BEHIND THE SCENES: TRICKS AND TIPS OF THE TRADE
Another chance to lift the lid and find out some expert tips on creating artwork.
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
You make it look so easy. How do you do it?
Looks can be deceiving! I assure you there are definitely challenges I encounter and have to work through. For example, I’ve never created a bay horse artwork before, so it took me a long while to achieve the right colour and tonal variations. (As a point of interest, I created the grey stallion using about 3 – 4 different colours whereas the bay mare required 12 – 14 colours, so you can just imagine the extra complications I encountered.)
Over the past couple of years, I’ve come to learn that if an area isn’t quite going right, the best thing to do is to move on to another section and then go back to the ‘problem’ area. This process gives me time and space away so that when I come back to correct it, I’m back in flow rather than over-thinking or pushing things which aren’t working.
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
Why is it important to name / title your artwork?
I spend so long creating my work that by the time it is finished, it has become so much more to me than a drawing. Each piece exudes a unique personality so I feel they deserve to be characterised and named. Sometimes I instinctively know what to name a piece right from the start, other times it develops while I'm working.
The name 'Excalibur' came to me immediately when I began work on the grey stallion. I knew I needed a strong, powerful, masculine-sounding name and as 'Excalibur' is the legendary sword of King Arthur, it seemed perfectly fitting for him.
It took me a little longer to settle on the name for the bay mare. I wanted something pretty and elegant that gracefully rolled off the tongue, so I eventually concluded on 'Callisto'. There are various Greek myths and legends associated with the name, and when I discovered it means 'the most beautiful', I knew it was just right for her.
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
What are the key points to making realistic-looking artwork?
The top priority is the glint and glisten of the eyes so it’s imperative to boldly add in the white points that make the eye sparkle above anything else. This is likely to consist of a large speck near the pupil and a thin line or few dots that follow the edge of the eyeball and eyelid. These areas are further enhanced with a hard, defined black line to complete the rest of the eyeball shape. You will notice that as the dark shadows retreat into the paper, the white highlights are brought forward and pop out of the artwork. The key is to look very closely at your reference image and continually check back-and-forth that you are replicating the same shapes, lines and colours.
Why is it so important to work in layers?
Building up layers of pastel not only allows for sufficient coverage over the pastelmat (specialist paper), but it creates a smooth, sometimes buttery-like texture, that means the different tones are able to blend more seamlessly into each other. I always start off with block pastels to get down as much pastel on the paper as possible and I build on top of this with further tones, particularly enhancing specific shapes with lighter or darker colours where necessary. I then finish off the features using pastel pencils for extra detail. Depending on the required texture needed, sometimes I use blunt pencils to soften and blend areas and other times I use very sharp pencils to add fine, precise lines.
Any other tips or pointers?
How often have you put something in the bin declaring it’s rubbish when it’s not even half-way finished? My advice is not to judge your work before it is finished. An artwork requires time and patience and often goes through a phase where you know it isn’t right and looks a bit messy, but remember, this is an evolutionary phase. It is ok – trust me – I know. The key is to remain confident in the knowledge that it is still growing and it holds lots of potential to become a beautiful, finished art piece. Every ugly duckling can turn into a swan, so don’t label it before it’s had chance to mature.
Follow your passion. Great artwork comes when you allow yourself to be creatively inspired and are loving what you are working on. It can sometimes be hard to pluck an idea out of the sky, so searching around on the internet or Instagram is a great way to see what sparks your interest and sprouts new thoughts.
Know that practice really does make perfect; you can't expect to become an expert overnight! Practice enables you to become familiar with the products / medium you are using, and it is often the best way to learn. Making mistakes along the way teaches you lessons for the future. It’s taken me years to get to my current level of skills and I know that I still have further to go in extending my abilities. Learning never stops!
Comparison of a drawing from 2000 to pastel artwork created in 2022
