A Finished Cat Portrait

I have finished my cat portrait of the beautiful Charlie and it is ready for it's new home. I have really enjoyed this one as this is a cat with a lot of character. I have taped the process so I will upload that film after a bit of editing. If you are interested in having a portrait of your special animal then have a look at my website: www.graceryderdrawings.co.uk. You will need to be quick if you would like to have the portrait as a Christmas present as I can only paint so many before the big day and get it shipped to you.

Dedicated to my Art...

I am now working part time to be able to dedicate more time to my commissions and to be able to promote my website. It has been a steep learning curve finding out about metatags and adwords to build my presence on Google no less but I have been making progress slowly. While I have had some help in this area from my computer whizz brother I have been busy drawing another pet portrait of Millie, a beautiful 14 year old dalmation. And here she is:

I have also been writing some articles so look out for the links to those in my next blog!

New Beginnings and New Pictures Finally!

I started a new post a while ago but thanks to the wonders of technology I could convert my pictures to the correct type of file so I ground to a halt. Now, after a period of rest from this frustration I have some more paintings which I am preparing for some Autum Fairs. These are a sneaky peak. They are for sale so if you are interested in one then please email me straight away to avoid missing out.

www.graceryderdrawings.co.uk



Getting Better at Blogging??!!

Okay so my New Year's resolution of being a better blogger has taken a little bit longer coming to fruition than I had hoped. I think that it is mainly because if I am not drawing or painting (or even knitting) then generally I am sleeping! But I have put my paintbrush down and come to the keyboard instead.

The last few months have been a blur but with lots of enjoyable drawings and paintings along the way. I will upload two of the pictures commissioned for my local Steakhouse "The Hoggit and Hoof". I have just completed a watercolour of a house in Bucklebury and I am just waiting for the approval from it's owners before I share.

Next up is a commission for a new home completed in St. Florence, Pembrokeshire. The house was completed and the owners moved in just last week. I have the picture of the house but I am going to need to be creative with the imaginary landscaping which hasn't quite arrived yet!

For The Hoggit and Hoof     

A Local Connection

Following the success of the Royal Wedding and the auction of The Avenue of Oaks. I was commissioned to complete a house portrait for a family whose home is just a stone's throw away from Chapel Row and it's very royally connected row of trees.

The home is rented by a family who move frequently and love to have a house portrait by a local artist to commemorate their stay. The house was a joy to capture and the family were pleased with the result. My drawings also come with a digital copy which can be used for cards or stationary.

Getting Creative!

After a whirlwind Royal Wedding I have been working hard to produce some new drawings which will be on the website shortly. I have been steadily working on a commission for a house portrait which has now been lovingly received by it's owner. She is so pleased with the result she is placing orders for more which is keeping me very busy.

I have also been commissioned to create a series of drawings for a fantastic new steakhouse close to home called "The Hoggit and Hoof". The order of the day was to serve up some pictures of livestock to compliment their sophisticated decor. These drawings will be available  as prints on my website shortly. I'll keep you posted.

The Royal Wedding Approaches!

The Royal Wedding is nearly upon us and it has brought me an exciting commission which has been keeping me busy for the last few weeks. Living in Newbury is usually fairly unexciting but just recently Middleton fever has taken over. Kate's parents still live in her home village of Bucklebury and this has been a great opportunity for Bucklebury Parish to plan a big bash celebrate the big day!

The event which has been called Tea in the Park is going to be held at Bucklebury Farm Park on Friday 29th April after the wedding itself. It is going to be a fun filled day with live music, a hog roast, a prince and princess crown and and tiara competition and lots more. 

I have been helping the committee with all their artistic requirements for the event. My main work has been a drawing of The Avenue of Oaks which is a beautiful row of oak trees which were planted in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth I's visit. I am hoping to put together a video showing how the drawing came to life so look out for my next post which hopefully won't take as long as this one has!