I’ve been working on my autumn moon series recently with prints due to launch 19th Sept. Prints will be A4 giclee prints on textured art paper. Originals are for sale on request.
Prints can be pre-ordered here - lauramc.com/shop
Fluffy Brian
I just finished this lovely commission for Soozi and I loved working on it so much. I wanted to share a little bit of the process here.
Painting a white fluffy cat is a unique challenge, but I’m happy with how the negative space worked out here.
Beyond cats and dogs
I’ve started to look beyond cats and dogs a little lately. I’m enjoying trying to bring some more vibrant colours into these pieces.
Koi
Using just cascade green the create the water
Hedley
Belgian Hare
Sea Lion
Tiny art
Pets - the lockdown edition
Since being stuck home, I’ve put a whole new focus on my pet portraits. Don’t worry, I’m still enjoying my abstract work and it won’t be going anywhere. Recently, however, I’ve been really enjoying creating pet portraits in watercolour. I’m taking commissions for these and have had the opportunity to paint some gorgeous pets. If you’re interested in learning more, email me laura@lauramc.com or visit my patreon at https://www.patreon.com/lauramcart
Brian -
the cat who went missing, then turned up soaking wet hidden under a bush in a garden miles away. Stay home little buddy
Cat Stevens and Charlie - currently winging their way to California
Benson - his fur was a joy to paint. I did this one using just two colours to see how that would work. Just Payne’s Blue Grey and Quinacridone Deep Gold.
Oscar! My handsome cheeky British shorthair getting sassy.
Watercolour washes - a new style develops
I’ve been really enjoying experimenting with new and more intense colours than I would usually use in my work. I absolutely love the intensity of watercolours when they’re layered up to really bring out the rich colours.
I spent a lot of time lately working on bringing texture and light to my work and hopefully it shows.
Watercolour is one of those fascinating mediums that just has a lift of its own. For years I was reluctant to really let it go, needing to hang on to control. That’s why digital painting suited me so well. Absolute control over the end result.
Recently, I’ve been finding a lot of joy in playing with washes of increasingly intense colour. Using texture, blends of inks and watercolours and other techniques to bring out the character of the piece.
I’m currently using a combination of Daniel Smith, Windsor and Newton and Prima paints, along with Windsor and Newton and Dr Ph Martin’s inks.
Fiery sky
Rich and warm reds tonight. The first wash.
I’ve also began to list some of my original works for sale on here. This is a big thing for me as I’ve never sold any of my originals before. I tend to keep them to myself like my precious colourful babies. If you’d like to know more about the pieces I have for sale then please check out my store page.
The moment when you have no idea what’s going to happen next.
Watching the colours blend and develop fast becomes an addiction.
Golden Wave - the finished piece
The Village
I’ve been working on something a little different lately, and I know, it’s been a while since I shared anything on here. I’m getting back to painting more regularly now so expect to see more over the next few months.
I’ll be taking commissions again soon too.
Adding colour. I decided to make it my fantastical and go really bold with the colours. I may adjust them as I go.
The basic sketch, inspired by a photo of a gorgeous little village I came across. If anyone knows the name of the village I’d love to know more about it.
Bags, cushions and more
If you like your art a little more tactile, then your going to love the latest offerings from redbubble. I'm been working on my profile for some time, and I'm proud to be able to share it with you now.
http://www.redbubble.com/people/lauramcart?asc=u
check out the images below for more ideas.
Limited run Polar Bear T-shirts
I'm really excited to be able to offer a limited time run of these customer screen printed t-shirts. Featuring the first of my series of three Polar Bear illustrations.
The campaign for these T-shirt is live for just 28 days starting Friday 29th July 2016. I'd definitely recommended acting quickly if you want to be sure to own one of these unique designs.
Hedley the hare
Today I started work on a gorgeous Belgian hare called Hedley. A very good friend of mine recently sent me a photo of him, and he was just too handsome not to draw.
Hedley
I thought I might share a little bit more about my process as I create this piece as people are often surprised to find I am using an iPad to work on.
2 hours in now
For those who have asked, the app I use most is called procreate, which can be found in the App Store and I believe it was about £3.99. Not bad for the incredible tools it provides.
I'm going to keep this work in progress up to date as Hedley progresses, and add a few short videos as well.
5 hours in
I've spent a bit more time working on this today and I decided to try something slightly different to bring out the lovely colours in the fur. Usually I work on these images with the HB pencil tool almost exclusively, but for this one I also made use of the gauche brush on 75% opacity. By adding an extra layer beneath the pencil layer, I was able to add a much stronger contrast to his lovely fur, and have much more control over the shading too.
If anyone would like to know more, feel free to leave a comment or email me at laura@lauramc.com
13 hours and he's done.
New prints - updated
I'm always so happy to receive new prints. Seeing your work in print for the first time is incredibly satisfying. Everything is professionally printed and is archival quality so won't fade or discolour over time. I'm going to list some more things on etsy over the coming weeks so be sure to get in quickly as most things only become available in small quantities.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have an idea for a piece or would like prints at a different size to those on offer.
Updated - Macaw and rabbit prints are now available. Don't miss out as they're only available in small quantities.
Me and the Bee
Painting by the lake
I visited Wallington Hall a few days ago with my Mam, who is a fabulous watercolour artist. We decided to spend an afternoon painting in the sunshine. It was such a fabulous day, and the bees were out in force. Including one particularly large bee who seemed intent on following me through the gardens. He was about four times larger than all the rest of the bees.
The noise he made when he flew by was incredible. I managed to grab a few photos of him, and some incredibly vibrant blue flowers which I think are poppies. I'm not great with flowers really.
So I decided to draw my new friend.
Bumble bee in progress
5 and a half hours in now. I've spent some time adding details to the flower, completing the bee's wings and also playing with the colours of the flower to get them just right.
Starting to add detail to the flower
Adding some depth, and starting to put in the details of the centre.
As I got towards the end, I knew that a different type of background was going to be needed. I played with a few ideas, including painting in the leaves in the background, but they just seemed too distracting. I settled on this dark blue as a good contrast to set off the petals.
13 and a half hours and all done
Finished
This print is now available via red bubble. Check it out.
Available via Redbubble.com now
Parrot painting
I've been working on this guy on and off for a few weeks now, but it's taken a while for this looser stuff to click. I think I'm starting to get there now.
Getting started
Working in procreate, I've been using mostly the gesinski ink brush for this piece.
Macaw in progress
I paint pretty much entirely in the procrete app on iPad Pro, which may come as a bit of a surprise. I know most digital artists work on Mac or PC and tend to use a Wacom tablet or Cintiq more often than not. I've just never been able to really settle with that way of working.
Since starting to work on the iPad Pro I've suddenly found a tool that suites me perfectly. I can take my work anywhere, and continue painting to my hearts content.
A new challenge for Father's Day
The finished case. Printed by casesation.com
Anyone who know's me well, know's that I think my Dad is a super hero. Honestly. He can fix anything, and if anything goes wrong, no matter what it is, he's always there to save the day. Best, Dad, ever.
So with Father's Day looming, I wracked my brains for something he'd love, within my, admittedly minimal, budget.
I settled on a painting of his beloved Honda Blackbird. One problem, I've pretty much already filled my parents how with a variety of paintings and drawings over the years, and they really don't need another one. So instead I decided to turn the painting into a print for a new phone case.
Motor bikes aren't exactly the kind of thing I usually paint, so learning to be a bit more precise with my lines was a bit of a challenge. It took me around 8 hours in total. I'm really pleased with how it came out and my Dad loved it.