Rebecca Lehmann - an artist's blog

2008-07-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

This was a very fun experiment: I plugged my new (cheap) graphics tablet into my husband's computer and painted this picture of my Siamese cat, Rufus in Photoshop using the Paintbrush and smudge tools.

Tiger snoozing

2008-07-12T02:22:00.001-07:00

No works in progress this time, I'm afraid. I have just been working flat out to get this last drawing finished ready to get it scanned and framed for my exhibition in August.

This is a tiger from the Wildlife Heritage Foundation photographed by Susan Hughes (thank you, Susan) who volunteers there. I have since made my own visit to the Foundation and have some lovely photographs to draw from: This should help me solve the eternal dilemma that precludes me from entering my work into the main juried shows in this country. They almost always make a point of not allowing artists to submit work that is based on photographic sources that do not belong to them, regardless of whether or not they have permission. I find this enfuriating, as it is rather elitist: many aspiring artists don't have the time, money or even skill to go out and take decent photographs to work from. Most zoo animals do not make good references for wildlife art, as they are often older and overweight due to their circumstances: but how on earth could I afford to go out into the wilds of India and stalk them for photos? Impossible! (This is where the WHF has been a godsend: their cats are mostly in excellent shape and are regularly stimulated by the keepers, so you can get photos of animals that are not completely static!).

The photograph question issue does little to test your artistic mettle - the only reason I can see for them enforcing it is due to potential copyright issues from unscrupulous artists that have not requested permission (or those people that do not have any understand of photographer's copyrights). Surely a simple contract between the artist and photographer could be produced upon request? Many of us are not priviledged enough to access Borneo's Orang-utan's: does that mean that people with more money/resources are at an advantage? probably, but then I guess the world has always operated like that! Diatribe over.

Here's my tiger drawing - this is a photograph of the drawing, pending a scan. Not the best representation of the drawing, as I had trouble with light and adjustments but it'll do for now.

Back from the framer's

2008-06-27T05:07:00.000-07:00

So here is my amur leopard back from the framers. I used a black frame with a white double mounting, which I'm really pleased with.

Yesterday my husband and I visited London to see the new Wildlife Artist of the Year competition organised by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation at the Mall Galleries. This is well worth a visit - especially to see my friend Marie's Amur Leopard. We then went on the the National Portrait Gallery to see the BP Portrait Award 2008. I was blown away by the photorealism of some of the oil pieces.... although not sure I would want my portrait to be photorealistic - why not just have a photo taken? - both exhibitions are free to enter and highly recommended!

Another piece ready for the framer

2008-06-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

So this is what I've been working on: my fighting common terns. This is a photo of the finished drawing, and not a great one, so I'll re-post once I get this drawing scanned properly. Many thanks to Fatih Sam for allowing me to use the source photo (a print will be on its way to you in the next couple of months!). Prints of this drawing will be available for sale on my website as well!

Here is a view of the drawing on my A1 drawing table for you to get some idea of size.

Yes it has gone a bit quiet from me....

2008-06-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

...But I have been very busy! I have recently applied for and been offered a new (but full-time) job using my creative skills. This is a great opportunity for me, but in the meantime, I'm trying to get my art-life sorted before I start working full time, as I'll only really have time to do commissions rather than work on exhibition work (although I'll see how it pans out).

I'm also rather excited because I have just got myself a graphics tablet, and I'm already finding it more comfortable than just a normal mouse: as an artist, I find the pen more comfortable, so I'm using that instead of a mouse. Obviously, I still unfortunately have to use a keyboard for typing, but one day, when voice recognition software because accessible and affordable for all, I should have a fab time! As my husband has just bought himself a new computer, I get the old one all to myself, and I've set myself up a mini office (see photo). Of course my drawing board has to stay in the other room, as there is not enough room for it in here!

Robert - finished

2008-05-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

So I've finished the portrait of the charming Robert. Having left all the leather until last makes drawing it more fun, because it all comes together at the end as you add more and more!

Robert update

2008-05-24T08:47:00.001-07:00

I know! it's Saturday and I've been working all day! what a good girl I am! Here's Robert a few hours later. One ear and the bridle to go!

Robert - horse head study

2008-05-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

Having had news that my exhibition has been delayed until August, it has given me the opportunity to work on this outstanding commission. This is an A4 sized head study of a horse called "Robert" (great name!). I'm working very dark, so it is taking a little longer. I'm leaving the bridle until last - I enjoy seeing the piece tie together once I start adding the various bits of leather and metal. Also adding any appropriate shadows to the areas around it instantly adds depth and perspective to the drawing.

Abysinnian in pastel

2008-05-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

i bought myself some velour pastel paper and did this drawing of an abysinnian cat. this is on A4 paper, and took approximately 4 hours to complete. I enjoyed working with a different medium, and find it really challenging working in colour when i'm not used to it! also velour blunts the pencil really quickly and it is very hard to get any detail. i'm going to do some more experiments with this paper (as i have quite a bit of it!), but am planning on trying to be a little more abstract and less fussy on the details, which for me will be a challenge in itself!

Amur Leopard - scanned

2008-05-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

now i've had this drawing professionally scanned, i thought i'd post that for you to see: the quality is way better than the photo i had originally taken...

Sleeping tabby

2008-04-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

look at this lovely boy! he's so cute and just like me beloved tabby cat daisy. i love their sleeping faces because their eyes and mouth 'smile'.

Leopard finished

2008-04-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

so here is the finished drawing. the photo is a little dark, i'm afraid, but the drawing will be professionally scanned eventually so i can make prints from it. the second photo gives you a sense of the size of the drawing. the desk is A1 sized.

more leopard

2008-04-04T02:33:00.000-07:00

this is slow progression, but i have to keep reminding myself this is a much bigger-than usual drawing! it's been challenging but enjoyable.

resumption of leopard drawing

2008-03-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

following my return from a wonderful break in cornwall, where i was lucky enough to see some cornish choughs in the wild (see photo), i have resumed my work on the drawing of the amur leopard.

(note: the second image was taken at night, lit by my desklamp, hence the glare on the left hand side).

cinderella

2008-03-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

i had previously let this go by without mention, but since my taking part in amateur dramatics forms a significant part of my creative persona, it would seem amiss not to say something about my having played the part of cinderella in a pantomime last month! it was rather fun and presented me with my first acting role since i was a child. it's been great for building my confidence, and now i'm looking for a bigger challenge by trying to get a role in a musical. here are a couple of photos of me as 'cinders'.

scan plan aborted

2008-03-13T07:50:00.001-07:00

well, here's the finished drawing - scanned at a local print shop and darkened slightly at home: this is as close as i can get it to the tones of the original (previous scans below are a bit lighter).

i and my husband have abandoned all hope of getting the beast of a scanner to work. we are now £21 out of pocket with a huge hunk of metal to dispose of (and i think we need to bear in mind the new weee directive when disposing of the thing!).

i'm too tired out from the whole episode to think about it, and now am looking forward to my break in cornwall!

oh, and the drawing

2008-03-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

this is the reason i'm so concerned about getting my scanner sorted (see below story). i shall have to PAY to have this drawing professionally scanned even though i have a profesional scanner. what cruelty is this?

anyway, the drawing is very nearly complete: more work on the tree the little fella is sitting on should suffice, and perhaps a readjustment of toning on some areas of his breast....

this does not scan, man!

2008-03-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

gosh, i'm so annoyed today! some time ago we acquired a lovely A3 Epson flatbed scanner: a bit of a beast, as it goes. she was worth nearly as much as our car back in 1997 (ah, the good old days!). with assurance from our benefactor that she is in working order, we set about finding her a new home on the carpet of the landing, where through the ensuing five or six weeks, she acquired a coarse layer of household dust (coarse because it consisted of identifiable items like pet hair and specks of cat litter... nice). but she was always in our view, as she was camped expectantly outside our bedroom door, much like her new compatriots, daisy and rufus the cats. (only difference is that the scanner did not claw at the carpet as soon as we stir in the mornings, begging for affection: she had written herself off long ago, 'neglect' being the place she had resigned herself to five years earlier).
it's hard to ignore a 25kg hunk of office beige metal outside your bedroom door for too long (we tried), but there was little point of introducing her to her adoptive mother, as she was missing an umbilicus: it would be cruel to place them together with no means of communication and electronic sustenance. at least in the hallway, she was cushioned with carpeting.
we duly acquired the necessary cable to unite scanner and cpu: like a nearly-fledged cuckoo chick she is far larger than the adoptive mother from which she will feed.
the preparation is complete: cable attached, power lead inserted, scanner driver downloaded - even instruction booklet downloaded and glanced at! (caring parents indeed!). the scanner comes to life! she hums and whirrs and even emits light to prove she is ready. yet she has been cruelly rejected by the computer. "there is a TWAIN error" (code for "i do not want to know - you already have a scanner, we don't need another one: i have already two printers connected and many obsolete printer drivers and god knows what else cluttering up my addled brain - i'm tired! leave me alone!").
we will leave her alone for tonight. we have tried everything including the classic restart option. i plan to mount a surprise attack some day next week when she's not expecting it - maybe when she's had some rest.
and if you think i'm guilty of anthropomorphosising my computer hardware, wait to you hear the conversations my cats have with each other!

Two new works

2008-03-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

so i'm currently working on two pieces at the moment. i made a start on an amur leopard which you can see here: i have taken a shot from a distance to give some idea of scale (see pencils at bottom of drawing table) - this is an SRA2 sheet of paper (slightly bigger than A2).

i had to stop the leopard drawing for a while, as i realised that i needed to get on with this little owl, which is due to be a birthday gift for a relative's special birthday. i plan on making prints from this drawing. i love this little british birds - small feisty looking little things! anyway, have to keep this brief, as the husband has been looming for ages, wanting to get back on the computer, and i'll be in trouble if i don't stop now....!

Busted!

2008-02-25T16:22:00.001-08:00

so here's the finished article. it's late and i'm tired from staying up till 12.30am finishing this, so i'd better keep it brief and go to bed!

staffie update

2008-02-13T11:16:00.001-08:00

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

2008-02-10T03:21:00.000-08:00

this is my latest work in progress: buster, a very exuberant staffie with a real lust for life! i got to meet him in person and was able to take the photos for the drawing myself (once he'd stopped leaping at the camera!).

Sweetie

2008-02-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

this has been quite a challenging study due to the lack of visible detail on the nose and eyes. i have tried to bring in the suggestion of detail that was lost in the photo without tipping the light balance too much. the photograph of the finished drawing was taken in low light on odd settings my husband left it on, so sorry about the poor quality of the photo - however, i thought this was better than a scan, as i lost the lightest tones, making large areas look flat where they were not!

smoother?

2008-01-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

i think i've cracked the background problem now. and even if you think i haven't, i do! plus i have another commission to get on with!

Great News!! first exhibition!

2008-01-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

well, firstly i want to share that i will be displaying a collection of my artwork in public for the first time this coming july. i know it seems like a long time away, but i have lots of drawings to get done! this is exciting as i work much better under pressure. my work will be shown at Acqua restaurant in faversham, kent.

and here is my pretty-much-finished seagull drawing. interestingly, it was only after seeing the photograph on the computer that i could see that a little more blending is required to get rid of some of those darker patches. but otherwise, i'm pretty happy with the final result.