Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 6

Finishing up the explosion, smoke, elephant's tusks and the demons.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 5

This week I return to the Blind Chakram on Howdah!

I added some colours to the demons. I left some of them grey to colour them later on during the process.

Remember this painting started off in black and white just like the painting of Guru Gobind Singh ji. It did have some sepia tones but now it's almost fully coloured.

Episode 1 - Hari Singh Nalwa

In this video, I paint Hari Singh Nalwa's armour. And I narrate my painting process.

Prints available at: http://sikhiart.com/hari-singh-nalwa/

Hari Singh Nalwa was great general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom. At a young age, while on a hunting trip, he was attacked by a tiger. With his bare hands, he pushed back the tiger, drew his sword and decapitated the beast. He was known for his excellent swordsmanship and chivalry. His father had been serving Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army. All of this became the deciding factors for the Maharaja to accept him in his royal service. He was given a small army of horsemen and so began Nalwa’s career as a General.

He participated in the conquests of Sialkot, Kasur (1807), Multan (1818), Kashmir (1819), Pakhli and Damtaur (1821-2), Peshawar (1834) and finally Jamrud in the Khyber Hills (1837). He defeated the Afghans, something the British failed to do, and annexed a segment of what was the Kingdom of Kabul to the Sikh Kingdom. In Peshawar, he rebuilt the Bala Hisar Fort in Maharaja’s name. He also built a chain of fortresses on his conquests to strengthen his hold. He also built one in his own name, Haripur. This expanded Punjab towards the North-west into the lands of Afghanistan, blocked off the Khyber Pass (which was pass through the mountains often used by Persian and Afghan invaders to loot and plunder Hindustan), and instilled fear of his name among the Afghan tribes.

Guru Arjun Dev ji - Sketch

Meditating on Hari, my and mind are totally rejuvenated, and the garden of my mind has blossomed forth in lush abundance. - Guru Ramdas ji, 849


I want to carry this metaphor of the garden to the painting, and show an abundance of greenery, flowers, and birds and animals around Guru Arjun Dev ji, as he meditates.

I also want to try experimenting with giving him an instrument at some point. But I also like the pose from my previous painting of Guru Sahib, which maintains continuity.

Guru Arjun Dev ji - Facial Resemblance

Using my previous painting of Guru Arjun Dev ji's martyrdom, I am trying to get a similar face for a new painting. I think having some resemblance will connect the two paintings and therefore identify the Guru in the new painting as Guru Arjun Dev ji. 

This is important because the new painting isn't portraying any event that is from Guru Arjun Dev ji's life, and so it will be harder to identify the person in the painting without a foundation. So in this case that foundation is the painting of Guru Arjun Dev ji's martyrdom.

Portrait of Dasam Pita - Colouring Process 2

I finished the base colours. At this point I am going to paint on top of it, clean it up and detail it.

This is a huge painting, 5" high. Guru Sahib's larger than life personality requires a larger than life portrait!

Portrait of Dasam Pita - Colouring Process

Back when photography was in early stages, they didn't have a way to capture colour on to film. So they would take black and white photos then add colour to them later.
This painting has gone through a similar process. I painted it in black white and I am just now beginning to add some colour. Starting with Guru Sahib's face. I apply the first layer of base colours.

Bhai Kanhaiya - Slow Painting 2

I'm satisfied with how Bhai Kanhaiya ji's clothes are turning out so far. But there's still some more work to do. 

The original speed painting can be found here: http://sikhiart.com/gallery/speed-paintings/

Bhai Kanhaiya

It's happening! Been working on Bhai Kanhaiya all night and converting it from a speed painting to a ... slow painting!?

You can see the speed painting here.

The Thinker

A commission I did back in 2010, showing a Singh contemplating his actions, his purpose in this world. The men in the back are going to war, but this man has stepped outside the herd.

Based on the bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, 'The Thinker'.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 4

The sky is set ablaze, and the lightning burns the retina.

Hathi Mere Sathi

As you can see from the bottom corners, the base colour is blue, meaning I am painting other colours on top of a blue underpainting. So that blue is gona pop out in places, especially shadows, and complement the oranges and reds in the sky.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 2

This weekend I returned to Blind Chakram on Howdah, colouring and detailing the driver and the howdah.

Looks like this Singh is gona need a bit more work. He's a little too rough-looking for my taste. Once all the colours are in place, I'll be refining him and the rest of the painting.

 

Next up, the elephant!

Portrait of Dasam Pita, 10th Master

It's a work in progress. I am still thinking about whether I should complete it, and whether I should colour it or leave it black and white.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process

This weekend I began colouring the Blind Chakram on Howdah. So far I am liking the dark blue figure silhouetted against the saturated reds and yellows.

Like a Thirsty Man

ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਉ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਬਹੁ ਤਪਤੈ ਜਿਉ ਤ੍ਰਿਖਾਵੰਤੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਨੀਰ ॥੧॥
My mind yearns so deeply for His Darshan the way a thirsty man yearns for water. ||1|| - Guru Ramdas Ji

Blind Chakram on Howdah (WIP)

I have been waiting for a long time to work on such a piece! So this year, I was finally able to nail down a concept and composition that I really like. I hope you are as excited to see it progress, as I am. 

Prints will be available. If you like what you see, you can pre-order a print and help fund this project and others like it. Please email me at bhagatbedi@gmail.com for more details.

This fantasy illustration is currently a work in progress. The idea is that the nihang is physically blind, the larhs of his pag cover his eyes. His tall turban serves as a lightning rod, and when struck by lightning, it empowers him! He is marching into battle, mounted atop a howdah (on a four-tusked elephant's back) and hurling lightning chakkars into the opposing hordes of rakshas and other demonic entities.

Guru Arjun Dev ji's Martyrdom

This month was Guru Arjun Dev ji's shaheedi divas, the day when he was martyred after being tortured on a hot plate.

Guru Arjun Dev

This painting shows Guru Arjun Dev ji peacefully meditating while being tortured. Guru Sahib was made to sit on a hot plate and had hot sand poured over his head and body. Even though he was put through immense pain, he was in profound peace with the moment, with the situation he found himself in. One day while meditating on Guru Sahib’s poetry and the scene of his martyrdom, I had such a profound experience of Guru Sahib, an experience so emotionally moving and so overwhelmingly blissful that I knew I had to paint this scene.

To purchase this painting please head over to SikhiArt.com

In other news, Zuber and I have been getting back to the Mod for AoE 3. Now that his summer holidays have begun, he's getting started with implementing Punjab into the game. As for me, I've been learning how to design scenarios, to create good layouts and to be able to set off certain effects that advance the storyline. I will share more info as the mod develops.

Golden Temple

What Shri Harimandir Sahib aka Golden Temple might have looked like before it was covered in gold and marble. It's humble origins are of mud and brick. Surrounded by only a pool and trees as it has yet to develop into a large urban community.

Market at Jaffa by Gustav Bauernfeind

I hadn't done a study of any master paintings in a long time. So this month, in between commissions, I decided to study a painting called Market at Jaffa by Gustav Bauernfeind. I want to spend a bit more time on it to completely study its beautiful composition and colours.