Towards the end of last year our youngest son, Tim, kicked of Studio Breeder, a post production/ film/animation company based in Brisbane. We are mighty proud of the amazing stuff they are producing. This is an add they have just finished for the Red Cross to help rebuild Japan.
Do you have a collection of dried up paint tubes you just can’t bring yourself to throwing out?
Here is a way to bring the paint back to life. I found a small pestle and mortar hidden in the back of a kitchen cupboard. It turned out to be the perfect device for grinding the contents of all those dried out tubes into a fine powder, ready to be brought back to life.
The first thing to do is cut open the tube and empty the dry lumps of pigment into the motar
Next step is to grind them to a fine powder. The pigment sticks to the pestle, so a metal palette knife is handy to scrape and loosen the pigment.
Once the pigment is a fine even powder, slowly stir in some water. Just enough to make a thick, creamy consistency. Keep grinding the paste for a few minutes to make sure there are no small, unbroken lumps left.
The final step is to scoop the recycled paint into a container. These little plastic sauce containers come from the local Thai restaurant – a couple of dollars for a plastic bag full. A piece of masking tape with details identifying the brand and color is a good idea before you throw away the empty tube.
WARNING
Some pigments contain heavy metals such as Cobalt and Cadmium (check the warnings on the tube). Be careful not to breathe in or swallow the dust off these. Wear a suitable mask if in doubt.
A few years ago I sketched this little cottage on Sydney Harbour. It was late in the afternoon and there was no activity – no sign of life at all. As I did the sketch I started wondering what had gone on here in the past. Such an amazing location, I could imagine parties on the verandah, kids running around, boats in the water, but now, nothing – just a little cottage gazing out across the water. It had a kind of empty sadness – a little neglected with vague evidence of lively past.
COLORS:
Quinacridone Gold, Alizarin Crimson, French Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Medium Magenta Acrylic, White Gesso, White Gouache
INK:
White pigment Ink, Burnt Sienna Pigment Ink
PENCILS:
White Charcoal, Black Charcoal, Dark Brown Derwent Inktense
DARWIN, KAKADU, KATHERINE
We arrived back in Darwin, put our vehicle into storage and met Amanda and Gordon, our tour guides, at the Mindil Beach Markets. After wandering around and watching the sun set into the ocean, we all headed back into the city for dinner.
Monday, the 26 people that form our group got to know each other over drinks on the balmy veranda of the Holiday Inn.
Tuesday, our first painting day, we headed down to Government House , spread ourselves out on the rolling lawns opposite, and filled in the morning painting under the shade of a banyan tree.
The afternoon was hot, so we found a shady spot opposite our hotel and painted the fringe of vegetation between us and the Arafura Sea
Off to Kakadu and three days at Cooinda Lodge, Our coach driver had a tremendous knowledge of the aboriginal people of the area, having lived and worked with them over the years, He took us around Nourlangie and filled us in on many of the aboriginal customs and beliefs.
Nourlangie
Whistling Ducks – Yellow Waters. Except for the fact that these guys are walking around, they are the most artificial looking animal I have ever seen. They don’t like getting wet either, happy just to stand beside the water.
We watched this Croc cruise past our boat accompanied by a large Barramundi with a death wish.
Red Lillys – It may not look like it, but every bit is edible!
Pair of Jabiru (Male with dark eye)
Cruising Black Cockatoo – they fly slowly in formation like a flock of B52’s on a mission.
Wetland Waterlilies
In the afternoon heat, an old Akubra in front of our lodge was a more comfortable option for a painting subject. Just so things didn’t become too comfortable, we limited ourselves to just two colours.
Home Billabong at Cooinda Lodge was dotted with shady clearings looking across the water – great places to paint.
Home Billabong – Cooinda
If this little fellow hadn’t hopped, we would never have seen him
South Alligator River, meandering across the wetlands
Arnhemland Escarpment
Ranger Uranium Mine
South to Katherine
Gold rush architecture, Pine Creek NT
Another shady Banyan tree, this time in Katherine
Some transparent watercolor washes and a lot of pale Ultramarine Gouache made this demo a lot of fun.
Splashes of Alizarin, ink marks, charcoal pencil lines and fine rigger strokes suggest a lot of complicated detail without being too descriptive.
Small green frog – thinks he’s a handsome prince
Weird hairy chicken
Turkey with over decorated head
Small green frog – happy just to be a small green frog.
Fishbones from Darwin Museum
Scrub Turkey with moderately decorated head.
Children’s Python – not because they eat them, because they play with them
Brahman Bull profile
Quiet Wallaby – confused by sound of flowing water
Apostle Birds – because they hang around in groups of twelve
Fluro Blue Butterfly
Blue Faced Fig Bird with bad haircut
Poor old camp dog – may have been bitten by a snake at some stage. The cure was to cut off the tips of the ears and tail to bleed out the poison! Or maybe he’s just the victim of too many camp fights.
Big Pig
