HAppy Christmas

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Season's greetings

The Eynsham Morris sets out once more on the shortest day ... but wait who is that running to catch up? Armaleggan Morris have sent 'Old Harry' to harass and make mischief!

Detail from Christmas Card

We have turned the heating on at last so I am a bit warmer and am no longer painting in two fleeces and a warm scarf. I am about to varnish three small oil paintings for inclusion in the Eynsham Arts Group Exhibition which starts on the 22nd of November. All will be suitable for Christmas gifts.

Experiment

Still drawing my Christmas card. I have shown you a section where I was playing around with Photoshop filters. Experimenting/playing in Photoshop is fun as nothing is lost.

It is flipping cold in the studio and I am reluctant to turn on the heating. So I am going to be doing a lot more drawing this winter as my room is the warmest place in the house.

Christmas Card 2008

Started work on my Christmas card with the idea that I wanted an image of Eynsham Morris trudging through the snow. This time of year the light goes early and my studio is cold. So I am working in Photoshop in my warm bedroom. The drawing is unfinished but I had some fun using the 'filters' in Photoshop

Christmas gifts

I am now painting Christmas gifts for friends and family so will not be blogging pictures for the next few weeks. They'll have to wait until Christmas day to see what they will get!

Judging from the number of Google hits I am getting for 'painting Christmas cards' this is the time of year everyone is getting creative. I am very impressed by the number of Americans who make their gifts. My children, who are now adults, plead to be allow to buy something for me instead of my usual request for them to make me a self portrait. My ex mother-in-law got full brownie points for her knitted mittens etc.

Christmas Card, Finished

Christmas Card, Work in progress, 3

Close up of the Christmas Fairy. I have each colour on a separate layer ... sometimes multiple versions of each layer set to a different effect and opacity. The advantage of using Photoshop is that I can explore and experiment. I have not blocked the colour in over the whole image yet as I keep getting caught up in the detail on screen forgetting the bigger picture. A bad practice!

Christmas Card, Work in progress, 2

Christmas Card, Work in progress

I am working in Photoshop.
The Christmas decorations hanging on the tree are a Nut Cracker in the form of a Eynsham Morris Dancer with their green watering. The can holds their beer when they are dancing and it is the job of the youngest member to see that it is kept full. The dancers have their own pewter mugs. The fairy is my grand-daughter.

Christmas card rough

Morris dancer nutcracker tree decoration
Pencil sketch