Work in progress - January 2010

Ref. No: 124
Title: Rhino & Hangklip.
Description: The White Rhino bull resident in the Queenstown Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa emerges into the open grassland in late afternoon September 2009. The magestic "Hangklip" (Afrikaans for Hanging Rock) towers over the reserve.
Size: 910 x 600.
Date: January 2010 WIP
Medium: Oil on canvas
Price: TBA

COMMISSIONS ACCEPTED:
Don will gladly do customised illustrated interior and patio furniture.

Table art has become a unique and individual way of customizing furniture to match a decor style.

Ref No. Int-5.
Title: Table Art.
Description: Artwork of indigenous African Khoi-San rock art and traditional patterns, wildlife motifs on interior décor items such as coffee tables, patio tables, boardroom tables, firplace screens, etc.
Medium: Acrylic on wood.
Size: This table art is 800x800 but Don can paint to suit any furniture size.
Date: 2009.
Price: On request.

A three dimensional photo of a table top cutlery box.

photograph of the box lid

Ref No: Int-4
Title: Box Art
Description: Artwork of indigenous African Khoi-San rock art on interior décor items such as place mats, cutlery containers, plates, displays, serving boards, serviette holders, coasters etc.
Medium: Acrylic on wood.
Size: 200x100x100mm.
Date: 2009
Price: R500.00

ON LINE ART LESSONS.

Don Bell offers a range of On-line art lessons and creativity tutorials for wildlife, landscapes, seascapes and contemporary art.
He also provides graphic design, commercial art and architectural illustration tutorials.
Contact Don Bell at Tel:27-(0)41-3673999 on through this web site and www.southafricanartists.com

Cedar Branch Church, a new offshoot of Harvest Christian Church, both based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa is starting to take shape.
The early stages of site sourcing and applications to council to obtain the land has begun.
Don bell is currently designing the Concept Development for the Site Development Application and has produced this artist impression.

Watch this space as the church grows!

This example shows how I build up my portrait paintings so that I do not lose the image detail and features of the people.
Stage 1. Setting out the painting.
I find the most accurate way for me to get a realistic portrayal of peoples features is to cast an image of the subject from a digital projector onto my canvas. I then trace out with a dark Brown Umber, the features that are visible. I use acrylic paints because they dry fast which enables me to continue in oil paints an hour later.
At the same time I am setting the features up, I use very watered down acrylic to wash the over areas that cannot be depicted in the dark brown - such a subtle cheek, lips, forhead and eyebrow curves and shapes.

One can identify the build-up of these portrait stages as the colours become thicker and more pronounced.

Stage 2. Tonal Washes.
This stage is done in oil paint washes using distilled turpentine to thin the paints so that they run well and then dry fairly quickly to carry on working. I build up the shapes of the face carefully so as not to lose the features.
Stage 3. Detailing.
I now begin to add thicker paint mixed with dabs of oil to allow a creamy mixture that is easy to wipe softly over the features, all the time building my colours up - in this case i am staying with browns and tan colours as those are the colours that will feature and suit the client's needs the best.

Work in a creamy mixture of oil paints and artists oil in order to maintain soft transitions in features.

The above stages show how I work more and more detail and lighter colours into the features ensuring that the softness of the face shapes take precendence over brush strokes. In this way a real life depiction of skin and features is realised.
The Final Painting:
This is the completed painting. The artist preferred to add a little more colour and highlighting to the hair and clothes in order to compliment the colours of the background and the skin tones.

Final portrait oil painting of the happy couple. Happy 21st Birthday Shaun!

The Reference Photo:

The original photo supplied to the artist Don Bell for painting.

Easy Steps to Pallet Change!
If you're one of those artists who hates to scrape down an old pallet every time you're finished with a work, do what I do:
1. Use a thin piece of plywood, glass or plastic board to the size you would like your pallet to be.
2. Place a white sheet of paper onto one side.
3. Sandwich the board and paper together and stretch Kling-wrap out over the top.
4 & 5. Wrap the kitchen kling-wrap around the whole lot about three to four times.
Once this is done, squeeze out the air bubbles that have formed and fold any overlapping pieces under the pallet (opposite side which the white sheet of paper is on).
6. You now have a smooth, clean, white surface to place the paint on and to work off.
7. When you're done with that messy pallet,
8. Simply peel off the kling wrap and start again.

Easy steps to do away with a messy pallet and use an easy pallet change method.

Viewing Elephants in the wild can be an exciting, adrenalin pumping experience, especially when coming across a Bull Elephant that does not appreciate being interrupted.
Like this Elephant which decided that he'd trumpet, sway his head and kick up dust - a serious early warning for you to depart as quickly and quietly as possible before that inevitable six ton charge!

Latest stage - 1 January 2008:

Stage 2 of the painting with tonal build up of various areas.