London Fashion Model Portfolio | Amber Glow Blog

At a crossroads

amberglow — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:28:09 +0000

May already, and again I haven't updated the blog much. Work has been very demanding recently as we have lost three of the team and the workload has also increased.

Personally, I have hardly picked up my camera for a while and instead have been painting. The problem is I keep starting new paintings but frequently get bored or frustrated with old ones, and never return to finish them! I've therefore been eager to show new work on here and my Facebook page but it's often 'in progress'. A couple of examples are below, the Lady in Green Sari is from my Saturday painting class at The Nag's Head pub in Walthamstow, and the still life is from my first private lesson with Lee Campbell. The second is from an evening at home last week.

So my question is.. how do I progress? Time for painting is snatched when i can, but often isn't consistent. Maybe I do need to set aside a regular slot for it.. but I'm also trying to study professional exams as well. Hmm time management can be difficult!

Holiday week

amberglow — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:29:32 +0000

I took some time off work (only four days but ten with Easter!) and last weekend drove up to the Peak District, a small village called Edale. I had been there before so I found my usual campsite and pitched up.The first night was freezing and I didn't sleep much, so I purchased an Everest-league sleeping bag and had the best sleep in ages. I didn't take my camera but instead I painted the Pennine hills for relaxation. Now back in London, it looks like I picked the right day to return- They have snow!

Once I returned to Walthamstow I soon got itchy feet, so I used a day for some culture. I visited Tate Britain, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery (images to follow). If you are visiting the Tate, look out for this exhibit. Called Inverse Reverse Perverse, it is basically a large concave mirror. I can't describe the weird feeling you get upon looking into it, so try for yourself..

Latest Oil Painting

amberglow — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:49:36 +0000

Here is a painting I finished last week; this one took me about four hours in total over a few days (waiting for layers to dry). I started with a background wash and blocked in the main forms / shadow areas, then built over this. I'm pleased that my colour mixing is coming along but it's a slow learning process.

It could probably do with some retouching around the nostril and mouth, but i just wanted to get an image up as I've been slack lately ;)

This was based on a photo I found on the Web of an actress, although I improvised a bit to avoid any real likeness.

I've also been looking at the websites of a few Chinese artists, particularly Fongwei Liu and his mentor Zhaoming Wu. Both painters have a fantastic style - how much other great work is out there that you don't hear about?

Faberge Big Egg Hunt

amberglow — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:25:36 +0000

This weekend I'm planning to go on the Big Egg Hunt. For those who haven't heard, this is similar to the Elephant Hunt event a year or so ago - 200 colourful eggs have been designed and spread across London. Our job is to find (and in my case photograph) them. As well as the fun exercise-y element, at each egg there is a code which for with a small fee provides the chance to win a real Diamond Jubilee Faberge egg. Look them up, it's certainly worth a try!

I may also merge the egg hunt with a tour of cafes, coffee shops and pubs, so I can't vouch for the quality of my photos by the end.. If you're also on the hunt do look me up on Twitter @amberglowphoto and say hi!

Snow!

amberglow — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:13:04 +0000

Prior to this weekend the weather had turned pretty cold, and sure enough we had a few inches of snow. This may not sound much to a lot of people, but here in London we rarely get any these days. It seemed the perfect opportunity to go out and take a few photos, have a good walk, and then a warming drink (coffee of course, it was too early!). I would have preferred to drive somewhere with pristine snow untouched by human hands, but the roads hadn't been salted so I reluctantly decided this was too dangerous. Instead, I left the house early before many had stirred, and walked into Walthamstow village. Remembering that snow affects the camera metering, I dialled in an extra stop of exposure compensation (it was overcast; had it been bright I would have changed this). Here are just a few of the images I shot.

Another portrait and some favourite contemporary artists

amberglow — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:27:45 +0000

Here's another portrait I painted a few weeks back - This one is copied from a photo by Lee Jeffries, who received much-deserved acclaim for his series of portraits of the homeless.

I decided to paint this using a very restricted palette - originally I used just burnt sienna, but then added some raw umber and a touch of ultrmarine for the darks, and titanium white for the beard.

As I'm always looking to improve, I have been studying many contemporary artists as well as Old Masters. Its fascinating to see all the different styles of painting, and makes me realise just how much I don't know! I have to remind myself that I've only been doing this for half a year..but patience is not one of my best features ;)

Among my favourite artists are Gregg Kreutz, David A. Leffel and Richard Schmid - these are all widely recognised as some of the best artists living today. I also love Rupert Alexander's work - This talented guy painted the Queen when he was just 23! Can you suggest any more I should look at?

Latest portrait in oil

amberglow — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:28:55 +0000

As well as photography I also paint a bit in my spare time, and have joined a local group. This is only 2 hours a week so I read and practice as much as I can- other than tutorage I currently find this the best way to improve.

Below is a portrait I've been working on over the last week and shows the first stage (simple line drawing and block-in) and then the nearly-finished painting. The subject was taken from a photoshoot I did a while back, although I deliberately changed the model's features slightly. More will appear here as I improve; as well as more portraits I want to try some landscapes soon.

I've now been painting about 4 or 5 months, does anyone have any tips on how I can improve? I've been studying the works of Richard Schmid, Nelson Shanks, David Leffel..all fantastic contemporary artists - One day I hope to have a tenth of their talent!

Merry Christmas everyone

amberglow — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:47:51 +0000

Another Christmas out the way and I hope you all had a good one. Among my presents was a Thermos flask that look exactly like my Nikon 70-200 lens..What will they think of next?! My nephews were very pleased with the radio controlled helicopters I bought them, although I doubt their parents will be quite so thrilled ;)

Anyway, hope you all have a fun-filled New Year and I'll be back in a short while with more images. I also need to book some more model shoots so I'll be quite busy..remember, if you would like one please get in touch via the contact form on the main site links.

Mark

Nerea Studio Shoot - Outtakes

amberglow — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:33:56 +0000

Following my last post (and also because I haven't done much new model photography lately) here are a few out-takes from a studio shoot I did a while back. This was in South London; next time I'll be looking for one nearer so I can take more kit! Anyway, I've no idea why I didn't like these as much at the time. Nerea is doing very well and getting lots of shoots, so I'm lucky we worked together before she hits the big time!

More from Trent Park Shoot

amberglow — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:57:38 +0000

As I took so many 'keepers' (technical term there!) I thought it would be good to show them off - I've only recently finished editing this shoot due to other comitments - Hopefully I'm not in anyone's bad books, sorry! ;)