It’s been a busy Summer of sport and I’ve been trying to find the time to share this results of my latest illustration; a depiction of Lords cricket ground in London. It’s often referred to as the ‘Home of cricket’ and has been idly on my to-do list for a while. With a spare day or two in the studio schedule I pulled this one out of the waiting artwork pile… perhaps it was a subconscious decision… but I hadn’t really appreciated that the Test matches would be live as I was painting.
The Ashes series may not have gone England’s way, but it has been entertaining. The same can be said for the painting; which was full of challenging crowd detail and difficult player poses. It’s remarkably hard to capture the figure at this scale with just a few lines! As usual, I hope my architectural details and colourful brushwork pull it all together. It should certainly make a nice addition to my growing Sports & Festivals collection.
Here’s some photos of the finished original. Acrylic and ink on acrylic paper. Roughly A3 in size and presented in a wide mount and white frame. I do like how the vibrant green checks of the outfield stand out, with the orange of the pavilion building making a nice contrast at the centre.
And below is a time-lapse capture of the painting. I’ve been enjoying using the new ring light to record my process. It really illuminates the detail and I can’t see too many distracting shadows cast by my hands!
I have already scanned the illustration and cleaned it up digitally; ready for using on a card and mug. These will be added to my Etsy shop very soon. Hopefully they will go down well as gifts. The original will also be available here in the studio shop, and will be available to view in the studio at the end of the Summer (I’m currently closed to visitors while the building work continues).
What’s Next?
There’s lots of choice for things to move onto next… lots of new local scenes, more festive work ahead of the Winter and a few client commissions… but i’d also take any suggestions for my next challenge in the Sports & Festival category! Twickenham and Wembley are definitely possibilities. I’d also love to make an Edinburgh Fringe illustration that shows the vibrancy of the Royal Mile during the festival. Which venue or event would you suggest? Leave me a comment below or say hello over on facebook, twitter or instagram.