Aviation Art – getting started

I set out in 1960, been a long road and still struggling (learning) yet. I started this two years ago and put it away. Recent snow gave me a fresh boost: good old Airfix through the Cheviots.

Robert.

Here’s my first one… followed by the second after 6 months of practice. Tell her to keep going… 🙂

Gents,

Thank you all for the advice. It’s given Laura quite a few ideas and new directions to try. I hope when she’s happy with that painting she’ll post the finished article in the virtual gallery.

I’ve been prodded to point out that when I said at the beginning she had just moved onto doing aviation subjects though; this painting is the first one.

JT442,

I like that Shackleton a lot!

Kind regards,

Rich

Robert Taylor also builds models to gain an apprecation of how the real aircraft looks from all angles… and paints them for colour scheme guidance.

David Shepard’s books contain small tutorials on his use of light, perspective and oil paint layers – really useful stuff.

One thing that all artists advocate is getting to paint from real life. Take your painting kit to a local museum and set up camp in a well-lit corner (with their permission of course) and paint everything from full aircraft to tiny details of light relected in perspex. Take photos of the subject from the pallete and refer to both the paint-sketches and the photographs when composing the final piece. That doesn’t directly help flying scenes, but the knowledge gained will help vastly! Photograph cloud formations at various times of the year and day, but above all, HAVE FUN!

Something I’ve had fun with in the last couple of years is getting a digital art image from t’internet and reproducing it in oils… (for personal benefit only)

And finally, something for you, Rich… 🙂

I can’t paint to save my life but I have been on a few of the Guild of Aviation Artists visits simply because I have friends who belong to the Guild. I have sat in on the appraisals at the end of the day and pretty much everything that has been said here mirrors what has been said at those appraisals.
If the Guild have an active section in your area your sister would probably find it useful to join. I have always found them to be a pretty friendly group even though I don’t paint. I know the local section here have been discussing a teaching day where the better known artists will assist and encourage others to further develop their skills.
Incidentally Charles Thompson is a great advocate of using unpainted models to get the angles right for subjects in paintings.

Propstrike makes some very pertinent points. May I also add that no part of the aircraft should be cut off at the edge of the pic. This destroys the illusion of movement, and the subject is apparently locked in place. Also leave more room ahead of the aircraft than behind it, to give it space to fly in to.

It’s a phone picture, and not full size… the rest of both aircraft is there.

I can’t paint and I’m an even worse photographer! Little sister got all the talent.

Thanks Propstrike for explaining some thing which had puzzled me about why some air paintings look odd. Also gives me a reason to remember to set the lens to 55mm when shooting for painting guides.

Propstrike makes some very pertinent points. May I also add that no part of the aircraft should be cut off at the edge of the pic. This destroys the illusion of movement, and the subject is apparently locked in place. Also leave more room ahead of the aircraft than behind it, to give it space to fly in to.

😀 They are very very good,Thanks.
There are some highly original views and types,well done 🙂

Has he put any of his work on here i can’t see any on this thread http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=75003 ,would love to see something 🙂

Hi Trumper, his website is here, http://www.wallond.com/ , though it dosen’t appear to be updated, if you click on one of his posts and public profile you will find his forum album here, http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/album.php?u=7090
He has done alot more than that though.

Aviation art often becomes a prompt for ‘experts’ to become very generous with their ‘advice’.

I shall now proffer my advice, but as a painter myself, I hope it is in the right spirit. Painting aeroplanes in flight is challenging in may ways, but especially due to the fact that keep moving about, thus one is obliged to make use of secondary sources, ie models, or pictures.

Rich, your sister has clearly ( and reasonably) used two photographs, and has morphed them together to comprise a single, dynamic scene. The problem ( for any and every artist) is that the images will probably have been taken with different focal lengths, and thus have different vanishing points, where the lines of sight converge ( perspective) . Almost without exception, such compilations look wrong and appear as two disparate images pasted together.

Unless in formation, two aircraft on different trajectories frequently sit unhappily together, even if they are actually together in the source material.
Only by study and ‘feel’ can the artist begin to appreciate what is pleasing to the eye, and what jars. It is hard to explain, but if the ‘movement’ of the picture pulls in too many different directions at once, it feels unsatisfactory and muddled.

As a photographic resource, pictures taken in the 1930’s /40’s are often a very good starting point, being taken on standard lenses ( same as the human eyes- no compression) and also , being black and white quite contrasty, making a good start for a painting.

The cloudscape in your sisters painting is outstanding, and in my opinion that is the most compelling component in aviation art. She could have painted a small aeroplane ( maybe almost monotone) in a big sky and produced a powerful image. She shows great potential.

The two images hopefully illustrate comfortable and uncomfortable sightlines.

Rich I strongly suggest PMing Baz/Spitfireman on the subject of starting out from nowhere and becoming successful at producing fine aviation art, he might be too modest to post here!

Has he put any of his work on here i can’t see any on this thread http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=75003 ,would love to see something 🙂

Rich

As has been said here the GAVA is a mine of useful info and help/guidance, there are two other smaller aviation art groups that I know of, The Solent Aviation Art Society and The Manchester Aviation Art Group (I think thats correct) both can be contacted on the web. Copying other paintings is indeed a great way to learn, maybe substituting other aircraft and just using the composition etc

There are also a number of books available this being a very good example

http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Aircraft-Like-Pro/dp/0760309604

Looks like your sister has talent and made a good start there

If you or your sister have any questions feel free to PM/email me

PaulC

www.paulcouper.co.uk

Rich I strongly suggest PMing Baz/Spitfireman on the subject of starting out from nowhere and becoming successful at producing fine aviation art, he might be too modest to post here!

🙂 Have a look at E Hangar ,there’s all sorts of advice on there ,
http://www.ehangar.com/
There is also a thread on here you may like to look at
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=75003&highlight=virtual+art

🙂

A few ideas in the abscence of a full size aircraft to sketch…

Buy and make but dont paint small scale eg 1/72 models of the aircraft to be in the painting. gets you familiar with the design and can be used to pose angles.

Make some slides of the subjects and project them onto the paper and sketch outlines . Also have a go at making pics of assorted cloudscapes and practice those.

Have a go at copying existing artwork NB not for resale but just to give you practice. Look for the books of artwork , you can find early layout sketches in some.
Good luck and have fun learning, that is how I learn about making photos.

The guild is the only professional body for hand applied media of aviation subjects, however, you’re well aware of that. My advice as an aspiring artist is to practice ALOT. Even when other peole say that you’re great, more practice is needed. Without the assistance of the professional body, you will find it difficult to sell your work but it is possible.

Practice, research, try new techniques and exibit whenever possible – from community centres to local art exhibitions….. oh and post regularly on this forum’s art thread.

Remember that only a handful of aviation artists make their sole living from aviation art…….

that looks damn good already! It’d be nice to have that sort of talent…