Iain Gardiner Artist shows how he created his award winning hyperrealistic oil painting ‘Uncle Joe’ - stage by stage

This stage by stage demonstration of my hyperrealistic painting of Uncle Joe was first published in the Artist and Illustrators 250th issue in July 2007. This is my original unabridged version, which includes extra photos - Uncle Joe's painting has subsequently gone on to win the RMS Presidents Special Commendation For Large Work Award and was exhibited in the 125th New English Art Club Annual Exhibition in London.

Uncle Joe; oil on canvas board 77.5cm x 67cm  

This painting is not a commercial piece, but a personal depiction of a close family member, Joseph Ridge, whom I know as Uncle Joe. I wanted to express in this painting a person content with himself, reminiscing on a fruitful life spanning 92 years — from the tumultuous years of fighting in the second World War to the serenity of warm days in the South African sun. Memories are a precious commodity, and so is family, which is why I wanted to immortalise Mr Ridge in the medium I know best – oil paint. 

In his latter years, Mr Ridge has become synonymous with his chair, so it was clear the composition of this painting had to incorporate this. I would normally start with preparatory sketches, but in this case I couldn’t expect the model to sit still for long periods, so I started by taking numerous photos from different angles.

I took his jumper back to the studio with me —  I Prefer to paint clothing from real life, as this allows me to look intensely into the fabric and create detail that is not possible with a two-dimensional photo.

I am an unusual painter in that I like to work with a tiny brush — a ProArte Miniature painting brush — for almost the entire painting. Initially, I use a larger brush to fill in areas of flat colour, which is made translucent by being mixed with refined linseed oil. I do this so I can still see the pencil underneath, while also creating a base colour on which to work. As the pencil is only a guide, it will soon be lost as I build up layers of different colour and mould the contours of the face.

Materials

• Canvas board
• Winsor & Newton refined linseed oil
• Turpentine
• Winsor & Newton Artist’s Oil Colours: Titanium White, Winsor Red, Magenta, Permanent Rose, Ultramarine Green Shade, Manganese Blue Shade, Phthalo Turquoise, Mauve Blue Shade, Ultramarine Violet, Indian Red, Mars Black, Permanent Green Light, Permanent Green, Burnt Umber, Brown Madder, Burnt Sienna, Vandyke Brown, Brown Ochre.
• Pro Arte brushes (various series)

    

   Stage 1

Using the digital photos as a guide, I start by creating a comprehensive drawing using an ordinary clutch pencil on canvas board. Once I am happy with the drawing, I study it in a mirror so I can see it from a different perspective — you’d be surprised at the flaws you pick out this way. 

Though it’s not shown here, when the drawing is finally finished, I cover the entire canvas with tracing paper to prevent the pencil from smudging. As I work on each area, I simply tear that piece of tracing paper away.

    Stage 2

I believe there is no section of a painting that deserves special attention — all areas are equally important. Hence I pay the same attention to, say, the forehead as to the eyes. 

When it comes to painting the face I prefer to work on small sections at a time, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Since the skin is a multitude of colours, I use my entire palette, each colour mixed with refined linseed oil to create different hues, which I build up in layers. 

    Stage 3

Once most of the face is complete, I start on the hair. I paint each hair individually, leaving spaces for the scalp to show through. This is time-consuming but also rewarding, as it will end up looking more realistic than flat colour. At this stage, I am not concerned about the hair on the perimeters of the head, as I still need to finish the background. After the hair, I remove a large section of tracing paper to paint the base colour of the chair.

   Stage 4

Now I start work on the wallpaper. The flowers initially come out too bright and need toning down. I leave them to dry, then, using my fingers, I wipe the entire background with a mixture of titanium White, a tiny amount of Chrome Yellow Hue and refined linseed oil to make it transparent. I remove excess paint with a tissue. 

Once the background has dried, I continue to go over the face with different tints, adding final details to the complexion.

Uncle Joe; oil on canvas board, 77.5cm x 67cm. 

     Stage 5

The final stage took months to finish, as the detail in the jumper was literally painted one thread at a time. I then finished the fine details in the chair and added dark tints over large areas with my fingers, wiping the excess paint away. This unified the entire painting, creating harmonious tones throughout. 

Detail of Uncle Joe's jumper - every stitch individually painted

Detail of Uncle Joe

The 125th New English Art Club Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, London.

This entire painting took nearly seven months to complete; other paintings can be quicker, depending on the detail required. For a comprehensive look at pricing and how to commission a portrait - please have a look at the Gallery page in his portfolio.

Iain Gardiner Artist new miniature Stage by Stage video

This is a continuation of Iain’s previous Blog showcasing a short YouTube video of how he created his award winning miniature painting - 'Reflection 4'. 

The video shows the progression of the painting from the initial drawing through to the final finished painting - Stage by Stage accompanied by music and some useful tips.

Creating an award winning miniature oil painting stage by stage

‘Reflection 4’  Oil on Canvas, 9.5cm x 7.5cm 

I created this miniature oil painting a few years ago - the theme of the painting is based on consumerism hence the use of shop windows and the reflections of every day people within them. ‘Reflection 4’ won the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers prestigious Gold Memorial Bowl Award. It’s now part of the Sue Lee collection of contemporary miniature art.

I started by taking numerous digital photos around London. I then adapted them in photoshop to create a composition that I liked by swapping elements and manipulating the colour.

Materials

•   00 Galeria Winsor & Newton Brush
•   00 Pro Arte Acrylix Brush 
•   0/5 Pro Arte Miniature Painting Brush
•   20/0 Spotter Princeton Velvet Touch Brush
•   Da Vinci Micro Nova Brush  
•   Winsor & Newton Refined Linseed Oil
•   Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colours: Magenta, Chrome Yellow, Winsor Red, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Red Deep, Mauve Blue Shade, Ultramarine Violet, Winsor Blue Green shade, Manganese Blue Hue, Mars Black, Titanium White, Brown Ochre, Terra Rosa, Permanent Green, Permanent Green Light. Davy’s Grey, Raw Amber Light, Indigo, French Ultramarine, Yellow Ochre Light, Burnt Amber, Winsor Orange, Brown Madder, Mars Violet Deep, Raw Umber light.

   Stage 1 

Using the print out from my computer as a guide I then draw the image on to the canvas. I tend to use a 0.5 clutch pencil with a cushion point and 2B lead to do this. To get a very fine point to the lead I sharpen it continuously with an Nt-cutter. 

TIP 1

As the drawing is just a guide it doesn’t have to be exact with every detail - but it does help to be accurate.

  Stage 2

Being right handed I find it makes sense to start the painting in the top left hand corner with the intention of gradually working across. I will usually use a 00 Winsor & Newton brush or a 00 ProArte Miniature Painting brush, as they tend to have very fine points and are also durable. I begin painting by out-lining the details on the buildings with a Winsor & Newton Mars Black oil paint, this time I am very meticulous to add in every minute detail including that which I left out in the initial pencil drawing. 

 

I like to work on a small area at a time finishing a section before moving on to the next, similar to assembling a puzzle. Before the black paint dries around the architectural facades I soften it by merging in Titanium White mixed with a slight touch of Chrome Yellow Hue. I then begin to mould these shapes by blending different tones together to form a more natural look. I now start on the windows, I work over the black out-lines with different hues before adding the warm and cool translucent tones that make up the reflections in the glass. 

   Stage 3

Moving on now to the prominent yellow light at the top - which comprises of a mixture of Chrome Yellow, Brown Ochre and Terra Rosa. I now add different hues and tints to make the painting more atmospheric, to achieve this I have to wait for the paint to dry first before applying the transparent tones created by mixing the colours with refined linseed oil. 

Using this technique I also build up the layers to create the effect of the building reflecting over the first mannequin. The warm tones that make up the mannequin is a mixture of: Chrome Yellow, Brown Ochre, Winsor Red, Ultramarine Violet and permanent Rose.

  Stage 4

I start my next step by mixing a multitude of colours to encompass all the diverse tones of the peoples complexions and clothes in the painting, Using literally my entire spectrum, I mix small amounts of paint together to form the different tones on my pallet, these are created in a line from light to dark shades. While working I also try not to put too much paint on my brush as it makes it very difficult to control. 

Tip2
I find it helpful to control my breathing when working on small details which require a lot of concentration, holding my breath for a short period of time helps to keep my hand steady which is useful when working for example on the tiny figures in the background. 

  

Moving on to the larger faces. I Use the same colour tones that I mixed earlier for the skin, once I have finished their main features I then let the paint dry before applying different hues to create a more natural look.

   

  Stage 5

 I now start to work on my second larger mannequin using the same technique as I used on the previous one. I use similar tonal values even in the details on the concrete building. Moving down to work on the London Bus I use: Winsor Red, Magenta and Permanent Rose to create its distinctive colour.

 Further down the painting the next two larger pedestrians are painted normally - once they have dried I apply tints of Mauve Blue Shade mixed with mars black and hints of Cadmium Red Deep over them to form the second mannequins jacket.

 Moving across to the next bus I again start by outlining the fine details with Mars Black. As this bus is closer to the viewer than the previous ones there are far more features visible in the windows - these are created by adding Winsor Blue (GreenShade) with Davy’s Grey and Raw Amber Light.

   Stage 6

During this stage I start on the largest women in the foreground. I begin by painting her hair first using Raw Umber Light, Burnt Umber and Van Dyke Brown with hints of Mars Black. This time the hair requires far more attention spent on it than the previous figures because she is such a predominant figure in the painting each strand will have to be painted individually. 

Once the hair has dried I then added the small reflected mannequin by diluting Titanium White with Refined Linseed Oil. Later I will also go over this Mannequin with diluted Burnt Amber to create the effect of translucent hair to help blend it all in. 

Her complexion is created by mixing Winsor Orange, Permanent Rose, Chrome Yellow Hue, Ultramarine Violet, Winsor Red, Brown Madder. Her glasses are a combination of Mars Black, Mars Violet Deep, Brown Madder, Raw Umber light and Titanium White mixed with Indigo for the high light.

   Stage 7

 Once the buildings and the bus are finally finished and dry - you can begin painting the final Mannequin over them with translucent Titanium White a touch of Davy’s Grey and Yellow Ochre Light (All diluted with Refined Linseed)

 The final two figures in the bottom corner are painted normally - once they have dried I then apply a light translucent blue using; Indigo, French Ultramarine and Mars Black over them to form the Mannequins dress - the small flower decorations are added at the end once everything has dried.

 The final stage is to work over areas that need slight adjustments. I notice these far better if I put the painting to one side for a couple of days and then look at it through fresh eyes. 

 

Showing the actual size of Reflection 4

How to create stage by stage a miniature canvas for oil paintings.

I personally like to diversify between large and miniature paintings, I find working on miniatures has been very beneficial in helping me indirectly with all my art endeavours — for they empower you to visualise and observe your subjects more meticulously, I’ve also learnt to be more patient as you’re forced to concentrate on every minute detail.

Every year before covid-19 inexplicably changed everything I would exhibit my miniatures at the Royal Society of miniature painters, sculptures and gravers (RMS) annual exhibition. 

As the foremost miniature society in the world the RMS always maintains a high standard across all disciplines as modern miniatures now encompass many genres from landscapes to portraiture and in equally diverse mediums from sculpture to the traditional watercolour on ivorine. 

As I prefer to work in oil paint I found it very difficult to find a miniature canvas that has been properly stretched and primed — eventually I resorted to simply making my own.

      

     

     Materials

• Balsa Wood
• Medium grain Canvas
• Super Glue
• Staple Gun
• Nt-Cutter
• Sand paper
• Daler-Rowney Gesso Primer

  Stage 1

   

I start by cutting strips of balsa wood with an Nt-cutter to my desired length, 10cm x 8cm. At the ends I carve a wedge shape and super glue the pieces together to form a stretcher frame. I have to be very careful to be accurate as the glue is very unforgiving and will stick immediately. 

For the more proficient woodworker you might like to challenge yourself and create some miniature joints — personally as the stretcher frame is so small I don’t think it’s really necessary.

  Stage 2

   

To add strength and rigidity I cut a flat strip of balsa wood that you can buy at any art shop and glue it to the top of the frame. 

  Stage 3

After sanding down everything square I then stretch a medium weave canvas over the frame and staple it tightly and securely. I use staples this time, as glue would eventually rot the canvas.

   Stage 4

The final stage is to size and prime the canvas. I use a dry rabbit skin glue mixed with heated water to size, once this has dried I then apply a Daler-Rowney Gesso primer which I apply very thickly, allowing it to dry — I repeat this process of priming a few times and then arduously sand it down until it’s perfectly smooth. I now have a workable miniature canvas to the right dimensions.

                   (Iain has not been endorsed by any company to promote their products during these Stage by Stage demonstrations)                                                           

Iain Gardiner Artist’s new YouTube videos showing how he created his large hyperrealistic self-portrait oil painting.

This is a continuation of Iain’s previous Blog showcasing two short YouTube video’s of how he created his large oil painting - 'Self-Portrait As Commuter'. 

This short video shows how the large oil painting 'Self-Portrait as Commuter' progresses over time, Stage by Stage - from the initial pencil drawing right through to the finished painting.

Iain’s second video is just over six minutes long. This time-lapse video shows him actually painting his hyperrealistic self-portrait – which took him nearly three years to complete. The painting reflects the tedious commute experienced by Londoners travelling to work in the UK every week - before Covid-19 changed everything! 

The video includes insightful tips – what brushes and paints Iain personally prefers to use. It also demonstrates how monotonous his technique really is!

(Iain has not been endorsed by any company to promote their products during these videos)

Iain Gardiner's first stage by stage art demonstration showing how he created his large hyperrealistic self-portrait oil painting.

I originally wrote this article for the Artist Magazine back in Feb 2018. This is the original unabridged version which hasn’t been professionally edited - I’ve added tips and extra information to the stages sections and I’ve also included additional unpublished photos and a time-lapse video.

Self-Portrait As Commuter, oil on canvas, 122.5cm x 92cm

Iain busy working on his painting ´Self-Portrait as Commuter` 

A few years ago before this horrible Covid-19 pandemic changed everything!... I was experiencing yet another tedious commute into a damp over cast London. Like many of my fellow passengers my mind was far away totally consumed in my own private thoughts. I was trying unsuccessfully to come up with a concept for my next art project. Looking out of the train window wishing desperately to get some inspiration - I inexplicably took a photo of myself!

Those brief seconds that it took to press the button on the camera would unknowingly capture an image that would inspire me to create a painting - that would take over three years to complete.Using miniature techniques on a large-scale canvas, I decided to depict every pore in the skin and every stitch in the jacket in oil paint. 

A big problem I had in the beginning was the quality of the digital photo – it was blurred. I tried to sharpen it in Photoshop, but unfortunately that wasn’t successful. To create the detail that I wished to portray I was forced to take numerous very close up photos of my face. I also frequently resorted back to basics by observing myself in the mirror. 

My initial idea was to show the intricate process of creating this painting as an installation art concept. Each stage of the painting process was photographed and then digitally printed onto canvases, which are the exact size and dimension of the original painting. 

Self-Portrait As Commuter Installation Concept - Exhibiting In A Virtual Gallery

Self-Portrait As Commuter Installation Concept - Exhibiting In A Virtual Gallery

Self-Portrait As Commuter Installation Concept - Exhibiting In A Virtual Gallery

The whole idea of the exhibition is to show the actual process of creating the art was in fact the most important aspect. It also allowed the viewer to interact with each stage of the painting as it evolved through out the years.

Iain showing his Stage by Stage digital prints along side his original oil painting

This painting and the over all concept that it represents is very special to me - not because I spent such a long time creating it, but because it was the last project I finished that my dad saw before his untimely passing from MND.

Materials I used:

•  0.5 Clutch pencil with a cushion point – 2B lead
•  Sand paper
•  Loxley Canvas
•  Large Winsor & Newton Brush
•  00 Galeria Winsor & Newton Brush
•  10/0 Pro Arte Miniature Painting Brush   
•  5/0 Pro Arte Miniature Painting Brush 
•  Daler-Rowney Gesso Primer
•  Winsor & Newton Refined Linseed Oil
•  Winsor & Newton Artists Oil Colours:  Magenta, Quinacridone Magenta, Purple Madder, Chrome Yellow Hue, Winsor Red, Permanent Rose, Mauve Blue Shade, Ultramarine Violet, Permanent Mauve, Winsor Blue Green shade, Winsor Blue Red Shade, Manganese Blue Hue, Winsor Violet, Mars Black, Ivory Black, Titanium White, Brown Ochre, Terra Rosa, Permanent Green, Permanent Green Light, Green Gold, Winsor Green, Cadmium Red, Winsor Orange, Winsor Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Yellow Ochre Light, Indigo, Burnt Umber, Brown Madder, Burnt Sienna, Vandyke Brown, Davy’s Grey.

    Stage 1

Before I started the drawing on my pre primed bought canvas. I decided to size the back of the canvas myself with a dry rabbit skin glue mixed with heated water. On the front of the canvas I also added numerous extra coats of Daler-Rowney Gesso primer, which I applied very thickly – allowing it to dry I then arduously sanded it down until it was perfectly smooth. I now had a canvas that I was ready to work on. As the image was very large I decided to draw it on the canvas in sections. Using print outs from my computer as a guide. I used a 0.5 clutch pencil with a cushion point and 2B lead to do this. 

Tip 1 

To get a very fine point on my clutch pencil I sharpen it regularly with an Nt-cutter. 

With this particular drawing I tried to make it very detailed. Which meant adding the position of blemishes and even the pores in the skin. However my main priority at this early stage was to make sure that all the proportions where correct. 

Tip 2  

I find it very helpful while drawing to look at the image in front of a mirror - The mirror gives you a different perspective that allows you to see if there are any mistakes.

    Stage 2

Once I’m happy with my drawing, I started painting in large areas with a mixture of Mars Black and Ivory Black, I thinned the paint down to a smooth consistency with refine Linseed oil. Once the black has dried I then began painting details of the hair with different shades of brown that have been mixed with a small amount of black. I made them all slightly translucent by also adding a small amount of refined linseed oil. The reason for making them translucent was for them to merge into the black background and not to be too prominent. 

Tip 3  

Don’t overload your brushes with too much paint.

     Stage 3

In stage three I started painting the stitches in the shirt using Titanium white mixed with a tiny amount of Mars black to add shading, with the blue stitches of the shirt I added a small amount of Winsor Blue Red Shade with Titanium white, Manganese Blue Hue and a very small amount of Indigo. All mixed with a tiny amount of Mars black again for shading. At this early stage I’m not too worried about the tones in the painting as I still have numerous other layers to add later. My main concern is to make sure the stitches are individually correct. 

Tip 4

When painting clothes I always prefer to work with the garments in front of me - so I can look very closely and see every tiny thread. These observations allowed me to create extremely fine detail on the canvas, which was not visible on the original photo.

      Stage 4

During this stage I finished most of the jacket - painting every minute stitch. To achieve the colour I used Winsor Blue Green shade, Winsor Blue Red Shade, Indigo and Mars black, mixed with Ultramarine Violet. I will still have to add translucent tones later. 

To create the fine detail I used my 5/0 Pro Arte Miniature Painting Brush. Over such a large area it took months to finish. I also added more detail to the shirt by painting in the small threads and fluff - these are a bit bright in the beginning and will have to be toned down once they have dried. 

While waiting for the jacket and shirt to dry I started to paint the first layers of the eye. I began by painting the pupil and the out line shape of the eye with Mars and Ivory black mixed together. While the paint is still wet I add Titanium white mixed with Permanent Mauve, Mauve Blue Shade and Yellow Ochre with a little bit more black to create the base colour of the white of the eye. Using Indigo mixed with titanium white and Manganese Blue Hue I then out lined the iris – once the paint is dry, I can then add the different shades of colour to the iris in minute detail, this involves numerous colours. The eye took a long time to create, as I had to be very patient and stare into the mirror for days on end. Building up layers of translucent colours. 

To create the veins in the eye I use Winsor Red, Permanent Rose and Purple Madder, for the high lights I used Titanium white. Once the eye is again dry I then added further layers of tones and hues to finally bring life into it.

    Stage 5

In stage five I started painting the different tones into the skin. I found my detailed drawing now became essential to get every pore correct. The skin took ages to perfect as it requires endless layers of translucent colours being applied on top of each other. You have to wait before the last layer has dried before you can apply a second - using a minute brush this took ages. The colours I used for the skin was very diverse - I nearly used my entire spectrum, as you need different hues of blueish greens for the veins near the eye, and subtle blends of reds, orange, browns, black and purples, mixed together with different shades of yellow.

Once I had finished the forehead. I started on the sky which was basically mainly white with small remnants of light grey, I used Titanium white and Davy’s Grey. Once the sky had dried I then painted the individual hairs over the face using all my different shades of brown. I now completed large areas of the face including the nose and also the top of the trees in the background.

Finished Painting 'Self-Portrait As Commuter'

      Stage 6

In this final stage I started working on the mouth before finishing the reflection in the window and the railway tracks. To create the mouth I blended Mars black with Quinacridone Magenta and Winsor red for the dark areas between the lips. I then mixed yellow hue with permanent Rose for the top of the lips. For the bottom lip I also used permanent Rose and yellow hue as well as a tiny amount of Ultramarine Violet and Titanium White. Once this has dried I added more subtle tones of very translucent purples and blues, before finally finishing with white high lights.

I then began to paint the rest of the trees and reflection in the window. While waiting for areas to dry I would move on to another section - that’s why I finished the railway tracks before the trees where completed. Once all the trees where finished and dry - I then added very light grey translucent tones over the reflection. While this grey was still wet I used a clean cloth to remove any excess paint - allowing the under colour to show through. I also added small amounts of translucent Winsor Red and Permanent Rose. Finally I added tones and hues through out the painting to unify everything.

Iain Gardiner showing the size of ´Self-Portrait As Commuter`