In recognition of Remembrance day next week, I thought I’d open my sketchbook for the next 7 days and show the process behind my military painting ‘Canada’s Proud’.
These are very rough sketches for my purposes only, so the emphasis is on composition and subject matter, not drawing accuracy and detail. I use a thicker and heavier pencil to avoid getting bogged down in details until I find something I like, then I tighten up my work with smaller technical pencils. You will see this progression with certain images until they find their way into the final painting.
This painting is a tribute to the Canadian soldier throughout our history. Our soldiers are well respected by civilians and militaries around the world and I felt a huge responsibility to get this right. I took this task very seriously and spent many long hours researching and gathering images and information before brush ever got to board for the final piece.
So here are the first 2 sketches.
I started with the combat soldier involved in the Afghanistan conflict, which was relevant at that time.
Please remember to buy a poppy.
Our world owes a lot to our men and women who fought for us, and a poppy is such a small but powerful token of respect and gratitude reminding us to never forget.
You can see the final painting here:
#remembranceday, #canadianmilitary, #soldiers, #blueputtees, #newfoundlandregiment, #afghanistan, #WW1, #WW2, #newfoundlandsoldier, #canadiansoldier, #poppy
