Natural Realism – That's a wrap!

My working trip back to Singapore came and went in a flash! My 3-week stay including a short Christmas break to see my family in Perth whizzed by before you can even say Merry Christmas! 

One thing stood out very clearly and that was the love that was showered over me to make my stay a pleasant one. Because of that, despite the little sleep I had, it kept me going until the last day of the show.  Everyone had great reviews, and I sold quite a number of pieces that will see me through the rest of the programme at Angel Academy.  The books were a hit too! It sold like hotcakes despite not being there physically on the first 2 days of the show.  I am truly grateful and am encouraged to do great work this coming new year! Looking forward to Natural Realism - part 2!!  :)

Here are highlights of the Natural Realism (part one): 

 Minutes before the opening at That Spare Room.

  Some oil pieces up-close.

  Weekend visitors to the gallery

Near closing-time, people still trickle in.

  I was present 24/7 and gave private tours to my guests.

 Ciao Firenze! is my latest sketchbook journal out on sale! 

Here is the list of people that made my show a success and my stay in Singapore amazing... in fact, because of you, I'm rethinking about coming back to Singapore after my studies (not good... hahaha):

Miranda - Homestay and a whole load of other things –– you were too generous!! What were you thinking?

Rowena - Thank you for the rides, the company, the scrambling on the last day and
the work that had to be done even after my return to Italy... and many more to mention!! 

Chit Seng - For assisting me at Ikea and framing most of the art + set-up day

Pheck Choo - For your chauffeur services especially on tear-down day and 
post-show delivery services...with a smile! 

My patrons: 
• To my international group of backers who saw my vision to run a show and publish books despite 
the countless No's from at least 5 organisations/ foundations... thank you for believing in me!

• To my art collectors, thank you for purchasing my art/ prints/ books. 
This will allow me to pave way for new works!

My visitors:
• My kindergarten, primary and secondary school mates. My college schoolmate even dropped by! 

• My team mates from the years I had a lot of chlorine in my hair.

• My fellow artists - USKSG! Amazing support always from you guys! And many other art groups that popped in. It's always good to know so many like-minded people in SG.

• My new realist friends: Sara, YY and Bindi. Let's paint the town red... especially the white part of the flag.

• My former colleagues at SPH. Thank you for following my work on FB after all these years!

• My random friends from all over town that popped in to greet me. Thank you for the surprise!

To my curators Zaihan and Eve and 
Juwanda who offered me a good deal for the rental of That Spare Room.

(Have I left out anyone? Gulp!)

Natural Realism (part one)

Great news! The show has been extended to Dec 17 (Sat). 

So if you missed it, now you know you can happily head on down 

to The Spare Room. 

Naturally Alvin

My school, Angel Academy of Art, just published this on their blog!!

https://angelacademyflorence.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/naturally-alvin/

Prep Day for Natural Realism (part one)

Here's a clip I made on the setting up day 24 hours before the show opens.  It's been a wild ride and lots of very, very late nights... but well worth it.  I'm glad to be able to introduce a little of Natural Realism to this part of the world.  So if you are in Singapore, do pop by That Spare Room to check out my paintings and book!

http://youtu.be/NH9Fbv3h_34

Can't wait for the opening in a couple of hours...  :)

Exhibition poster

If you are in Singapore during the dates mentioned below, 

come check out my show at That Spare Room! 

Five reasons to come see the show:

1. Nothing beats seeing the original. Be it DaVinci's Mona Lisa or Bouguereaus's The Birth of Venus, going to the museum and seeing it live is the best thing you can do for yourself. No printed book or online image come close to the actual artwork.

2. If you want to understand what the basis of measure is for art as oppose to a "I feel like doing this".

3. Want to know what I've been working on the last 20 months?

4. You love supporting artists... like me. :)

5. "I have nothing better to do!"

Figures en grisaille

And so the term ends concluding my 5th trimester leading into this winter break...

The big concepts are slowly sinking in. At this rate, I'm guessing it'll take me another 8 more years for it to be driven deep into the fibres of my being; until I know it inside out. But that's what learning is all about. Yes, slow is good; and we all know that to be a maestro or virtuoso of any field takes an incredible amount of discipline and time.

One big lesson that took me all these months for it to finally "click" is simple the use of the biggest, fattest brush I have. It may sounds like a small issue for some, but for me, it was a big light bulb that I will light for the rest of life. :) 

The eureka moment for me took days to happen; and it occurred during my live model studies in grisaille. Using small brushes accounted for all my chicken scratches in the painting. But the minute I switched to a larger brush...Voilà! The magic happens! Even at 2nd painting stage the big brush took care of all my needs in an instant. Also, using the softer mongoose brushes assisted in the smooth finishings that were required.  It's so important to be able to use the best tools available.

Here are the 2 figures not oiled in just yet: 

70cm x 50cm

Figure in grisaille with a warm tone background

80cm x 40cm

Full Grisaille

(Both pieces will be exhibited at my coming show in Singapore.)

"Always use the largest brush. Pick a brush, now use one that is twice the size."

-  Singer Sargent

Painting Gestures

Recently, I've been on the look out for poses with dynamic gestures to paint. Previously, my prerequisite for choosing a pose to work on was that I had to be able to include the model's face. This particular piece, however, includes both requirements - from this 3/4 view, the model's right arm forms an "S" curve which flows through the right leg. This is a three 25-minute sitting. 

Within the first block, I had managed to capture the gesture and placed a generic skin tone throughout this 35cm figure. 

During the 2nd block of 25 minutes, I focused on the model's torso and arm. There was a little more time, so I worked on her facial features. 

During the final segment of the session, I worked briefly on the lower part of the figure and then went back up to further tighten up the model's features and torso, keeping in mind that the torso will look more rendered than the bottom half of the figure. 

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If you are interested in getting my sketchbook of short poses, Figuring Out - the long and short of it, the link is right here:
https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/products/figuring-out-the-long-and-short-of-it

Behind the art - Becky's Arm

This is the final cast I studied on before moving to the still-life series.  For this project, I added drapery and a chain for that extra bit of challenge that will aid in the understanding while working on my future still-life projects. 4 weeks were spent on the project with the 1st two weeks doing it up to first painting stage and the last two weeks on 2nd painting. 

 Gesture of the arm is sketched out using raw umber on a grey value #3 campitura.

  Once the big shapes are down, details are added onto the canvas.

  Dead colouring or graphic colouring is up next. Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson are introduced to my limited palette of black, white, raw umber and cadmium orange (Old Holland).

Big form modelling is applied to the arm and drapery.

 1st painting adds rough basic planes to sub-divide the big form modelling but at the same time maintaining it. Hints of the chain is also also suggested.

Finally, every single muscle of the arm is being brought to a fine finish in 2nd painting where the sub forms are further broken into sub-sub forms. Background drapery is tidied up giving the piece a high finished look. 

- fin -  

Alvin Mark Kick Starter

Ciao from Italy!!! 

I am re-printing the 2nd edition of Thirty Days on the Camino and another similar sketch journal about the city I live in - Florence. 

I've been writing to foundations for some form of funding, but to date, it's either a "no" or no reply. Time is running out because of the printing dateline. And so I set-up my own personal kick-starter to get things going. Please support me in anyway you can: 1) By buying art or 2) by referring to people you know who may be interested in purchasing. More art will be posted during the week… so stay-tuned. Thank you for your time!

https://www.facebook.com/supportalvinmark

Sincerely, 

Alvin Mark

The Short Pose

The short pose can range anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 mins or even 15 mins long. Many of the positions are dynamic in nature, especially the shorter timed ones.  That's also when the models can hold poses that they cannot for the longer 2-hour, day or 3-week sessions.  

Why do I do them?

Being able to sketch these super yoga-like poses allows me to focus on what's important - the gesture or the line of action.  This is the basic foundation of any figurative work.  It keeps my drawings loose and I can churn out as many as 25 sketches per session! Good pencil mileage there!  The build-up of of all these short pose sessions will eventually help me in my artistic design of the human figure. Gestures are empirical and not mathematical. You get better but doing more of them! 

Here are some of my recent studies: 

2 mins with a china marker

5 mins each with a china marker

10 mins with ink

1 min with a china marker

5 mins with a china marker

1 min with a china marker

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If you are interested in getting my sketchbook of short poses, Figuring Out - the long and short of it, the link is right here:
https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/products/figuring-out-the-long-and-short-of-it

New Videos Out!!

Recently, I did a project with il Santo Bevitore for their menu covers and I took the opportunity to record the sketch process inside the kitchen. I've had numerous requests on how I sketch moving objects, specifically people, so I did I tutorial on it too.  The paid tutorial will be for those who are interested in the technicality of sketching in such a situation and will be downloadable. The free time-lapse of the sketch process will be available as a streaming only video. 

https://gumroad.com/l/cBRD

downloadable (€2)

7 min video

 https://gumroad.com/l/GZoa

streaming only (free) 

7 min video

Instructions for those using Gum Road for the first time:

(The time-lapse clip is free for now, so check it out!!)

1. Click on "I Want This"

2. Enter "0" for € is unless you feel compelled to support the artist. 

3. And then key in your email address.

(You should immediately see a "play" button.)

If you know of friends that might enjoy this, please forward them this link. Thank you!!  :)

 Other videos can be found on my account on Gum Road.

Aurora - the process

Aurora is 'dawn' in Italian. In the Dawn tomb of Lorenzo di Medici at the Medici Chapel is a sculpture piece by Michelangelo. Click here for a link to see the full-sized reclining figure. 

Recently, I completed a 13-week study on the bust of Dawn. Why did it take 13 weeks and not 13 hours?  Simply because oil paint is built on layers and the method of achieving a highly finished piece of work demands this kind of attention.  Here are the main steps to the process in case you might like to try this out someday! 

So I begin with a 50cm x 70cm campitura of a value #3. 

The most important step is the foundation and this is the drawing phase. I spend a lot of time on this section to make sure all the shapes are in place. A little shadow is added to help me see those shapes better.

 The next phase is the dead colouring phase where basic colours are laid down.

 Here is where I begin to do a general gradation of colours to bring out the big form of the volumes. This is where values and ideas like fall of light come to play.

The 1st painting stage breaks down the general big form modelling into smaller fragments.

Finally, the 2nd painting focuses on the even smaller sub-forms and brings this piece to a high-quality finish.

If you would like to follow my art on Facebook, go here:

https://www.facebook.com/alvinmark.art

Time-lapse of mobile book vendor sketch

Hi from the streets of Florence!

The mobile book vendor is a really neat idea. Selling books wherever you want without the overhead costs... click on the link below to see my sketch process...

https://gumroad.com/l/ljlt

Instructions for those using Gum Road for the first time:

(This mobile book vendor clip is free now! Limited to the first 100 viewers.)

1. Click on "I Want This"

2. Enter "0" for € is unless you feel compelled to support the artist - me. 

3. And then key in your email address.

(You should immediately see a "play" button.)

If you know of friends who might enjoy this, please forward them this link. Thank you!!  :)

 Other videos can be found here --> Gum Road.

Time-lapse: Via dei Neri (facing the Duomo)

Here's a demo of the sketch I did recently on Via dei Neri. 

The Duomo, from Via dei Neri,

30cm x 42cm

ink on Fabriano

Click here for the video:

https://gumroad.com/l/orHr

Instructions for those using Gum Road for the first time:

(This Via dei Neri clip is free for now, so check it out!!)

1. Click on "I Want This"

2. Enter "0" for € is unless you feel compelled to support the artist - me. 

3. And then key in your email address.

(You should immediately see a "play" button.)

Do send me feedback about using this platform. 
If you know of friends that might enjoy this, please forward them this link. Thank you!!  :)

 Other videos can be found on my account on Gum Road.

Arno River Plein Air

A fellow artist and great friend of mine pointed me to a location south east of the Arno river about a 15 minute bike ride from my place. Not too far at all if you ask me. 

Over the locked gate I climb and down to the banks of the Arno is where I set up my station. Near this spot is a mini dam that cuts across the river diagonally. Across from me is a semi grassy patch where people come to get a tan or have a picnic if they so wish.  I've got my brushes and paints ready, coupled with the calming sound of the made made mini waterfall in front of me and the breezy autumn sun behind my back, I begin this plein air session...

Rough sketch on the 30cm x 40cm wood panel with some raw umber. 

Next, I plant in the local colours in its right value. 

 Orange-brown pigments are added next on the roofs of this privately owned estate. I continue to chisel more into the shapes.

Finally, I add little scrubs of paint here and there for effects like windows, water reflections, people, etc... and focus on edge quality. 

Be Our Guest!

I had an incredible summer here in Florence! :) 

It has come to a close. The freak hail storm this afternoon that made Florence look like it just snowed was the unofficial MET announcement saying, "It's Autumn!" There'll be fewer of my outdoor ink sketch postings. But I will continue to put work out from the studio. So stay tune for that as you follow me here and on my Facebook Art Page. 

8 pieces of my ink sketches were selected for the new menu covers at Il Santo Bevitore Restaurant in Florence. Formerly a horse carriage stop, it evolved into a motorcar garage and finally, a restaurant. 6 of the menus feature the behind the scenes in the restaurant, from main kitchen to dessert kitchen to private dinning area, not to mention also, the aperitif bar, Santino, two shops down. The other two are market scenes from my collection of Firenze sketches from 2014. 

 Main dining hall of Il Santo Bevitore. Incidentally, I took a really long time for this sketch... approximately 2.5 hours that came with 2 servings and a dessert. :)

 Main kitchen of Il Santo Bevitore

Mauro Frutta, Via dè Cerchi 16R 

Dessert Menu featuring dessert kitchen of Il Santo Bevitore 

 I was also able to design the layout for these menu covers

to ensure what needs to be shown will be shown. :)

Menu featuring Santino 

 The back page contains all my informational links so that customers

can contact me if they so wish to purchase or commission art.

Time-lapse: Cotton Candy Vendor

Cotton Candy Vendor

30cm x 42cm, Ink on Winsor and Newton Paper

Hi there!! The response from the first time-lapse video was incredible that I decided to produce another. This was shot during the night, so you can see how easily ink on paper can be applied even when the surrounding is dark. The focus on this looser ink sketch would be on shapes and basic values. I've also lengthened this clip to some extent so you'll see more happening as I sketch. 

Go here for the video:

https://gum.co/GGGr

Instructions for those using Gum Road for the first time:

(This Cotton Candy Vendor clip is free for now, so check it out!!)

1. Click on "I Want This"

2. Enter "0" for € is unless you want to share your lottery winnings :)

3. And then key in your email address.

(You should immediately see a "play" button.)

Do send me feedback about using this platform. If you know of friends that might enjoy this, please forward them this link. Thank you!!  :)

 Other videos can be found on my account on Gum Road.

Time-Lapse: Food Truck

Lampredottaro Food Truck

30cm x 42cm, Ink on Winsor and Newton Paper

Ciao people!! Some requests have been made for me to include videos to show my ink sketch process while on the streets.  I thought about it carefully and decided that the best way to produce a video that doesn't put one to sleep is by pumping up the speed of the clip and adding a neat audio track.  I've also created an account on Gum Road for this very purpose. So click on the link below for the video:

https://gumroad.com/l/bgsX

Instructions for those using Gum Road for the first time:

(This Food Truck video is free for now!!)

1. Click on "I Want This"

2. Enter "0" for € is unless you are feeling generous :)

3. And then key in your email address.

(You should immediately see a "play" button.)

Do send me feedback about using this platform. If you know of friends that might enjoy this, please forward them this blog page or Gum Road link.  Thank you and enjoy the clip! More to flow... if this is popular.  :)