We Are Not Amused (part 2)

(Continued from http://alvinmarktan.blogspot.it/2015/09/we-are-not-amused-part-1.html)

This is George, the handsome British Short fur I spent some time with.

It was a bit tricky painting him. You'll see why, here's a video of the portrait session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSDDBnhdMV8

By London's standards, this was a great day to paint Big Ben from South Bank.

This is the probably most dangerous street I passed by - Abbey Road right off Abbey Studios. 

The tourists there just want to get that Beatles Zebra Crossing pose!

Opposite the National Portrait Gallery at Pret A Manger sketching while it's drizzling outside. 

On now is the BP 2015 Awards Show.

I got another private session at The National Gallery. This time, I'm in room 23 with Rembrandt. 

 See me sketch live at Trafalgar Square! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k241Qef-5nY

If I'm not in the tube sketching, I'll be on the double decker buses catching the sights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udk1EmKf_j4

Picked up my new cards at Box Park in Shoreditch.

If you would like to have these and happen to be in Singapore.

Here's a link to a group show that I'm currently in to pick them up.

https://www.citynomads.com/events/art/5945/studying-life-exhibition-artistry

We Are Not Amused (part 1)

I spent 2 weeks of summer in the United Kingdom. My primary task there was to cat sit a friend's feline.  But in between feeding George, cleaning his poop and giving him some love, I get to explore London! Here are the highlights from the short getaway I did. 

Police on patrol at Camden Lock

Strolling down the enchanting pathway along the canal around the Camden Lock area.

Spent the morning at Parliament Square painting this. I'm definitely enjoying all this space in the city. 

Watch me paint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEN8AHiEp6A

Yes, the weather has its moments. When it rains, everyone rushes into a museum. :) 

This one is the Natural History Museum. Many of the big museums are free to enter. That is indeed amazing!! 

This sketch is from the main entrance of the Natural History Museum. Did you know that the stegosaur is a vegetarian? 

Dropped by the Kenwood House at Hampstead Heath. My former schoolmate (a local Londoner) and I were surprised to see so many good painting on display here. Check out the cost of Gainsborough's works in the late 1800's. Yup! In sterling pounds.

I went to the London Zoo. Tip: Purchase the ticket online, it's cheaper that way. This is inside the butterfly "garden". While photographing them, a few settled comfortably on me. Here's one of them. 

This was my first sketch at the zoo

I'm glad there are so many Indian eat-outs. I had it almost everyday. Even when buying groceries, it was my first choice. The Southern Indian restaurant above is Saravanaa Bhavan at Ilford. I met a schoolmate's family there. 

To see more sketches, go here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.879116155479769.1073741863.312232912168099&type=3

alvinmark.com

It's finally live!! My official art website is online! If you have not seen it, click here to view it:

alvinmark.com  

For those of you who want a behind the scenes of what to expect on the site, 

I will give a breakdown of the navigation on this blog post.  

HOME: 

This is the HOME page. You can arrive on this landing page from many sources like a QR code or a link from the internet. You will be introduced to my logo right at the top where the texture will change from time to time.  The animated gif, too, that takes centre stage will be replaced with new images every now and then.  This home page will evolve eventually, I may insert important news bites or things like a running ticker at the bottom. So keep checking.  And of course I have the navigation part. The other 5 categories are ABOUT, GALLERY, SHOP, BLOG [you're looking at it now :) ] and CONNECT. 

ABOUT:

This page tells you about my journey from Graphic Design to Painter and all the juicy bits in between.  This could also double up as a Media Kit and resume.  Some photos are also added to show snippets of my journey.  

GALLERY:

This page is why this website was built in the first place - to showcase my work.  It is broken down into 7 categories: Anatomy Studies, Plein Air, Portraiture, Still Life, Academic Work, Illustration, and Commission. Clicking on each image you will take you to a sub-page within the gallery to view individual works. 

Here's an example of what you might find inside (for example) the STILL LIFE sub category.

SHOP:

The next page is my SHOP. Here is where you can buy original work, high quality prints (from Society 6), books or the tutorials I have made. Every cent you spend on this page supports my journey as an artist: Studio bills, model fees, art materials, upgrading skills, exhibitions, brain food, etc.  

CONNECT:

This last page is where you contact me and make enquiries should you be interested in buying my art or hiring me as an artist.  You can also find links to follow me wherever you can on the various social media sites.  

Exhibition: Studying Life

Just a quick shoutout:
I'm in a group show with 2 other fantastic realist artists - Sara Chong and Yanyun Chen. 

Come see our Art if you are in Singapore!! 

Studying Life puts together an array of representational works, including landscapes, portraits and still lives by artists Alvin Mark Tan, Sara Chong and Yanyun Chen. Each of them has been trained in acclaimed ateliers in Florence and Sweden for a period of one to three years. 

This Exhibition runs from 15 September - 4 October 2015 at Artistry,
from Tue-Sun, 10am to 7pm. 

More info ––> https://www.citynomads.com/events/art/5945/studying-life-exhibition-artistry

Artistry

17 Jalan Pinang, Singapore, 199149

http://artistryspace.com/

La Natura Morta (The Still Life)

Ciao from Florence!! I realised I haven't been painting any Italian themed still life pieces, so here are three small studies of what I see a lot of around me.  I was told that you see more reds growing during the summers than any other time of the year. And since we're in the season, I should take the opportunity to paint what's typical of the summers here -  your orangey reds.  I must point out that watermelons are this summer's favourite for me.

Some of these paintings have a demo video link attached to them. So enjoy the not so still life clips while it's still free!! :) 

 Cocomero

(Watermelons)

Oil on Wood

20cm x 30cm

Pomodoro e Aglio

(Tomato & Garlic)

Oil on Canvas board

15cm x 20cm

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdIuv5AyAIE

Macina Cafe

(The Coffee Grinder)

Oil on Canvas board

20cm x 30cm

Video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEr2WmvPRY

These original paintings are up for grabs. so message me if you are interested.

Copying Caravaggio

I am assisting in a couple of summer workshops for 2015. This one is that I am blogging about is called the Methods of the Old Masters, specifically focused on Caravaggio's technique of painting.  I chose to work on The Inspiration of St Matthew (1602), which can be viewed currently at the church of San Luigi dei Francesi (in the French quarters), Rome.  I was also fortunate enough to see the original piece a couple of months back before attempting this project. 

Here's recapping the process of recreating the masterpiece by Caravaggio:

First step is the drawing stage. Burnt Umber (Old Holland) is used to get the fundamental shapes down. Burnt Umber is also used to prepare for the black coat of paint later on. It keeps the blacks really black, and also prevents the blacks from excessive sinking in. Another layer of Burnt Umber is applied after the first is dried. 

White is added to the lighter areas of the picture to prepare it for colour application later. 

Here is a quick study of the flesh tones on another piece of canvas.

Finally, I applied a thin coat of colour to the opaque white base that I had before. Think of it as a stained glass, where the opaque white base is the sunlight, and the thin coat of colour is the coloured glass. The brilliance of the lighter areas seen on the angel above is actually luminance from the opaque white base. 

Finally, bringing the entire painting to a finish. 

If you are interested in more of my art, be sure to follow me here:

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

http://instagram.com/alvinmark

My Oily Summer Begins

I grew up in a place where it's virtually summer all year round. Also, where I come from, you only get 2 weeks of vacation a year, maybe up to 6 weeks if you are in school. Here in Florence, Italy, I have to abide by the rules of nature which constantly changes throughout the year. 

It's summer now! Something I am familiar with. The temperatures hover around 32 º Celsius in this month of June.  It's when many Italians head out to the beach.  For some artists like myself, we choose to spend our time painting in the great outdoors! There is no better way to learn from nature itself! I just spent 2 weeks assisting in a landscape workshop here in Florence. These are some of the highlights. 

Warm-up copy practice before the outdoor sessions began.

This is the Soltek Easel I use. No complains at this point. 

(Am I missing cast painting?)

 This view of Palazzo Vecchio is from the Bardini Gardens. 

I was tired of painting greens, so I painted one of the students instead.

This piece done at the big park in Pratolino reminds me of concept art. 

The sculpture in my painting is called Il Gigante.

Some of the participants right by the Arno river painting a sunset.

Painting a sunset requires a lot of anticipation or painting ahead of time,

 before the magic hour from about 8.00pm - 9.00pm.

To follow more of my plein air works, click the link below:

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