seasons

In the style of… Maurice Sendak

| Anna Cull
St Germain and the tree – ink and watercolour, 297 x 210 mm, 2013
St Germain and the Tree – ink and watercolour, 297 x 210 mm, 2013
St Germain – Christchurch, 2010
St Germain – Christchurch, 2010

If this looks a little familiar, that’s probably because the reference photograph was taken right next to the one I used for last week’s sketch. This time I used watercolour pencils and my trusty Staedtler pigment liners and took inspiration from one of my favourite illustrators, Maurice Sendak. You can see the early stages of my sketch below. (St Germain is the name of the restaurant in the photo.)

Work in progress #1 – watercolour pencil sketch Work in progress #2 – after adding water
Work in progress #1 – watercolour pencil sketch
Work in progress #2 – after adding water

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak – illustrations from Where the Wild Things Are (1963) Images from http://mrbiggs.com
Maurice Sendak – illustrations from Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
Images from http://mrbiggs.com

Everyone has heard of American illustrator and author Maurice Sendak (1928–2012), haven’t they? And even if you don’t know his name, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with his wonderful book Where the Wild Things Are.

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.

Shoot it, Sketch it: The colour of snow

| Anna Cull

The colour of snow – acrylic on canvas, 315 x 315 mm, 2013.
The Colour of Snow – acrylic on canvas, 315 x 315 mm, 2013.

The colour of snow, detail, to give you a better idea of the texture.
The Colour of Snow, detail – click on the image to get an even better idea of the texture.

Spreydon Domain, original photo – Christchurch, 2011.
Spreydon Domain, original photo – Christchurch, 2011.

When Christchurch became a winter wonderland a couple of years ago, we hopped in the car, drove around the corner, took a few photos of the park looking as pretty as a picture, discovered the car was stuck in the snow, dug the car out of the snow (with a little help from the neighbours) and drove home again. The next time we get this much snow, I think I’ll venture out on foot.

I’ve never painted on stretched canvas before ― and I’m in love… with the woven texture, the way it bounces with every brush stroke and the way it takes layer after layer (after layer) of paint. I’m getting ready to paint my first commissioned artwork! It’s going to be a triptych on canvas and so a little practice beforehand seemed like a good idea.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Sunlight is green

| Anna Cull

Sunlight is green – acrylic on watercolour paper, 205 x 295 mm, 2013.
Sunlight is green – acrylic on watercolour paper, 205 x 295 mm, 2013.

Here, as promised, is my painting of the sunset in Hagley Park (taken from the same photo I sketched last week). If you’re wondering about the title, it was inspired by something I read in The Acrylic Artist’s Guide to Exceptional Colour by Lexi Sundell. Apparently there is research to suggest that sunlight is not yellow but pale green. Think about that for a minute. Green is a cool colour but sunlight is warm. Other research suggests it may be pale blue. Whatever it is, it seems sunlight is not a warm colour. I don’t know about you but that thought really messes with my head.

Sunlight is green – acrylic on watercolour paper, detail.
Sunlight is green – acrylic on watercolour paper, detail.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Last minute

| Anna Cull

Hagley Park sunset sketch – ink and watercolour, 205 x 290 mm, 2013.
Hagley Park sunset sketch – ink and watercolour, 205 x 290 mm, 2013.

Hagley Park sunset – Christchurch, 2010.

A last-minute sketch of the last minutes of a sunset in Hagley Park (because the acrylic painting I had planned to post today isn’t quite finished yet). I hope you’ll forgive the slightly blurry photo (my fault for not taking a tripod). Sunsets in the park can be spectacular at this time of year ― yes, we’re well and truly into autumn now in Christchurch.