Three 5" x 3.5" Postcards to help Childhood First Charity

I was recently contacted to paint 3 postcards to help raise some funds for Childhood First, A registered charity that delivers exceptional, cost-effective outcomes in the care, education and treatment of traumatised children and young people. Many other artists ans some celebrities were also involved in this Fund-raising event that took place at The Savoy in London.

Since the guidelines were left up to the artist, with the only emphasis placed on them being bright and eye catching, I decided to experiment with some faces and mixed media-mainly in water based media.

These are my three postcards.



"blazeandshade" 5" x 3.5", mixed media on card.

Here I played around with acrylics, watercolour, pens, gouache, and coloured pencils. I applied a light coat of transparent gesso on the card first. It's my son Joshua, but I have also taken some liberties to go wild with different mark making to add an abstract quality to the piece.




"The girl behind the window" 5" x 3.5", mixed media on card.

Here, I have played with the same materials as the one above. It's of a fashion shop mannequin. I really get inspired by these shop mannequins because of the play of light across their structures-they almost assume a life like quality.





"The sunshine she brings" 5" x 3.5", mixed media on card.

Here I played around with watercolour, gouache and coloured pencils. Again I went a bit wild with the strokes as if I was drawing.

Special Quote

"What people subconsciously are interested in is the expression of beauty, something that helps them through the humdrum day, something that shocks them out of themselves and something that makes them believe in the beauty and the glory of human existence.
The painter will never achieve this by merely painting pictures. The only way he can appeal to humanity is in the guise of the high priest. He must show people more--more than they already see, and he must show them with so much human sympathy and understanding that they will recognize it as if they themselves had seen the beauty and glory. Here is where the artist comes in." Hawthorne on Painting

FLYING MOLESKINS FOR Irit AND Dana

These are two pieces I have done for the current sketchbook exchange, called "The Flying Moleskins".I am participating in with 12 other artists.

Irit had as her theme "local places"-I went about this with, What if my Christ visited my Cluttered room?



What if Christ came into my clutter? Gouache, 2010

Dana had as her theme "dreams"-I went about this with, another day-dreaming piece of my boy Josh when he was younger.



Day Dreaming II, Gouache, 2010

All these pieces were done in gouache on mount-board.


I am currently in Bath at the moment, on my 2nd Marathon. I haven't forgotten to post lessons I have learnt from my 1st Marathon. That will be my next post with the day by day action pictures following.

Drizzly Day on Fleet Street, 10" x 10", Mixed media on Watercolour Paper, 2009 SOLD

Into the streets but more of studio work. This time its not trees but the typical London urban life I love. When it never rains heavy but drizzles all day long.




This was captured on Fleet Street during my scene hunting expeditions.
During my scene hunting expeditions I take loads of photos of scenes I love then bring back the pictures to the studio and start editing and cropping till I get the desired compositional effect I looking for and satisfied with.

This was done mainly with watercolour, gouache, coloured pencil, wax crayons, and ink.

Horsemotions I, 14" X 7", Sanguine dust/carbon,graphite pencils, 2009

I have sketched so many horses in the past and I love their movement, form and just the smell of being around these fun living things. The sounds they make and the way they are never stable but keep moving.






So this is the first of a series of drawings and paintings on horses called "Horsemotions". It will feature the character, movement, and general well being of these fantastic creatures.

I have done this one by ghosting the sepia dust to form the background, then I have sketched and shaded with graphite, carbon pencils and added a little white gouache for highlights I couldn't get with my putty rubber.

National Gallery(Charing Cross side), 11" x 9, mixed media, 2008

I was just coming out of Charring Cross Station yesterday afternoon and I saw the National Portrait Gallery just peeping out in blazing sunlight from this dark shadowed road way, with so many people out and about as usual in the London west end. I instantly fell in love! Now I am happy I've caught with watercolour, carbon pencil, coloured pencil and gouache on Winsor and Newton Cotman paper 300grams.

Notting Hill Gate( Central Side), 9" x 7", mixed media, 2008

After my recent experiment with watercolour in the last Afro Series, I am beginning to become a bit more comfortable with the medium and I seem to enjoy its unpredictability.

Anyway being inspired by the current wonderful site of urban sketchers I have produced this piece to catch a certain place with some atmospheric effects my goal.





I have used watercolour, gouache, white charcoal and coloured pencil on Bockingford Economical thick watercolour paper, 300gsm(not surface)

AFRO SERIES VIII, 8" x 11", mixed media, 2008

This is the number 8 in this series. I experimented with my tombow marker pen and water with some white gouache. I was quite pleased with the effect.

The emphasis is to show the beauty, variety and possibilities of natural black Afro hair.

Study for Queen Esta, 50cm x 50cm, Gouache

I have always been inspired by African head gears, this is a study for a bigger painting. The model is Esta, beautiful and bold.

Study of Laurence, 17" x 13", Gouache.

I met this wonderful girl in London at Abbey Wood Bus station. I later got talking with her and she agreed to have me paint or sketch her. This study is done in Goauche with a few hints of grey tombow wash pens and pastel.