Phil Moss Art

Sketch Book Pages X

2012-02-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

So long without an update, dear me - I've got a few illustrations to upload and a W.I.P. of a painting I'm working on, but for now - yet more sketchbook pages!

JAPAN SKETCHBOOK!

2012-01-20T03:36:00.000-08:00

So, first post of the New Year is a massive sketchbook drop - I'd been on a trip to Japan to visit my brother over Christmas and New Year and put a sketchbook together over the two weeks. It was great fun to do and although it meant missing some of the smaller details of the sites we visited, I now have a more personal record of the whole trip than hundreds of daft photographs (I have hundreds of daft photographs too...).
It was a busy two weeks with loads crammed into our small schedule - we did all the temples and shrines around Kyoto - I had to make hard decisions over which to view like a tourist and which to draw.. mostly I did both, but there were some things I just HAD to draw. With so many places to go I had plenty of time to draw passengers on the metro and bullet train, and even a few on the plane (when my accompanying 2yr old nephew wasn't screaming the place down!).
For me I'm happiest with the metro images and the scenes of Japan out of the train windows - not the most striking images, but for me they're a record of what I've seen... which was the point of the book! The book has done the rounds of friends, and strangers, in the local pubs and life classes and it's interesting which images different people chose out as favourites (and which they ignore with barely a glance!).

All in all I'm proud of the work - perhaps more so for the fact that I did it than the quality of any of the images... but I tell you it was weird settling back into the life class and pubs again! Hopefully the work will keep improving if I keep pushing it!

Cheers!

Phil

Sketch Book Pages IX

2011-12-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

A few more pages from the sketchbook - from Monday portrait session, Wednesday life drawing and in the pub afterwards. Have to say the life model was fantastic - great big red haired australian lady, an excellent model, with the sort of face my old art tutor would have used in his 'Celtic Goddess' paintings. In fact I may see if she's willing to pose for a similar painting, she is called 'Moon Willow' after all

Well that was the last 'Jam Cafe' night before I fly off to Japan next week. I really started going to train my sketchbook work up, so a few months down the line is there any decent improvement? I think so - still needs more, and I think I'll keep on improving it after to Japan... just as long as we don't crash into the Steppes of Russia on the way back - if we do you can all have my stuff

Sketch Book Pages VIII

2011-12-14T05:42:00.000-08:00

So here's the result of last night's drawing at the night club - a good night, but a bit of a break from the ordinary for me - I was drawing people on demand, which was fun to do, but didn't always end up with decent work - the light was pretty poor, but honestly I'd have to blame any bad work on rush drawing; "more speed, less haste" and so on ;).

There's a few I didn't even upload they were so bad! Still, drawing the dancing folk was good - lots of blokes in braces. Back to the more laid back approach at the Jam Cafe tonight, but then I'll have to pay for my own beer, so it's wings and roundabouts I guess ;)

Sketch Book Pages VII

2011-12-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

All the Christmas gear is out in Nottingham Market Square, so twice this weekend I went out to get some paper for a new painting, and twice I got distracted with sketching and came home empty handed... still, got a drawing of the galloping horses ride, I think I was a bit too old to have a go, kiddies looked like they were enjoying it though.

After drawing the galloping horses (and before I could get to the art shop) I got a call from the house mates to meet up for a beer or four at the Waters Edge - loads of football fans turned up (I don't know anything about football..) so I drew a few of them, and Jes Goodwin (top right) - they were all very friendly... and pissed... just like us!

I managed to capture one of the house mates, Ben Lannon, while he watched the other chaps playing pool (I don't know anything about pool either)... he moaned that he wasn't that bald... pencil never lies Ben ;).

So after getting rat-arsed that night I got up at stupid'o'clock to go to the Sunday morning Life session. These watercolour pencils still aint ideal for Life, but it's training I suppose. I was knackered and a bit envious of the life model having a bit of a Sunday Morning lie in.. albeit with her kit off.

Straight from the Life studio into town to draw the Christmas shoppers - just managed to get the drawing finished - between chatting to Joe Public about the usual "I wish I could draw" stuff (you and me both) and the jolly lady from the xmas stall who'd watched me shiver to death drawing the rides the day before - before it started pissing it down... and it has been since then :)

Time for another cuppa me thinks...

Sketch Book Pages VI

2011-12-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

Just finished uploading the latest batch of pages.. I think a small part of me dies every time I have to use photoshop..

I've realised that sketching in pubs is a sure-fire way to attract the crazies - but they're all good fun :) I suppose I should ask to draw them... I even got the rapper guy to sign his 'portrait' - no idea what it says.. shizzle something.. I think the quality is getting better but as they stand they're still not good enough for 'proper' location drawings - I've been invited to be a paid 'sketcher' at a Nottingham night club next week, so I've got to get these images up to scratch by then. I'm at least getting more of the full figure in which is a good sign :)

All for now - I'm working on a few more bits for the Dead Stop Walking project, got plenty of sketching to do before Japan, and some projects of my own to be getting on with too - can't wait to get back to some big paintings, getting withdrawal symptoms from the turps and linseed oil ;)

Phil

'Dead Stop Walking' Part 3

2011-11-29T04:08:00.000-08:00

I've had these paintings done for a while now, just not getting round to photographing and uploading - here's the three colour characters and background for the cover, and some of the internal illustrations as well. All oils:

Sketch Book Pages V

2011-11-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit lax in updating this blog recently! Oops! Never fear though, I've finished a sketchbook (since September, not bad for me that) and started a new one, here's all so far:

... I can't get these bloody things to line up properly no matter what I do... :) !!!

So I've been branching out and doing more out doors work, sky sequences and so on - still getting my head around these portraits, but they're getting better slowly - portrait model tonight, I may indulge in some more sketchbook work...

All for now,

Phil

'Dead Stop Walking' Part 2

2011-11-10T02:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd put up an update for this project. The character roughs have been approved, I'm currently working on the paintings

One of the painted up Characters

Colour test for cover

Layout test for cover

Character pencils

The character designs are based on briefs by the author, which we've both then tailored into the images shown. All colour stuff is in oils. Roite, onto the next painting...

Sketch Book Pages IV

2011-11-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

A few more pages - I went in to BBC Nottingham on Wednesday for a chat with Mark Dennison of Radio Fame (picture of him above) - I waffled on about sketching and such, I'll post a link when it's aired. His portrait wasn't very good unfortunately. I've had a go at architecture and such, and more pub drawings - still a long way to go, not quite got to grips with the materials yet but I think there's some improvement.
The ink brush drawings were producing more effective and interesting images, but these are a better record of what I've seen. 'Tis a bugger to have to produce crap work in order to produce better work eventually, but them's the breaks :)

Coming and Going - Sketch Book Pages III

2011-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

Some more pages done on the train and the bus

Sketch Book Pages II

2011-11-04T02:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more sketchbook pages - I've given watercolour pencils a go, hoping that they're the best way to record detail and colour without carrying paints around. I just use a brown, red and black pencil and a water brush pen.

Fun to work with, getting a better likeness of the subjects than I was with the ink brush... It needs a lot more work going into it though.

Onwards and upwards :)

Life Drawing

2011-11-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

A few more life drawings done over the past week:

few mins each

1hour 15mins

All for now - still working on the Dead Stop Walking project; paintings on the drawing board as we speak, I'll post up some W.I.P's when I can

Sketch Book Pages

2011-10-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd upload some sketchbook pages - mostly done in a music pub in Nottingham (they get worse the more I drink) but a few elsewhere. Still trying to figure out the best media for location sketching...

'Dead Stop Walking' Part 1

2011-10-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a commission from Dark Moon Studios' 'Dead Stop Walking' role play game. I've done a few character illustrations for them so far and I'm working on the front cover at the moment:

Pencil underdrawing... now just need lots of red paint!

Rough for the final image, placement of characters etc. They liked the ideas below but wanted to make sure I put in a good mix of different soldier types, and at least one bimbo!

Three quick roughs with enough ideas for the guys to pick and choose what they wanted. They went for the large central character (3) with the 'stacked' heads behind (1).

Life painting

2011-10-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

This week I finished a painting from life - the first I've done for a long while - we spent 2 hours a week over 3 weeks - minus an hour or so for setting up and coffee breaks overall.

It was fun working within the constraints of the life class, painting in shifts etc. Doing it again I'd do it differently. We don't usually get three week poses so I don't know when I'll have the chance to give it another go, but fingers crossed...

A Nuddy Run...

2011-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

... or a run of this years life drawings. I started up in January after a long gap since leaving college, they're all done on newsprint (it's cheap!), the first batch are 5min to 20min poses - spot the day when the life model didn't turn up:

Next here's some of the longer poses - perhaps an hour/hour and half:

There's loads more but I'll only put new'uns up from now on.

One step back, two steps forward

2011-10-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

During the summer I produced two images for a job application - I tried to limit the images to 'character only' which is why they're a bit lax on background. Good fun to do.

Ever the optimist, the fact that I didn't get the job is encouraging, it means there's obviously a lot of room for improvement - anyway, they still have the paintings two months later :) can I have them back please!!

This year, I 'ave been mostly...

2011-10-23T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this off with a selection of my favourite images of the year - maybe not the best, but my favourites nonetheless!

Skull Totem

This boiled out of some concept 'style-sheets' I did for Games Workshop's/Forgeworld's 'Throne of Tamurkan' back in... 2009 I believe? The final imagery wasn't my job, just concepts, so nothing final was ever produced. I did some 'headers' for page corners, based on these two grizzly chaps and always liked the images, and so having a spare couple of days during the summer I bashed this oil painting out.

Ye Olde Speckled Hen

I painted this image after spending too much time with some of them biker types - during coffee breaks at life drawing I started drawing a character, some post apocalyptic bla bla scene, and the ideas started to come out quite fun. I thought about making it into a painting in the vein of a comic book cover and I enjoyed every minute! Every item of clothing and bit of kit was chosen for a reason - from the 'CAMRA' t-shirt (campaign for real ale.. those biker types are lager boys through and through), to the cricket pads and bat (he's British after all!), the boy scout badges on the denim jacket (the 'helping old ladies across the road being my personal favourite) to the curly-wurley in the biker's pocket - if you can spot any more do say! Fun aside, I did use a palette knife (okay, a credit card) for the first time to paint the wall and posters - very messy, good fun!

Mantic Games Spot Illustrations

I was asked by Mantic Games, a wargames company, to do some paragraph fillers and the like for their journal/magazine. I love doing this sort of stuff, just playing with ideas and filling in blanks - I suppose it's one step up from 'illustrating' the family newspapers and glossy mags as a kid, but a bit more professional than glasses and moustaches! Plus it gives me an excuse to work with pen and ink and get messy!

Fantasy Character Paintings

Up until 2011 I'd pretty much done nothing but historical illustration. I enjoy a bit of military history, and I'd got three books under my belt with that hat on and a few doors were opening, but that isn't who I wanted to be and I felt like I was heading down the wrong track. The thing is though, you can't get sci-fi/fantasy jobs with a portfolio full of historical paintings, so this Spring I steeled myself to crack out some fictional paintings at a rate of knots. This collection are four paintings I did - I think the first two are from the same A4 piece of paper! I enjoyed doing it, having no brief and no uniform guide to follow I just let myself paint what I wanted for a change - I highly recommend it!

So that's a pick from this year's crop - I did a lot more work obviously, more fantasy and sci-fi stuff, more stuff for Mantic, and oodles of life drawings, but there's only so much art you can have in one post. I hope it's not too bad a start for a blog, hopefully I'll start putting up some up to date work soon enough.

All for now!

Phil