Author Archives: patrickhedges

“African Future” – work in Progress

by

2

Here’s a small kid I came across in Namibia some months ago. Whenever I do a portrait of my choice (in other words, not a commission), I make certain I have a reason for doing it. In this case, it was the boy’s expression which shouted “paint me”.

I’m using Art Spectrum Colourfix, Terra Cotta colour which will help the skin really come to life. I’ve done my gridded drawing on a separate sheet of paper and then transferred it to the colourfix. I’m working mostly with Conte pastel pencils and a few assorted pastel sticks. The sixe is 18″ x 12″

These two shots show some of the colours I’ve been using, first in the eyes and then around the mouth area.

And this is where I am up to now

The Emu Tryptich

by

4

I finished my final emu for a tryptich. They are all scratchboard and all completed almost 100% with a fibreglass brush, and all done on black boards. They will also all be framed together. I had the plan that the one on the left would look feminine, the one on the right masculine (a ladies man as a friend says) and the one in the middle could be either/or. I also wanted the one in the middle to dominate and the others to direct the viewers attention to the middle.

Here’s the final one and then the tryptich below

Don’t peck my eyes out

by

1

Emus are amazing birds. They seem so inquisitive, come right up to you and always look like they are going to peck your eyes out. I solve this by hiding behind a camera lens, but then I’m worried about having a bill for hundreds of dollars to fix my lens. Anyway, it’s never happened yet but it is very unnerving when that large beak and huge eye is only a few inches away from your own face and staring straight at you. This is another small scratchboard to go with a previous one to eventually be a tryptich like below.

Scratchboard swap

by

1

Recently I organised a large swap of scratchboard art. Twenty artists from the WetCanvas forum all got paired up and told each other what they want to receive. I asked for a primate and got a lovely colobus monkey, and I was asked for something equine so I came up with this horse. Scratchboard coloured with watercolours on the horse and oils on the sky and bushes. Just a small piece at 5×7

First stage

Second stage

Final stage

Scratchboard Society in the pipes

by

4

A group of us scratchboard artists are working through the process of establishing ISSA, International Society of Scratchboard Artists. The goals are to drive scratchboard into greater recognition as the fine art medium that it is, and to provide exhibitions and workshops around the world for scratchboard artists to show their work and to increase their education in the medium. There are many of us out there, thousands possibly, and there isn’t any entity representing us – until soon. Watch this space over the coming months for more information so if you wish to try your hand at scratchboard, there will soon be a good support system in place.

Here’s a recent selection of my work