There's been a lot of bad press recently about social media and the negative effect that it can have on our brains and the way we think. There is, however, one area that I don't think the lockdown period and the Covid crisis could have prepared us for and that is the positive effects of social media when it comes to those of us who paint and draw.
As it happens, I've been thinking a lot about the impact of social media on those of us who are not able to work or travel. The lockdowns have been a double edged sword for a lot of us: on one hand, it's been a curse during the last year as we have not been able to gather together for exhibitions, workshops, etc. One of the things that I've missed is the opportunity to get together with like-minded artists to sketch, paint, chat and critique each other's work. As there has not been a chance to travel or meet up with anyone, we've had to more or less do our artwork in solitary confinement. On the other hand, this has a positive side because it gives us a chance to concentrate on the things that we want to be painting or drawing. I, for one, have done more painting and drawing this last year than I have in the previous several years. My "day job" has always kept me on the road, but the Covid situation has kept me home and given me much time to actually spend at work in the studio.
That being said, it is the ability to share works and thoughts on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Zoom and such that has been a surprising and useful experience. Being able to put a high resolution image on line and get some feedback has been very good, though nothing beats actually seeing a work "in the flesh," so to speak. There have been numerous tutorials available and quite a few of the artists I know have put step by step daily updates of works in progress on Facebook, which I have found to be very illuminating. I have learned quite a bit from following artists’ development of a canvas and in some cases been pleasantly surprised when they turn out to use the same techniques and materials that I do.
This ability to learn via the work of others is invaluable in improving technique and learning about different media. When I wanted to start working in gouache, a few hours of cruising YouTube resulted in the viewing of some very enlightening tutorials and advice on how to proceed. Indeed, just looking at some of the "in progress" entries of some of my friends and fellow artists on Facebook has given me some very helpful tips and ideas that I can incorporate into my own works. (I make no pretence of being an experienced artist. I have always painted and drawn, and though I studied art and art history at University, I made my way in the world in the cockpits of various aluminium tubes in the service of the military and airlines.) It is only now, in "semi retirement" that I have the time to (hopefully) improve my skills to the point I would like to see. In this respect, the exposure to others' experience and techniques are an invaluable aid that has only increased as the Covid crisis has endured. The number of tutorials, workshops and online exhibitions certainly seems to have increased exponentially during the last year and has proven to be extremely valuable.
We have had online exhibitions, too. The Guild of Aviation Artists 2020 online exhibition is still available here: https://www.artsteps.com/embed/5fb7de5cec7b9d30697459b8/560/315?fbclid=IwAR3H5AWn_DDaggtyL5gPJt6zJ-FG60SWXBRxRcQP8f1rUnefHkL5xjacNOM . This year’s GAvA annual exhibition will also be online beginning on the 19th of July 2021. One of the up-sides to this is that the exhibition will be a world-wide event rather than just a local one in London. I can't help but think that the extra exposure to all that fine aviation art can't be a bad thing for "spreading the word."
As far as my own work goes, I’ve started blocking out a commission for the Tangmere Museum that will involve our Meteor F4 that was flown by Group Captain “Teddy” Donaldson on 7 September 1946, when he established a new official world record of 615.78 mph flying from Tangmere over a course offshore near Littlehampton. The image below is an initial gouache study of the ground crew preparing the aircraft for the speed run. The setting is in front of Tangmere’s T2 hangars as they existed at the time. (At the request of the museum). Early days yet and no doubt many changes before committing to canvas and oils.
Gouache rendering / concept for painting of Meteor F4 as commissioned by Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.
As I mentioned tutorials and such, here are a few to be looking at, should the mood take you:
Darryl Legg has a great demo on painting a P-40 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt4DjNb3sGM
You can watch Cathy Sik paint a DC-3 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhI7giOwFfQ&t=13s
Here you can enjoy Mark Postlethwaite doing a painting of the Amiens Raid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deS30Ae2HJM
Marc Philipp Veenendaal has a good demonstration of Perspective drawing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lJy61KMT88
Above all, Keep safe and keep painting (and keep perspective)