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How to install a garden pond
Keith Blackburn was recently asked to paint a fence... But, being an award winning mural artist, Keith decided to go a little further than a few coats of Ronseal.
Decisions, decisions...
The owners of this London home got in touch with me about some unsightly concrete fence posts in their garden.
I decided right from the start, that I’d need to erect a solid panel to paint upon. After some thought, I erected a 50 x 50mm timber frame which was fixed to the concrete fence posts, upon which I mounted 12mm marine grade plywood to create a 366 x 170cm surface.
The joints were then bonded and filled using Timbabuild EHB60 epoxy resin and Finish filler, before preparing the panel with lightly abraded Roxill waterproofing paste and three coats of tinted Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3.
I spent some time with the clients in order to come up with a suitable design on paper, once this was agreed I could then begin transferring it to the panel itself.
With the board marked out in a grid, the enlargement begins...
I employed a simple grid device to scale up the design, which I drew on to the panel using Cretacolor leads. After the outlines were finished, the basic shapes were blocked in and tonal values were established.
Slowly, more of the elements were introduced, but still with a limited palette, applying the acrylic paints as thin washes.
Blocking the basic shapes and establishing tonal values.
Using a limited palette, acrylic paints were applied as thin washes.
Polyvine Tropical Scumble clear acrylic glaze, tinted with their colorants, was used in a variety of ways – stippling to create the vignette, chamois leather ragging on for the general varied foliage background, and drawing through rubbed in glaze with Royal Sovereign Colour Shapers for areas such as the tree bark.
Stippling Polyvine Tropical Scumble around the edges to create a vignette. The bulk of the painting was done with Golden Acrylics and Medium.
The bulk of the remaining painting was carried out with Golden Acrylics and medium.
Delighted with the result, clients Roger and Greg are now preparing to reinstate the plants that had to be removed to facilitate the project, and will also be adding ivy along the top to hide the edge of the mural.
After a month of work, a final coat of Polyvine Dead Flat varnish is dry and the job is finished.
