Victorian Old Edinburgh (Cowgate)

There may well be some words and story spawned from this piece at some point in the not so distant future but for now, I’m posting this here so everyone gets a look before it goes live tonight on my Old Edinburgh Facebook Page.

I have been working on digital artwork for some time now and produced over fifty different pieces, varied in form and subject matter and with different techniques. However. most of my best work (as I see it) is based around and within Old Edinburgh and/or using the old town as the direct inspiration…much the same as my best photographs though again, my opinion.

Here’s my new piece in full. I’m calling this “Victorian Old Edinburgh (Cowgate)”:

This piece has been under construction for longer than any other and has more details than all my other pieces of art. It’s also based on even more of my own original images than any other piece in the past and has taken more time to complete due to the size of the originals and the amount of work involved in taking those to something resembling a complete piece.

The main scene is based on the Cowgate, located a little south of the Grassmarket in the heart of Old Edinburgh. The bridge itself is where Irish Revolutionary James Connolly was born (and plaque remains on the wall to this day to mark the spot) and Sean Connery was also born, lived here (and delivered milk as a lad!) not far from the spot.

I have added my own take on things with a fictional close (Old Tommy’s Close) largely based on Fleshmarket Close where the original meat market was located in Edinburgh, hence the name. I’ve also added a fictional shop (McClintoch’s Tobacco Shop) based on a real store from the Canongate and I’ve peppered the scene with Victorian characters and scenery/street furniture to give the whole piece a more authentic feel.

The whole piece has taken a number of hours to complete and is the product of photographs, sketches, paint (digital) and a complete set of colours and light, completed by hand using digital techniques including a graphics tablet and an Apple Pencil, for those interested in the way these things come together.

I like it. It’s not too often I finish something and find myself genuinely looking for more things to tweak or change and uncovering none – that’s as close as I’ll get to being happy with things 🙂

This will be be available as a limited edition print (and canvas for UK buyers) and will only be available for a short period of time. The link to purchase is added here though won’t be public until this evening. Anyways, members’ exclusive sneak peek over…enjoy and here’s a few more shots of the shot, a little more up close and personal so you can see the details.