The Prisoner

September 13, 2013November 14, 2013 | Anna Cull

Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

The Prisoner (1968-1969): The prisoner is a former British spy who, having abruptly resigned from the secret service, has been abducted and imprisoned in a strange village…and he has no idea who his captors are. “I am not a number, I am a free man” was the catchphrase of the series. The stamp depicts the prisoner being apprehended by a large, white, mysterious bouncing bubble called ‘Rover’.

Those bouncing bubbles used to give me nightmares!

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.

Science Fiction stamp poster (594 x 420 mm) Stars and planets (background collage) courtesy of the Internet Student project, 2011 — Science Fiction stamp poster – student project, 2011

A sparrow’s tale

September 11, 2013March 26, 2014 | Anna Cull

These photos show the progress of Sparrow (Monday’s In the style of…) painting. I started with an underpainting of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber ― I’ve fallen in love with these two colours because they blend together to make the most beautiful black (see the note below about chromatic blacks).

Work in progress #2 – painting the background and the body

Work in progress #3 – filling in details

Work in progress #4 – adding black and white

I’m a big fan of chromatic blacks (made using colour rather than a specific black pigment). It’s so satisfying to mix your own ‘black’ and achieve subtle variations of colour — it’s much more fun than simply reaching for a tube of Ivory Black (although I do that too). I’ve used both kinds of black in my little sparrow painting.

I got a bit carried away adding white to his feathers and ended up with a colour I didn’t like ― a sort of pale grey-brown ― so I waited for the unfortunate, dreary colour to dry and painted a more cheerful pinky-brown over it (see below).

Sparrow – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 255 mm, 2013

I also made him a little bit fatter and a whole lot fluffier. And I still really like that strand of spider silk in the corner.

Thanks for reading.

In the style of… Celestino Piatti

September 9, 2013January 24, 2014 | Anna Cull

It may seem a strange thing for an arachnophobe to say… but my favourite thing about this painting is the thread of spider silk.

I’ll post my work-in-progress photos later in the week.

Celestino Piatti

The Happy Owls, 1964 and Animal ABC, 1966 Images from http://onceuponabookshelf.com — The Happy Owls, 1964 and Animal ABC, 1966
Images from http://onceuponabookshelf.com

Prolific Swiss artist and designer Celestino Piatti (1922–2007) has an instantly recognisable style. I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure I’m one of his biggest fans. My favourite Piatti quote: “You can draw an owl a thousand times, and never find out its secret”.

In the style of… appears occasionally instead of my regular Shoot it, Sketch it posts. Using my own photographs as a starting point, I’m drawing inspiration from some of the world’s greatest illustrators. It’s not about slavishly copying someone else’s art; it’s an experiment in seeing things differently.

This is home

September 6, 2013September 21, 2023 | Anna Cull

Canterbury – acrylic on canvas, 405 x 305 mm, 2013. Private collection.

Canterbury in detail — Canterbury – in detail

I originally created this landscape as a digital illustration (it’s the background of this poster). The scene is based on a number of different photographs and even though it is not an actual location, it is typical of the scenery here in Mid Canterbury ― the snow-covered Southern Alps, the colourful Canterbury Plains ― except that I omitted the rivers… and the houses… and the sheep…

The Jetsons

August 30, 2013November 14, 2013 | Anna Cull

The Jetsons (1962-1963): Hanna-Barbera’s animated sitcom about an American family living in the year 2062 featured flying cars, floating cities and a robot named Rosey. A second series was produced in the 1980s.

Which means that we only have to wait another 49 years for flying cars!

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Moon

August 26, 2013September 21, 2023 | Anna Cull

Moon over the city – acrylic on canvas, 505 x 405 mm, 2013 — Moon Over the City – acrylic on canvas, 405 x 305 mm, 2013. Private collection.

Here is the finished painting based on last week’s photo and sketch. In real life, the texture of the night sky is quite subtle and, in some lights, the surface looks smooth and the dark purple appears almost black. I wouldn’t mind painting a few more of these : )