Christmas Mirage, 2013
Watercolor and ink, 60 cm x 45 cm. The card read: This is probably not the French-inspired painting one would expect for a Christmas card and to be honest, it’s not what I expected either. But it definitely is inspired … and certainly French. In mid-December, I was lucky enough to fly in the Mirage F-1B! Although I love airplanes, I haven’t really painted them so I thought it would make a perfect subject.
As the F-1B will retire in 2014, the sortie was a very fitting end to my first semester at school, the end of the calendar year, and the end of our specific academic groups. However, being my first flight in another fighter, it reminded me that adventure and unique experiences can be found almost anywhere. The F-1B is also a single-tail, single-engine fighter – which I like. 22nd Christmas card.
My comments - I wasn't overly happy with a drawing for a Christmas card, but I knew I would color it with watercolor so I pressed on. I do love the mountains and the surrounding terrain. This was more of an association piece (since I flew in the F-1) and probably not what people expected from my Christmas in Paris.
UPDATE: The picture was given to the squadron as a thanks even though I can't thank them enough. And they gave me a cool thank you card!
UPDATE: The picture was given to the squadron as a thanks even though I can't thank them enough. And they gave me a cool thank you card!
the sketches...
Marker, watercolor & oil pastels. This was a departure from my "normal" cards and I think it's the first airplane I've done - at least in this format and style. And the association, the reason for the painting, was a flight I had in the Mirage F-1B (two-seater) just days before Christmas. It was awesome!
First and only sketch (above) was an experimentation with oil pastels. I have a nice set but hadn't used them before. The paper was low-grade so maybe I would've achieved the effects I was looking for (hoping for) had I used higher quality paper. I'm sure I'll try them again.
The bottom image was the ink work just before I added color. If' you've read any of my blog or website, you'll know the addition of color is tricky for me. I think I can draw pretty well, but adding color is always a leap of faith. I've ruined many pictures by adding color.
-mm-
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