I have so many ideas floating around in my head. But if I actually want to build my confidence with a brush and get anywhere with these ideas, I need to get painting and practise.
I've had an idea for a painting of a flight of Spitfires peeling off to an attack for ages, it will depict four Mk.Vb's of 92 Squadron breaking right from line astern to intercept bandits somewhere over the Channel. The background will be lots of fluffy clouds with the Channel in the distance below and ahead.
If my drawing skills were very rusty I'd be happy, but after years of neglect, they're not. So holding a pencil and pushing it around felt a bit foreign to begin with! It's amazing how dependant I've become on computers. My old Creative Director used to always tell us draw your ideas on paper, get them down there, and as the new age computer kids that was just so old fashioned. But... It is a useful tool and I've used it setting this composition up.
I found a very basic 3D model (basic as in corners are squares lol) in Sketchup and used that to help with the distances and angles, once I was happy, I blew it up and used that as a base to work from. I've sat for hours getting the shapes of the aircraft right before tracing that onto the canvas where I've added the roundels and squadron markings, control surfaces, radiators etc. I apparently can't draw ellipses like I used to either! So far it all looks about right. There are a few issues that I've seen having taken a pic of it, perspectives on fuselage lettering is out a bit, some of the roundels are a bit wonky, and a few other things like radiator and undercarriage positioning and control surface deflections (I was so busy concentrating on getting the shapes right I forgot about that!). I'm happy with the drawing so far though and will iron out the niggly bits as I paint. I'm not looking forward to trying the prop ellipses in though!
This will be oil on canvas board 30" x 20".
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