Thursday, 22 December 2011
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
I suppose this is almost fame?
I have been getting some strange hits on Flickr page for the attached Pete Rose sketch. I couldn't understand why this was until I did a bit of digging and found if you Google the term 'Pete Rose diving into third base' this is the first image that appears on Google Images. Fame at last!?!????
Simon Marchini
Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Dr Who sketches
Just been messing about in Brushes and came up with these quick sketches 
Sent from my iPad
Monday, 19 December 2011
Troubled Hollywood starlet
This is a better photo of the oil pastel drawing/painting (I never know where drawing ends and painting begins?) and I am still quite pleased with the result. It is not how I would want the final painting(?) to look like but as a stepping stone to something better then I am more than satisfied. 
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, 18 December 2011
The Sneezing Baby Panda
It's silly I know but what the heck Check out this video on YouTube:
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Troubled Hollywood Starlet
This is the latest in the development project I am working on over the holidays. This is a mixed media painting of ink, professional marker pen and oil pastels and as I write this I am really quite pleased with the result. The image here doesn't really do the final result justice as there is a blue cast to the colour. Nonetheless it would seem that the project is starting to pay dividends. 
Sent from my iPad
Dr Who theme
I seem to have a bit of a Dr Who theme running this weekend. Here is a rather scary Catherine Tate aka Donna Noble. 
Sent from my iPad
Dr Who?
I made this sketch last night after having a really great lunch with my brother and his wife...not sure why that might have effected my drawing but it did. 
Sent from my iPad
Friday, 16 December 2011
Doodling in the museum
I'm having a coffee and doodling in the Leicester museum and art gallery...there are worst ways to spend the morning! 
http://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
I'm on line at:
www.flickr.com/photos/guthlachttp://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
Moulon Rouge sketch
At the same time as watching the Kylie show I switched over to the Moulon Rouge film during the break and made this sketch. 
Sent from my iPad
What and incredible show
Last night I watched the Kylie live concert on Sky and whilst it was the gayest show I have seen in a long time it was also such a wonder feast for the eye it almost made me wish I had 3D TV. Everything was produced on an outlandish scale that seem to be inversely proportional to the diminutive Ms Minogue. Great TV. Sent from my iPad
Thursday, 15 December 2011
iPad and SimCity
Having just read my last post it struck me how much things have changed since I first owned SimCity ... Perhaps the best way to show this change is to note that I am writing about SimCity on my iPad, which by the way has SimCity as part of its spellcheck. Sent from my iPad
Blast from the past
I'm just installing SimCity 3000 on my computer and it really is a blast from the past. The interface is so 1990's, which as we all know is like something from the dark ages. Let's hope that the game is just as retro. Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Troubled Hollywood Starlet
This is the second stab at this drawing and I think it is better. I have a cunning plan over the Christmas break...I'm doing to work on this one drawing again and again in an effort to develop a number of skills. Well that's the plan and I wouldn't place too much credence in me sticking to it! 
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Duke of Edinburgh
I have been inspired by a painting I saw of the D of E. In truth this is the first drawing I am happy with...however the frustrating things that this is not what I want as I was using the painting as a means to develop my pastel skills. However that is the way things go I suppose. 
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Making a mess
Well I am still feeling a bit under the weather....now I am getting dizzy spells - deep joy! Anyway it has given me a chance to experiment with soft pastels. I tried this in the early part of the year and made a real mess of things, both artistically and in reality. I had a set of VERY soft pastels and unfortunately I didn't have the correct control to make the most of them. Now almost 12 months on it is time to have another go, this time with slightly harder 'soft' pastels and this was the result. Now this isn't quite as big an artistic mess as the first time I tried this out but I still managed to make quite a bit of mess Using the pastels! 
Sent from my iPad
Muppets and Frank
I was watching this and noticed that the banner ad from YouTube/Google was from Frank, the drugs abuse counselling service...is there a connection?
Simon Marchini
Friday, 9 December 2011
Making Progress No 2
These are final drawings from the first and last session of the life drawing course and this really does show the problems at measuring progress in an artistic endeavour. The drawing on the left has a number of faults but has an interest due to its simplicity of line and form. The one on the right marks a transitional point in my artistic career and as such is not really the culmination of five weeks work but rather a stepping stone to something new. Nonetheless it does mark significant progress even if the actual colour needs a lot of work...in fact the photo makes the drawing look better than it does in real life. 
Sent from my iPad
Measuring Progress No 1
This is the first of two images that try and record the progress I have made during a five week life drawing class. As with all things artistic progress is a very wooly concept open to interpretation, personal taste and experience. The drawing session usually involved 3 or 4 drawings and this shows no 3 in each session. The drawing on the right is from the first week and one on the left is from the last and I think it is far to say there is a difference and I would say progress. 
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
"Tight schedule" forced ban on DSLRs, says London Transport Museum [update] - British Journal of Photography
This must go under the...'I just don't believe it...' http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2130486/-tight-...
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Monday, 5 December 2011
The Cafe - Sky1 HD
This is just a wonderfully underplayed series where not a great deal happens yet the characters are so well observed that you can't wait for the next episode. http://sky1.sky.com/sky1hd-shows/the-cafe
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Now I've got a cold
Oh it never rains until it pours - I think I've got a cold. Actually I suspect it is a variation of the bug/virus thing I have been suffering from over the past few weeks. So I'm spending my time messing around with Brushes...here's my latest mess about 
Sent from my iPad
An exhausted drawing
I knocked this up after a long day driving...I was knackered. 
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Jingle bell jingle bell jingle bell jing
The view from the restaurant ...10 minutes ago this was almost a white out. Going south in a couple of hours - makes me feel like a snow goose. 
http://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
I'm on line at:
www.flickr.com/photos/guthlachttp://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Sir Thomas Moore
Copying a master does help you to understand his genius. So it is with this weak approximation of Holbein's drawing of Sir Thomas Moore. It is based on the original I saw at the Holyrood exhibition this afternoon...well worth a trip to Edinburgh just to see...however it closes on the 15th January next year so not much longer to catch it. 
Sent from my iPad
Inspired by Holbein
There is something wonderful about the work of Hans Holbein the younger and the exhibition at the Queens Gallery in Edinburgh truly does justice to his genius. This inspired me to create this drawing. 
Sent from my iPad
Friday, 2 December 2011
Colour photographs of fashion, 1940s, by John Rawlings
This is the most amazing series of fashion images I have seen. The most surreal aspect about them is that they were made in the 1940's. Eat your heart out Rankin!
http://www.retronaut.co/2011/08/john-rawlings-1940s-colour-fashion-shots/
Sent from my iPad
http://www.retronaut.co/2011/08/john-rawlings-1940s-colour-fashion-shots/
Sent from my iPad
Corner Portraits, by Irving Penn
A wonderful series of Penn's work. http://www.retronaut.co/2011/09/corner-portraits-by-irving-penn/
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
35+ Figurative & Expressive Oil Paintings
A great series of paintings...the only down side is that there are too many...after a while they tend to loose their impact 35+ Figurative & Expressive Oil Paintings
http://www.hybridlava.com/artwork/35-figurative-expressive-oil-paintings/ ---
Sent from Zite personalized magazine iPad app.
Available for free in the App Store.
www.zite.com
http://www.hybridlava.com/artwork/35-figurative-expressive-oil-paintings/ ---
Sent from Zite personalized magazine iPad app.
Available for free in the App Store.
www.zite.com
Sent from my iPad
First of the day
Having woken at just after five I decided there was nothing more to be done by trying to go back to sleep so I decided to experiment with another brushes drawing or should that be painting? 
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Brushes Painting
Having just looked at the version of the Brushes drawing I posted I am not sure it is the best version...here is the original it was based on 
Sent from my iPad
In the clearing stands the boxer....
The words of the Simon & Garfunkel song came to mind when I look at this...it is all the more apt as the drawing was based on Steve Bruce who has just been fired by Sunderland...and he carries a reminder of every fight that fought on his face.... It really is conducive to the creative process sitting in the bar of the hotel as this is one of the most interesting Brushes drawings I have made. 
Sent from my iPad
Messing about in the bar
After a long drive what better than messing about with brushes in the bar of the hotel? Well nothing really - certainly beats working for a living! 
Sent from my iPad
Room with a view
Just arrived at Edinburgh and what a view! Actually the room is very comfortable and should be fine. 
http://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
I'm on line at:
www.flickr.com/photos/guthlachttp://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
A second attempt
A second stab at the drawing...getting a bit more of a likeness I think...does this matter ? 
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
When is a good drawing not a good drawing?
This is one of the silliest questions you can ask yourself as when you try to answer the question context is everything. This drawing is not the best likeness yet it does have a power that far out ways such short comings. In fact very few people will even know whether this is a good likeness or not and so that context doesn't even apply to whether they think that this is a good drawing or not. For the record the reason why this drawing isn't such a good likeness is because of the eyes. They are too alert rather than the more sullen eyes in real life. Actually that sullenness is probably due to the fact that the model was trying to not more whilst she was drawn - also this is made from a photograph I made whist she was sitting. Again this adds further context upon which to judge the drawing. In the end I like this drawing and as I believe I have said a number of times before that is all that matters. 
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, 27 November 2011
40th President
Just a bit of fun after days of graft on the human body project - it was nice to do something for relaxation rather than to improve my craft. 
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Head
Having got over the frustration I felt at my last life drawing class I started to review the way for for my life drawing and have identified a problem I have with heads - I just don't draw them big enough. Having identified this I have then set about correct this problem with differing levels of success but I feel I am starting to show some progress. This has raised another interesting question - just how life like do want my drawings to be? By this I don't mean out of proportion but rather whether I want to record every sinew and tendon or rather take a more relaxed attitude to such details preferring to concentrate on the overall effect. I have no answer to this question but it is an interesting one to ponder. 
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Frustration
This was the third drawing I made at my life drawing class - hence the no. 3 and it was created from a sense of deep frustration. I don't know why but I started the session with no real energy and this was revealed in the drawings No. 1 & 2. By the time I got to number 3 I was so frustrated that I just had to let it out and this is the result. I actually find the drawing very interesting and have started to think I should let my frustrations out more often...maybe maybe not. The whole life drawing process has developed my artistic skills greatly, this is in part a reaction to the need to create a better drawing than the last one and also the competitive nature of a class environment. No matter how much you might try not to you always take a peak at the other members work and this makes you want to improve - well it does me but I am not sure if that is the case with other people. 
Sent from my iPad
Monday, 21 November 2011
Nicole Kidman
This represents something of a triumph for me. I have managed to produce something approaching a likeness of Nicole Kidman! I don't know why but I seem to struggle with beautiful women - I just don't seem to be able to make the leap from sort of like to passable likeness. Kidman is someone I have been working on, off and on, for months and finally I appear to have started to get the feel for the face. It has been a struggle - who said artists have it easy! 
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Tron
So what exactly is this? Well it is a digital image of a real world drawing manipulated in the virtual world to produce something that could be mistaken as a photograph. This is somewhat apt as it is based on a character from the film Tron Legacy which is, in part, about the capturing real world people in a digital domain. So does this answer my question as to what this is? Well no but I like the resultant image and I guess that is all that matters. 
Sent from my iPad
Friday, 18 November 2011
Oil Pastel Sketch
This is the next stage in the oil pastel experiment. I have finished the sketch and now worked on the drawing in Brushes. This has allowed me to see how I might wish to enhance the colours in the real world when I try again. As with all experiments there are good things and things that I would like to change on the whole I think that it is an interesting drawing. 
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Life Drawing Class
Week two of the life drawing class and I must say it is worth every penny. There is no substitute for drawing real people in the flesh for really helping you to develop as an artist. 
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Messing about with oils
This is a bit of an experiment and in truth the title is a bit misleading, but it was made using oils, in this case oil pastels. This was the first attempt for a much larger drawing/painting I am going to do on Monday. As with all experiments some things work other don't but it is an interesting first attempt. 
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Brushes Painting
Still experimenting with the best way use Brushes...which is strange as I have had the program on my iPad almost from the start! Such is the way life works out. 
Sent from my iPad
Nude
Messing about with charcoal this afternoon with David Bowie playing in the headphones - bliss. 
http://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
I'm on line at:
www.flickr.com/photos/guthlachttp://simonmarchini.posterous.com www.simonmarchini.co.uk I hope you enjoy
Weather
Now I know you should not mix weather with climate change but I have started to wonder if we are starting to see something seriously going wrong. It is now mid November when there should have been frosts and rain and yet we have had none. As I write this I can look outside to a blue sky and temperatures well into the teens centigrade. In the garden the trees and plants haven't got a clue what is happening. The roses are still producing blooms as are many of the other plants. Trees, which by now should have shed there leaves still haven't and toady I saw a number of leaf cutting bees buzzing around as through they have come out of hibernation. Of course to put a little perspective to all this last year was one of the coldest we have had in a while so who knows what is happening to the weather. I just know I have not seen such a strange autumn in my life time. Goodness only knows what this winter will turn out like? Sent from my iPad
Dr Who
Messing about with Brushes and Photoshop on the iPad today. As a result produced this half decent Dr Who montage. 
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Generic Hollywood Beauty
Another Brushes iPad drawing. Not sure who this really looks like but it does have the Hollywood studio feel to it. I find myself drawn, no pun intended, to creating a more poster look with the iPad, I suspect this might have the artificial feel to it all. 
Sent from my iPad
Julie Walters
This is a bit of a break through for me. For months I have found it almost impossible to draw anything on my iPad. I just hated the feel of the cold inorganic screen compared to warm embrace of paper. It just left me dead. Then yesterday the latest RA magazine came through the post and there were a series of drawings (paintings?) made by David Hockney on his iPad. So this morning it was out with the iPad and try and create something - this is the result and I have to say I am surprised and pleased with the result. Once again a great artist has inspired a muggle amateur to do something I suppose that is the beauty of art. 
Sent from my iPad
Friday, 11 November 2011
Bill Murray mets Hans Holbein
Disclaimer: I don't think that I produce work to the same standard as Holbein. Now I am feeling under the weather...its autumn and it seems that I pick some form of virus - guess this is the product of getting old. Anyway, it has meant that I am fit for nothing else other than draw - which is a bit of luck! So this morning I produced this sketch of the model from my art class on Monday which, whilst not quite the likeness I would want, has something of the Holbein about it. Yesterday I was watching the wonderfully absorbing The Life Aquatic of Steve Zoozo and I started to sketch Bill Murray and looking at them both I thought wouldn't it be fun to put them together. Silly I know but there we are...strange how the befuddled mind works. 
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
50000 hits
I know compared to many people on Flickr 50,000 hits is not a great deal but it is for me. Another of life's milestones passed. Wonder how long it will take me to get to 100,000?
Simon Marchini
Watercolour
So ends the first day of the great watercolour experiment. I have watched the YouTube videos and experimented. To date I think the best that can be said is that I am showing progress however there is much to learn before you can start to think about your own style. Another thought... the images I have published have been watercolours digitally manipulated for effect...are these true watercolour paintings or not? I have no idea but I like the result. 
Sent from my iPad
Water Colour
I have been threatening this for sometime and have finally got round to having a go...yes I am starting g to experiment with watercolour. The last time I tried this was over a year ago and it wasn't that successful ... Let's hope this time is better. 
Sent from my iPad
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