of time to life painting practice like this over the next few months, more than usual! It is probably the type of painting I enjoy the most, and I'd really like to improve a bit more before I spend a whole week away with the Society of Equestrian Artists in June painting horses day in day out (can't wait!). Hoping to sharpen up my skills and really get the most out of the week and the excellent tuition on offer. <br />
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I'm looking forward to the week ahead, working on two really interesting commissions both of which are right up my street, I have a couple of mornings riding planned too. Loving being back in the saddle!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-72301504810886051352013-02-14T08:51:00.002+00:002013-02-14T08:51:50.535+00:00Dressage Mini Painting on ebay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another half term project! I stared this little 5" x 7" painting ages ago, last year in fact, but have only just got round to finishing it. Unlike most of my work this size it isn't a preparatory study for a larger piece, just a little one for fun!<br />
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Bidding starts at 1p with no reserve and free shipping- it's goes for what it goes for! You can find the auction here: http://r.ebay.com/G4K5hx<br />
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Happy Valentines Day everyone! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-15517296139933207952013-02-11T15:40:00.001+00:002013-02-11T15:40:16.864+00:00Half Term<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's half term here so a week off 'proper' painting but a good opportunity to dabble, sketch, and experiment! Last year I decided to buy a Beswick ornament and paint it 30 times in a bid to sharpen up my life painting skills. I dusted it off today for a bit of practice, this is only number 9 though! I'm a bit rusty and the drawing is decidedly dodgy but all good preparation for better weather round the corner and real life equine models to paint. I am especially looking forward to a whole week in June down in Devon painting horses with fellow members of The Society of Equestrian Artists!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-61317440227340845642013-02-07T17:20:00.001+00:002013-06-12T14:18:10.704+01:00'Winter Day' <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDIu1m7eWro/URPhyp6tiII/AAAAAAAABJE/BgRK8BikBpk/s1600/Snow+Pony+Oil+Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDIu1m7eWro/URPhyp6tiII/AAAAAAAABJE/BgRK8BikBpk/s320/Snow+Pony+Oil+Painting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finished this painting today. I may tweak it with fresh eyes in a week or two but for now it is signed and complete! Looking forward to having it properly scanned as the photo hasn't really captured it accurately. Really enjoyed the challenge of painting this one, learnt lots throughout which will hopefully help future snowy scenes! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-88107799949412554762013-02-06T16:38:00.001+00:002013-02-06T16:38:42.211+00:00More on the snowy scene done.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Have worked mainly on the pony today, and the snow in the foreground (the camera doesn't really pick up the light on the snow though!). Very nearly finished, another sitting to tidy up the pony, she needs a few more details/highlights/shadows, then my signature in the bottom right, a few more stick-like plants emerging from the snow, and it will be done!<br />
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Need to think of a title...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-59083894820171009802013-02-05T14:58:00.002+00:002013-02-05T14:58:15.187+00:00Snowy Scene, Work in Progress...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have attempted several snowy scenes in the last couple of years but never managed to produce one I was happy with, they have all either ended up in the bin or overpainted! Determined to crack it this year as I'd love to have my own Christmas cards printed in 2013. This is my current attempt, so far!<br />
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The pony and foreground are only roughly blocked in so far but I think the background is pretty much done. There are lots of purples and greens in the trees which seem to get lost completely in the photograph, think this one will need professional scanning if it turns out ok- cameras just can't seem to cope with subtle detail AND areas of strong plain contrasting colour/tone.<br />
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Looking forward to it drying so that I can carry on with it. Below is a shot of it last week, two more layers of paint have gone on the trees since. The colours are a lot truer in the older photo!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-29166433442708232262013-01-27T16:35:00.003+00:002013-01-27T16:36:14.720+00:00Hello 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Such a long time since I last blogged!<br />
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September to December was spent incredibly busy with commissioned paintings so I have not had much to share (or the time to do it!) over the last few months, need to get back in the swing of blogging again!<br />
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Above is my first finished painting of 2013, a very little 6" x 6" study based on the wonderful images I took back in September on the gallops at Newmarket. I have several larger originals based on my Newmarket images planned so have been doing some preparatory paintings of which this piece is one.<br />
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I'm currently working on a special commission for a friend, and a snowy original painting that I hope will turn out well enough to have Christmas cards printed this year. I have an exciting (challenging!) beach based commission to get stuck into next and plenty of original paintings to transfer from mind to canvas too. Hoping to keep a nice healthy balance between commissioned work and originals this year; it's always an honour to paint for other people but I also need to get my work out there at more exhibitions too.<br />
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Looking forward to doing LOTS of painting from life in 2013, below is a still life painting I produced a couple of weeks ago at a workshop with friends. Off to Devon for a whole week in June with The Society of Equestrian Artists which I am super-excited about in particular.<br />
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My youngest, Henry, turned 3 before Christmas so now goes to preschool 5 mornings a week- he is loving his time there and I'm loving the extra painting time and riding time I now have! Speaking of Henry, below is a photo of him jumping his snow pony recently! Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/equestrianartists?fref=ts" target="_blank">Society of Equestrian Artists Facebook Page </a>for lots of FAR more impressive equine snow sculptures!<br />
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Hope you are all well!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-54526569776828704082012-08-21T08:54:00.001+01:002012-08-21T08:54:43.729+01:00Busy Busy Busy!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After months of not really having much time to paint I seem to have thrown myself right back into it all now we have settled in our new home. I'm busy working on originals that I hope to exhibit later in the year, commissioned paintings, and regularly painting horses from life when I can.<br />
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The above painting is one I did last weekend, I'm pleased enough with it to offer it for sale, it is up for grabs on eBay starting at 1p- http://r.ebay.com/sZqD1h. Had a lovely two days at a workshop, nice to see my skills slowly beginning to improve. Still find painting horses in front of me incredibly difficult, the painting below was another not so successful one, the other two I did were too rubbish to share haha!<br />
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I currently have a muddy tangled Dales Pony on my easel, a zebra, and some polo ponies! Nice to be back into the swing of it. My eldest starts school in September and my youngest will be attending a playgroup a couple of mornings a week so I'm looking forward to have a little extra painting time in a couple of weeks.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-81489223430750607652012-06-10T19:24:00.002+01:002013-06-12T14:19:40.547+01:00Zebras from life!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Had a great day today visiting Yorkshire Wildlife Park with the Association of Animal Artists.<br />
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Painting from life is something that I am becoming increasingly interested in and dedicated to (had a wonderful time at a 2 day workshop with Malcolm Coward just last weekend, and of course there is my Beswick project!) so I decided that I would definitely have a bash at painting some kind of animal at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. I am not very good at it (yet!) but I get a real buzz out of it, and my studio work really benefits from the skills I develop via my life work, regardless of how bad the life paintings are!<br />
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Arrived this morning, met up with fellow artists, and then left our children with my husband Brian while I carted my easel about looking for a subject. Now, what I really fancied painting was a zebra (no surprises there!) but given how hard it is to paint horses from life even when you have someone to hold them and shift them back into place, I decided painting zebra loose in a giant paddock would be impossible. I decided maybe some kind of sleeping lion or such thing might be do-able?<br />
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Have to admit I felt a bit nervous wandering round choosing my subject- lots of people visiting the park who might potentially walk by and see me paint waaaayyyy out of my comfort zone- eek! Plenty of sleeping lions to be found, none close enough to paint though. There were some sleeping goats that probably would have sat long enough to be painted but it felt a bit of a cop out to come all that way to paint a goat... so I decided I might as well give the zebra a bash. Why not!<br />
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Chose a spot next to one zebra and couldn't believe my luck when a couple more came over. Of course, they didn't stay still for a minute and moved all the time but having sketched the initial position of the first I was able to kind of use all three to pick out useful bits to add to the painting. They wandered off after about 15-20 mins after which I just had a VERY distant view to try and finish it off.<br />
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Obviously there is a lot wrong with it BUT I expected to come home with a few suggested lines of a loose wild animal, not a recognisable painting of one, so I am very proud of it!<br />
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Looking forward to visiting Yorkshire Wildlife Park again soon, a beautiful place full of beautiful and happy looking animals. Great family day out.<br />
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Lots of photos taken too so brace yourselves for some zebra studio paintings coming soon!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-43128128695056907352012-05-16T14:19:00.000+01:002012-05-16T14:21:58.095+01:00Time Lapse Painting Videos, an amateurish how-to!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I produce a time lapse video of me painting a large piece of work maybe once a year ish... the hassle of rigging up the camera everytime I want to paint and then putting it together then puts me off doing another for a bit, until I then try and get the bloomin thing on YouTube, spend hours uploading files that don't work, and then vow that I am never doing another time lapse video as long as I live!! Once it's finally on YouTube though, and over time I forget how much of a nightmare they are to make, I decide actually I fancy making another... but by that point SO much time has passed that I have completely forgotten how to do it, much less how to avoid all the mistakes I seem to have to go through with YouTube everytime, and the cycle begins again. Until now, because I am going to blog with instructions on how to make a time lapse video so that I can read how to do it next time (if there is a next time!).<br />
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I will try and make my instructions reasonably full so that they could possibly of use to people other than myself too! I am sure there are loads of different (probably better!) ways of producing time lapse videos but this is how I generally make mine.<br />
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1. First of all you need your camera to take photos automatically at set intervals. There are lots of cameras that have this as a function these days, sadly my Nikon dSLR isn't one of them! I stick my camera on a tripod, link it to my laptop with a usb, and use Nikon camera control software to take my time lapse photos.<br />
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2. To make a nice smooth time lapse video I understand you need about 20-30 frames/photos per second of video, so before you start you'll need to work out how long you think the painting will take you and how long you want the video to be, so that you can work out how often you need your camera to shoot. I usually have mine taking a photo about every 10 seconds, although I wish I had reduced that for my current video as it didn't take as long as I expected and the video ended up a bit short!<br />
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3. Even to make an HD video you don't need the photo file sizes to be massive- I select the lowest size/quality option on my camera and still have to batch re-size them smaller at the end (very quick job using Photoshop Elements). You are best off re-sizing them to a 'standard' HD video pixel size e.g. 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080, it saves a lot hassle when it comes to uploading to somewhere like YouTube.<br />
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4. Set your camera up on a tripod, each time you sit down to paint make sure all is in focus and the photos looking good then paint! Be sure to try and stay out of the way as far as you can- something I find tricky but resolve by sorting through photos after each session and deleting any with my head blocking the camera.<br />
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5. Once you have finished the painting it's time to sort through all the 1000s of photos and delete any blurry ones or ones where the view of the painting is blocked, or ones where you have wandered off to answer the phone and the camera has carried on snapping.<br />
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6. Get yourself something like Apple Quicktime Pro. I am sure there are plenty of different types of software but Quicktime was the one I heard recommended for time lapse videos and it only costs about £20.<br />
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7. In Quicktime Pro select 'File', then 'Time Lapse Photography' and then choose one (any) of your time lapse photos. It will ask for you to choose the frames per minute. It can take a while (several minutes sometimes on my poor laptop) but eventually, viola, your video appears on screen!<br />
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8. I tend to start/finish my videos with a still image/s detailing my website, a photo of the finished painting, yadda yadda. I am SURE there is a quicker way but I end up saving the same image I want to use for the number of frames per second I want it to appear for... takes ages. My attempts at putting together different bits of video fail! If anyone with more sense than me knows how to do this an easier way let me know and I'll update this bit!<br />
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9. Export your finished file to a YouTube friendly format. In Quicktime I click 'Export' and then select the option to convert from Movie to MPEG4, and select an HD option in the size bit of the 'Options' button- I leave the rest of the settings. Be prepared for your video to take a long time to save, sometimes a very long time.<br />
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10. Upload to YouTube. This takes ages if you are uploading an HD video, sometimes hours if like me your gutless laptop protests! Seems to always take me several attempts, mainly due to getting something wrong along the way! Hopefully this post will help me get it right next time... if there is a next time.<br />
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Here's my latest video anyway...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ORL-sjCf-N4" width="420"></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-47681110540312377572012-05-16T12:45:00.002+01:002012-05-16T12:45:55.717+01:00Beswick Horse No.8 (of 30)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Beswick Horse No.8</i></div>
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Been a real struggle to get much painting done over the last few weeks. My husband is working away and both my young children have been ill, the sleepness nights and relentlessness of it all have taken their toll a bit!</div>
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Finally we all seem to be back on form! Got Beswick Horse No.8 done today and despite thinking that it was going to end up being rubbish most of the way through, I'm rather pleased with it compared to my previous attempts. I am definitely finding that the 'drawing' side of the still life painting is coming more easily to me now, but find getting colours and tones right very tricky. Onwards and upwards! </div>
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Looking forward to a full weekend workshop painting real live horses in a few weeks, hoping I see the difference having worked on this project; how I would LOVE to develop my skills to the point where I might be able to paint a real horse from life and be proud of the end result! One day! </div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-46202793139712530042012-04-26T13:45:00.000+01:002013-06-12T14:20:17.643+01:00Beswick Horse No.7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wasn't in the right mood for the big Friesian painting today so got back to my Beswick ornament instead! 7 down, 23 to go...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-4519525488667660272012-04-25T12:39:00.002+01:002012-04-25T12:39:40.805+01:00Painting in Progress, Day 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Still plugging away on this, another few hours on it this today... think I might get it finished tomorrow as I have another child-free morning! Some more light to add to his shoulder and then mainly blending and tidying up to do. <br />
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Going to try and fit in Beswick Horse No. 7 this evening, after hours on a big slow painting I am in the mood for some life painting... </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-24017241981964734132012-04-14T16:11:00.001+01:002012-04-14T16:11:17.010+01:00Beswick Horse No.6 (of 30)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Haven't exactly been knocking these Beswick horse paintings out as dedicatedly as I hoped I would, but the Easter holidays have been quite busy so not much time for painting! <br />
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Number 6. I am pleased with the body, think this is the closest I have got to the actual colour and gloss of the ornament- not the best drawing wise though... head wrong, legs wrong, plenty wrong really! Still an improvement on No. 5 though so heading in the right direction.<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-65723347816102857482012-04-08T16:06:00.002+01:002012-04-08T16:07:39.514+01:00'Chestnut Arab' Finished<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-24syH9Sm7VI/T4GojXgbOSI/AAAAAAAAA-s/_jIzrg_MmRM/s1600/Chestnut+Arab600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-24syH9Sm7VI/T4GojXgbOSI/AAAAAAAAA-s/_jIzrg_MmRM/s320/Chestnut+Arab600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<em>'Chestnut Arab' 12" x 12" oil on box canvas.</em> </div>
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Did some more glaze work since my last posting and today sat and had a nice long painting session getting it finished! Really pleased with it, be very happy to keep it myself but it is available if anyone wants it! Details on my website <a href="http://www.laurabarber-riley.com/">www.laurabarber-riley.com</a>. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-47733718116669687362012-04-05T09:51:00.002+01:002012-04-05T09:55:10.229+01:00Chestnut Arab In Progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qODFJFctQYE/T31acrMOsSI/AAAAAAAAA-M/ehcsi43gEUI/s1600/Arabinprogress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qODFJFctQYE/T31acrMOsSI/AAAAAAAAA-M/ehcsi43gEUI/s320/Arabinprogress.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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The Easter holidays make getting much painting done difficult, with both children home all day! I have managed to commandeer the kitchen table though and get a surprising amount of work done on this new 12" x 12" painting. I have been glazing in very very thin layers of paint which has meant I can grab a few minutes on it here and there- it is drying so quickly because of the thin layers so I'm managing to build it up in little sittings a few times a day. Handy! This is the smoothest canvas I think I have ever used, I sanded it completely smooth ages ago for a rose painting that I never got on with- it's absolutely perfect for this technique. I have only used a couple of colours in it so far, hoping this evening it will be dry enough to start glazing with some more interesting pigments once the children are in bed!<br />
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Pleased with it so far, such a pretty horse! It's based on a photograph I took at an arab show back in 2009, not disimilar to the pose in another painting I did, 'Arabian Filly'... I think I prefer this one though. Funny how over time you see something in a photograph that you skipped by perviously.<br />
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I think it has about 5 layers of paint on so far, haven't photographed them all but you can see a few below...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GzG_loNj_4/T31cWSg_pRI/AAAAAAAAA-U/RH7RFihfQ-M/s1600/Arab1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GzG_loNj_4/T31cWSg_pRI/AAAAAAAAA-U/RH7RFihfQ-M/s320/Arab1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MvEVLV8Q_WY/T31c6wSgC8I/AAAAAAAAA-c/SWQ-ckEVE24/s1600/Arab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MvEVLV8Q_WY/T31c6wSgC8I/AAAAAAAAA-c/SWQ-ckEVE24/s320/Arab2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_F_ohq6BHdo/T31dCKkeCxI/AAAAAAAAA-k/15Gk_mKup5k/s1600/Arab3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_F_ohq6BHdo/T31dCKkeCxI/AAAAAAAAA-k/15Gk_mKup5k/s320/Arab3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-22678641724423834122012-04-03T07:45:00.000+01:002012-04-03T07:45:39.756+01:00Beswick Horse No.5 (of 30)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xnPpLEhMops/T3qbwNWAmxI/AAAAAAAAA-A/Q6A1n6EAQ94/s1600/Bessie5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xnPpLEhMops/T3qbwNWAmxI/AAAAAAAAA-A/Q6A1n6EAQ94/s320/Bessie5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am feeling quite excited about this project this morning, obviously there is still an enormous amount of room for improvement but I am thrilled with how much I have improved in just 5 paintings of this ornament.<br />
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Rainy day here today, hoping I can get the children busy with a creative project of their own and then get on with No.6... only 25 to go!<br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-50179841135852339402012-04-02T20:55:00.002+01:002012-04-03T07:41:00.627+01:00Beswick Horse No.3 & No.4 (of 30)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QwKoqx9pcz4/T3oCqgpd3NI/AAAAAAAAA9s/4bdojoVmPxw/s1600/Bessie4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QwKoqx9pcz4/T3oCqgpd3NI/AAAAAAAAA9s/4bdojoVmPxw/s400/Bessie4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I completed Beswick horses No.3 and No.4 last week but only just got round to photographing them! Such a tricky project but I am learning loads, can see my life drawing skills improve with every painting.<br />
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I completed No.5 this evening but it was too dark to take a photo, it was a definite improvement although still pretty rubbish!!!! I don't mind how bad they are though as long as they get better with each one, which I think generally they are in one way or another.
No.3 is below, No.4 above. I think although the paint handling and description of light/colour in No.4 was a bit of a step back the drawing was a lot better than the first three.
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01982886363535076008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099785407040879348.post-87371240866747127972012-03-31T15:40:00.002+01:002012-03-31T15:41:24.712+01:00Painting in Progress, Day 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0ErSXP3fiw/T3cXLwINsuI/AAAAAAAAA9c/zJZws8uAnGg/s1600/WIP%2B007%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="306" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0ErSXP3fiw/T3cXLwINsuI/AAAAAAAAA9c/zJZws8uAnGg/s400/WIP%2B007%2Bcopy.jpg" /></a></div>
2.5 hours on this today, 9.5 in total. Gradually coming together, still a lot of work to do though!
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