My creative process – March 2014

My latest achievement. This one measures 25 x 38 cm and took roughly 10 hours to complete over three days. It’s based on a photo taken in the 1950s by Reno Wideson.

 

Obviously, I have taken certain liberties with this reference photo. I have chosen to emphasise some areas more than others for visual effect and to alter the focal point away from the surround landscape and more to the village itself. I am happy with the overall result, especially the prickly pear which I have added to the foreground (these cactus figs are known as baboutsosyka or baboutsa is Cyprus). I am still using a hot-press watercolour paper and a range of pencils from light and hard (2H) all the way up to soft and dark (6B). The darker pencils provide a rough texture which is ideal for drawing foliage, rocks or stone work. The light and hard pencils provide a smooth even finish which is fine for the houses in the picture.

Below is my third pencil drawing for my Tales of Cyprus Exhibition.

As you can see I am working of this vintage postcard. The photo was taken in the village of Panayia in Paphos. It took about 12 hours over three days to complete. Once again, I sacrificed sleep to get the job done.

This time I have documented the process from start to finish. The following four photos show the stages of development and the time it took to complete each stage.

AFTER TWO HOURS

 

AFTER FOUR HOURS

 

AFTER 8 HOURS

 

AFTER 12 HOURS