"Just Put it in Front of Buckingham Palace" He Said
Art Monday Series
Post 6
This just may come as an answer back to you
when you ask your younger brother what can be the perfect backdrop for your
Rolls Royce painting. Indeed, my friend – I should have known better than to
pose the question like that. But guess what? I did exactly what he suggested,
and the client (who has the biggest collection of my aquarelle paintings to
date) was thrilled with the idea. He of course, wanted his car to be the star,
and the background was up to me.
Thing is, I love painting architecture and
all its many details, especially the perspective and the angles. I guess my
brother new precisely how to get me to paint my next challenge at that time. So,
the painting of the Rolls-Royce Phantom III
Drophead Coupé in Front of the Buckingham Palace was another exciting smaller
project, within the large project I was managing for this business client in
West London.
The First Thing
All my aquarelle paintings
start with a pencil drawing. This is usually a light free hand drawn sketch to
satisfy my mind and the eye that I have got the perspective of the scene right.
When there are buildings involved this involves rulers and takes proper
perspective into account, of course. Otherwise, it wouldn’t look realistic
enough. But when it comes to drawing or painting cars, every detail has to be
right where it is – otherwise, you might end up designing something new. It has
to be recognisable in those key details and the proportions have to be
absolutely correct for it to work. I have painted that many cars that I can
take you step by step through the whole process.
The Palace and the
Background
Because the Buckingham
Palace was the backdrop for this painting, and not the main subject, it had to
be painted before the car. Starting with the sky and trees (I really wanted to
avoid any fussy details here, just clean and simple shapes and the colours as
my eyes saw them.) Of course, the palace itself was really fun to paint. I
actually used a reference photo that I had taken previously at a change of
guards occasion where many spectators were gathered. I wanted to include them,
too. When it’s a ball – we might as well have the whole thing. And besides, I
wanted to put a smile on my brother’s face, as his suggestion was half-joke,
but I took that other half and accepted the challenge.
The RR Itself
I think this was one of the
most straight forward cars I have ever painted. Because it was set in this
scene, all it had to do was balance the palace, and I think it does that pretty
well. Its lines are so lovely and nothing on it was challenging me as a painter
– it was just joy and bliss. I wish I could say the same for the drummers, as
they seem to be marching to the beat of their own drum, but that is what brings
a huge smile to my face, even now as I write this to you. I hope you are
smiling and I hope you will like this little story that wanted to be shared
today.
For those interested, yes,
my brother was impressed and very proud of me. I guess what makes car paintings
that much more exciting to compose is that you are not restricted when it comes
to where you want to park your car for a moment – a moment that will last a
lifetime in a painting. I love cars and driving, so it won’t come as a surprise
to you when you hear that painting cars will forever be one of my favourite
subjects.
Remember – You Are Safe Here
This is the sacred place between our souls. Thank you for sharing your visions, dreams and ideas. Your courage to be vulnerably seen will always be respected, and you will be treated with nothing but kindness and compassion. ♡
P.S. One to pin and save for later? You're welcome!
P.S. One to pin and save for later? You're welcome!
Comments
Post a Comment