Size stories

News - Size stories
04/27/2007

Before starting a painting, it is necessary to choose its subject, single model or possibly composition. This orders the sheet orientation. But it is also necessary to choose the size of the sheet. I carried out my first drawings and watercolours on sheets 7,2 x 9,6 " and 9,6 x 12 " and I increased little by little.

In 2002, I carried out my first XXL watercolour representing Valentino Rossi celabrating his 2002' French GP win on a 14,8 x 18,4 " sheet (this one still remains one of my favourites). Others followed, but they were compositions, with small size models, like those concerning Ludovic Holon (16 x 20 ") in 2003 or Didier de Radiguès (16 x 24 ") in 2004.

	46 - Valentino Rossi (ITA, Repsol Honda), 2002' MotoGP champion Watercolours and India ink on 160 lbs paper, 13,7 x 17,0" November 2002
	Ludovic Holon, 1995-2002 Watercolours and India ink on 160 lbs paper, 14,8 x 18,5" January 2003
	Kevin Schwantz, 1988-1994 Watercolours on 140 lbs paper, 10,4 x 14,4" May 2004
	Didier de Radiguès, 1983-1997 Watercolours on 140 lbs paper, 16 x 24 " December 2004

Mainly for a question of time, I concentrated my work on the standard size of 9,6 X 12 ". Starting this type of painting in the last days preceding an important event is not too perilous. In 2003, during the summer, as my WSBK program was well engaged, I carried out a series of washing with India ink in a higher format, 12 X 16 ". Since the beginning of 2004, I paint as many 9,6 X 12 " of 12 X 16 ". This last format, even if it requires more time, for drawing and colouring, makes possible to get a better level of details.

	100 - Neil Hodgson (GBR, Ducati), 2003' WSBK champion India ink and water on 160 lbs paper, 12 x 16 " September 2003
	11 - Ruben Xaus (SPA, Ducati) India ink and water on 160 lbs paper, 12 x 16 " September 2003
	55 - Régis Laconi (FRA, Ducati) Watercolours and India ink on 160 lbs paper, 12 x 16 " August 2003

This winter, as I began my series about MotoGP very soon, I started, in December, the realization of several large size watercolours : 16,8 x 22,4 ". The main problem I met was related to the paper strength. With this sheet size, it is subjected to strong constraints with the important quantities of water used for the successive layers of colour. That lengthens also the time of realization because it is necessary to wait for the complete drying of the sheet between two passages. During last spring, I also tested an intermediate size (14,4 x 19,2 ") for many others riders. You'll discover them soon all along the galleries... For drawings with black lead, no problem of drying. Here is a large size (16 x 24 ").

Yamaha R1
Graphite on 93 lbs paper,
16 x 24"
March 2007

To get an idea of size scale of the sizes, from the foreground to the background : 7,2 x 9,6 " (Kevin Schwantz), 9,6 x 12 " (Noriyuki Haga), 12 x 16 " (Sete Gibernau), 16,8 x 22,4 " (Marco Melandri)

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