Friday 31 December 2010

By the Dawn's Early Light

Well it seems fitting that on the last day of 2010 I post images of the completed painting. I signed it yesterday, and so as far as I'm concerned it is finished.


By the Dawn’s Early Light
Oil on canvas 36” x24”

Three Phantom F-4B’s from VF-151 on an early morning mission over North Vietnam. NF 213 is piloted by John Chesire, with RIO George Healey in the rear.


NF 210 has Ted Triebel in the front seat and Dave Everett in the rear. Dave and Ted were shot down on August 27, 1972, on a photo escort mission over North Vietnam while flying 210, and spent the rest of the war as POW’s in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
Dave recalls, ”Aside from the very occasional MiGCAP, the best hops a j.o. could draw were the armed recces in route pack 5/6 at first light -- targets of opportunity as mostly we defined them, hoping to catch those night trucks trying to squeeze in a few extra kilometers before parking under the trees for the day. (Don't think that scenario didn't occur to Ted and I when we were being trucked to Hanoi). RIP NF210 in a zillion pieces on a karst ridge in Thanh Hoa Province. Lost on one of those low altitude, go fast, flak magnet, Baby Giant photo escort missions, that we all came to enjoy, on 27 Aug over Phu Ly Bridge when all hell broke loose and luck petered out.

A Happy New Year to all, and let's see what 2011 brings - I see more F-4's, but also F-18s ;-)

Friday 19 November 2010

Pirates of the Mediterranean - a Buccaneer special



I love this video and the sound track - way cool.

Thursday 18 November 2010

By the Dawn's Early Light - close to completion

Over thirty items on the "to do " list, including markings and a whole raft of details, but otherwise close to completion



36" x 24" Oil on canvas

Tuesday 26 October 2010

The first of many

A concept sketch for a painting of Lieutenant Commander Godfrey de Courcelles Chevalier making the first USN carrier landing in an Aeromarine 39B, 26th October 1922.

Sunday 26 September 2010

Blocking in detail


The blocking in stage, is often referred to the "ugly" stage as it usually looks rough, unfinshed and lacking in detail. The important part of blocking in is to get get colour and values right. Once the initial layer is dry the shapes can be finalised and detail added.

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Dodgy photo time

A sneak preview of progress on the full size "By the dawns Early Light". The sky is complete and I'm starting to block in the F-4s.



There is a little glare from the flash, so I'll try and get a better photo in daylght.

Thursday 12 August 2010

By the Dawn's Early Light

Calling this one done !



‎"By the Dawn's Early Light"
complete and signed
colour study
18" x12 "
Available for purchase

On to the full size version.

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Still looking for a title

I still haven't decided on the title for this one yet, but the second colour study is almost complete. A few last details to add once this has dried.





I've started transfering the line drawing onto canvas for the full size version of this one.

Sunday 1 August 2010

OK 2 colour study complete


OK 2 colour study - complete and signed.

18" x 9" Available for purchase


On to the full size version.

Tuesday 27 July 2010

OK 2 and some older news

Very close to complete with a few changes made over the last week. I'm very happy with this and will start work on the full size (36" x 18") version in the next few days.


Just the wire shadows and tyre smoke to be added, but I need to allow things dry before I add them. This is the planned crop although the image itself is a couple of inches wider.
18" x 9" oil on canvas, and available for purchase.


I'm also really pleased to confirm that my as yet untitled colour study of three F-4Bs from VF-151 was awarded a Blue Founders Ribbon at the American Society of Aviation Artists forum and exhibition held last month in San Diego at the Air and Space Museum.



I will also be starting the full size (36" x 24") version of this one later this week.

Sunday 4 July 2010

OK 2 - colour study nearly complete.

It's all blocked in, and I'm happy with both colours and values. I'll leave this to dry, before adding detail and tiding up the deck.




I also plan to add a few glazes to the areas in shadow to bring them out and add reflected light.

Sunday 20 June 2010

Rock River 110 - working title "OK 2"

The early stages of another F-4 colour study.




The grey area to the right is planned to be cropped out when complete.

18" x 9" oil on canvas

Monday 31 May 2010

Got to think of a title for this one

Three hours work and the sky is pretty much done. I'll let this dry before adding the last details, and then tackling the Phantoms.






I deliberately didn't use the previous colour study as a guide as I wanted to try slightly darker colours for the sky in this version. Given I knew I would have to blend the sky with the fan brush I masked the two smaller F-4's so I could blend without worrying about losing the drawings.

Saturday 29 May 2010


A bit of a dodgy photo, but I've transfered the drawing for the half sized study onto a piece of unmounted fine canvas. I'll seal this with a wash of acrylic burnt sienna and then I can break out the oils again.



I've got the full size line drawing stuck to the wall at the moment and it looks pretty cool. #213 measures... 24.5" tip to tail !

Danny Coreman's excellent "Uncovering the US Navy Phantom" turned up in the post this week, so I'm busy checking the details as the larger studies demand more atention to detail.

Pete

Half Size Colour Study Started

A bit of a dodgy photo, but I've transfered the drawing for the half sized study onto a piece of unmounted fine canvas. I'll seal this with a wash of acrylic burnt sienna and then I can break out the oils again.



I've got the full size line drawing stuck to the wall at the moment and it looks pretty cool. #213 measures... 24.5" tip to tail !

Danny Coreman's excellent "Uncovering the US Navy Phantom" turned up in the post this week, so I'm busy checking the details as the larger studies demand more attention to detail.

Pete

Sunday 9 May 2010

Breaking Rhinos

Well the first colour study is finished - still given its only 12" x 8" that's not much to boast about



It turned out better than I thought it would when half complete, the colours are not as bad as I thought and I think it's good enough to sign !

When I look at this on screen it's the same size as the actual painting 12" (30cm) wide, which is why the detail is so loose. On to the half size study and line drawing.

Sunday 2 May 2010

More Phantoms

I'm working on another F-4 painting with the composition pretty much firmed up and a quick value study completed. I may well get side lined with a couple of colour studies along the way as I want to work quickly and not get bogged down with detail and reworking of areas already completed.



2b on vellum 12" x 8"

No title as yet, and I may remove one or other of the more distant Phantoms.

The background image added to give some context



The full size line drawing needs to be completed next

Saturday 1 May 2010

Devil Dog makes the 2010 ASAA juried exhibition

I'm really pleased to say that "Devil Dog Takedown" has been accepted for the 2010 American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA) juried art show. The painting will therefore be on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum from June 7 until Sept 10. So if you're in the SD area this summer be sure to pop along and have a look at all the aviation art.

Friday 16 April 2010

John "Cat" Chesire

A very quick pencil sketch of John, who served with VF-151 including two Westpac tours of Vietnam.

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Devil Dog Takedown

The painting is complete

"Devil Dog Takedown"

Oil on canvas
36" x 18"

I've cropped this from the original 36x24 as I think it works better, and is actually in keeping with the original thumbnail for this one.

Shamrock 201 scores the only aerial kill (of a VPAF MiG 21) by a USMC aircraft during the Vietnam war, 11th September 1
972.

It's available for purchase if anyone is interested, and I may offer a small print run.

Some details shots

The business end of things


the other end



and a dying MiG 21


I got hold of a recording of the cockpit transmissions of the engagement (the whole thing is 20 minutes long) and every time I listen to it the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Pete

Friday 2 April 2010

Aircraft detail being added


This is the bit I enjoy the most, adding the detail. It's at this stage that things strart to come alive.




Hopefully this is pretty close to being completed.

Monday 22 March 2010

Devil Dog Take Down

Well at long last an update on my F-4J painting. I've pretty much got everything blocked in and can now work on the final details.

This is how is stands at the moment




and this is a quick photoshopped version of what it "might" end up like.

Sunday 17 January 2010

First of the Year

This was a quick study that I tried to complete in one day working alla prima. It actually took 7 hours spread over two sessions.






A Spitfire PRXIX, oil on board, 12" x6". Painting this small was quite a challenge, but I enjoyed working quickly and relatively loosely.