Portraits 2010

Julia Kay's Portrait Party has been such a huge inspiration to me in 2010, I've explored lots of different styles and techniques and learnt loads from all of the amazing work everyone else has been producing. These are some of my favourites from the portraits I've done.
I just wish I had more time to spend painting and drawing everyone!

1. Sue Hodnett - Artist, (central picture) Watercolour
2. NC Mallory - Artist, Digital (Photoshop)
3. Valerie Beeby (Purple Owl), Watercolour
4. Shitao 师涛 - Tim Williams, Artist, Watercolour
5. Giorgio Bordin, Watercolour
6. Anna Black, Watercolour
7. Neil Davidson, Pen
8. Serious Erica ~ homage to John Bavaro, I-Phone
9. Straw Herring, Watersoluble pencils
10. Anne Watkins - Artist, Fineliners
11. Frank V2 - Homage to Sue Rama, Digital (Photoshop)
12. The Happy Painter, Mixed Media
13. Hans 3/Peter Vanayk Fineliners

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

You can see all of my JKPP portraits here
See my previous New Portraits and JKPP posts

Julia Kay's Portrait Party

A month ago today I stumbled across a new group on Flickr - Julia Kay's Portrait Party. The group's rules are simple, join the group and draw or paint portraits of other artists and invite other artists to draw you!

I’ve always wanted to paint portraits, but it’s not always easy to find the sitters in the ‘real world’. So this is a great pool of resource – not only photographic, but also for the inspiration of seeing everyone else's style and technique.

It’s such a motivation to have the encouragement and support of a thriving group of diverse artists like this!

In the last few weeks I’ve painted and drawn in totally new ways than I’m used to. And now that I’ve added my photos to the pool it’s a whole new joy to see the amazing and creative versions of me. Anne Watkins summed it up beautifully - waking up to find new portraits of herself was like finding love notes in a bottle – treasures flung across the unknown – from people she could not hear or touch, only see and imagine.

For a great description of the birth of the Portrait Party and it's exciting growth, see Julia's article on the Women's Voices for Change site.

Here are just a few of some of my favourite portraits, some of the portraits I've done, and some of the fab portraits of me!

1. Andrew Mirzoian by Mariah O'Neill
2. Gila Rayberg by Jennifer Lawson
3. Margaux B by R K Schlueter
4. Peter Vanayk by me
5. NC Mallory by me
6. Me by NC Mallory
7. Wally Torta by me
8. NC Mallory by Wally Torta
9. Me by Sean Cronin
10. Sean Cronin by Timothy Schorre

To see more of the portraits or join the party go here
To check out Julia's great photostream go here

It was so difficult to choose just a few favourites that I'll be posting more soon!

The Patrick Connection - A slideshow of the Exhibition

Interview with an Artist - Thomas Whetnall

Tom studied Illustration at the University of Westminster. A mixed media artist and illustrator, his work ranges from detailed pen and ink drawings to painterly digital designs. He has recently designed a series of health promotion illustrations for the NHS in Wandsworth, so you may have seen his work on the side of London buses or in the London Underground. You can see more of Tom's work at http://www.whetnall.com/.

Name: Thomas Whetnall

How would you define your artistic style? Slightly odd inky drawings

When did you start? 2004 ish

What is your favourite media and why? I like cheep, water soluble ink. It's unpredictable and interesting to work with. I can go through loads of it without worrying.

How long does it usually take you to complete an artwork? An individual drawing will take an hour at most. Formulating an image and making a version i'm happy with can take ages though.

What advice would you give other budding artists? Don't over think. It will ruin every thing.

What or who is your inspiration? Nature, science and history.

Which artist, past or present would you most like to meet? Meeting a caveman would be pretty neat. or leonardo da vinci.

Do you find art relaxing? No, it is stimulating.

Which is your favourite gallery and why? The natural history museum, because you can't improve on the marvels of nature.

How do you define Art? Illustration of nothing in particular.

For more of Thomas's work see his website and blog:

http://thomaswhetnall.blogspot.com/