Statue from CS Moore Studio, 1/7 scale, painted by Alex Castro © 

Statue from CS Moore Studio, 1/7 scale, painted by Alex Castro ©

Dear students and friends,

It ’s been awhile; my apologies for the laps in time with  ”Conan the Conqueror,” especially to my very patient collector.

 The  recent passing of Mr. Frazetta has made me remember his words to  me “ why aren’t you painting on canvas ? “   That being said, this legend has left us with a legacy of art for generations to enjoy.  To me it was a  a closing of an  era in the world of art and the beginning  of a new one .

 That being said ,  I’m taking  this opportunity to announce my retirement from the world of painting figures and miniatures. I’ve been painting miniatures professionally fo over 30 years and have enjoyed it with a passion . It’s time to move on! “Conan the Conqueror “ is the  last miniature figure piece  I will paint!

 I have reached a point that I can no longer resist the pull and calling of my  art work of spiritual compositions that deal with the spiritual side of our existence  in a none religious fashion! I have put aside my canvas and panel work all these years  and now I feel it’s time to dedicate myself to my own original compositions  that I have  envisioned for so many years.

 Stay tuned for “Druids Dream .  ”  The girl is currently being work on and close to completion!

 Enough about me, let’s talk about Conan!

 I decided that instead of posting  in piece meal, I would wait until I completed sections and  post the step-by-step ,  for those who are interested to follow, as I post completed sections, I will advise you of its availability on my website.

 In the meantime,  please enjoy these pictures of the completed painted  ”Conan the Conqueror” statue  painted  by me!

 Thank you, for your patients!

 Alex Castro

Statue from CS Moore Studio, 1/7 scale, painted by Alex Castro ©

Statue from CS Moore Studio, 1/7 scale, painted by Alex Castro ©

Statue from CS Moore Studio, 1/7 scale, painted by Alex Castro ©

Statue from CS Moore Studio, 1/7 scale, painted by Alex Castro ©

Dear Friends,

This is a portrait of my beautiful daughter, Alexis Helena Castro, 14 years old, on our deck for her graduation from the 8th grade.

This drawing is done on tracing paper with graphite pencil. I just added the shadow and tone values on the face and dress for posting purposes. This will be traced onto a 18 ” x 24″  Belgium linen canvas panel board for oil painting!!

My style of drawing is a very fluid, rapid approach to sketching and drawing.  I stroke mostly from left to right and cross hatch on occasion. I seldom erase or cut out highlights and almost never blend with blenders or my fingers.

I hope you enjoy this work in progress of my daughter’s sketch. This is one of many sketches that I’m working on and will be painting.

Please visit my newly redesigned website to see more of my drawings and paintings.

Thanks for your comments and remarks!!

This rough conceptual brunt umber wet drawing will be painted on 20″ x 28″ custom made oil primed Belgium linen panel. Drawing by Alex Castro

Dear Friends ,

Druid Dreams , is a complex multi-faceted composition ; one of deep meditative beauty . I ‘ve never been to Stonehenge in England . I had to rely on stock photos, the Internet and anything I could get from books for my research. I would have loved to sketched these stones from life and actually touch them. To me they are magical! As fadmin (admin@classicmonsters.de)or inspiration, I’m a lover of anything that relates to Celtic and always had a fascination for the Druids, Merlin or anything to do with the Arthurian sagas. I’m also a great fan of books by Douglas Monroe, Druids and Merlin.

I have completed the stone work. I will finish the groundwork, grass, for last. In my next phrase I will be adding a moon in the upper left corner of the composition that will add balance and an air of mystery to the painting. As you can see, In the final phrase, I will discuss the issues involving the girl.

Final note, nothing is written in stone (lol . That is nothing is final at this point and some areas are still subject to change.

Thanking you for taking the time to look.

Stay tuned.

Alex
“Druid Dreams ”

This rough conceptual brunt umber wet drawing will be painted on 45″ x 24″ custom made oil primed Belgium linen panel.  Drawing by Alex Castro
Composition: Going into this composition, I could think of no better back drop than Stonehenge. That being said, the stones would have to be impressive and significant in themselves but not enough to dominate and overshadow the girl. I used a mixture of elements to compose this composition like the strong static monoliths, against the turbulent tempest of clouds and movement of a dynamic sky with gray clouds on the move; the ying and the yang, to be balanced out with the moon and the girl.
I have included crows an top of most of the stones, since they seem to be present very often in Stonehenge. They are also symbolic of the black arts magic and Merlin.

“Druid Dreams” 45”x 24” graphite pencil on tracing paper, work-in-progress by Alex Castro ©

The painting: I felt that if the composition was to be credible, the stones had to be painted in a manner that they appeared realistic. I started painted the stones from left to right because I’m right handed. As I started painting each of the stones, I was struck by the uniqueness, grace and dignity that each of the stones possessed. I worked one stone at a time. It took me one to two days of painting, making sure I gave each of these stones the artistic attention they deserved.
When I paint, I like to think that each part of my painting is a mini stand alone painting that could be framed. You can see the quality and detail in each of these stones.

“Druid Dreams” painted on 45”x 24” custom made oil primed Belgium linen panel. WIP By Alex Castro

Frazetta’s Conan the Barbarian, Nude Version, 1/7th scale, cold case porcelain resin, sculpted  by Clayburn Moore, CS Moore Studios, painted by Alex Castro, Private Collection of  Frank  Calogero

Tokugawa Leyasu,  90 mm  scale, Sekigahara, 1600; produced by Fort Duquesnes, painted by Alex Castro, Private Collection of George Papandreas

Alex the Vampire,  resin bust,  from Spectral Motion, painted  by Alex Castro, Private Collection of Scott Pierce

The King’s Musketeer, France 1650; 1/9th scale, by Pilipili, Sculptured by Le-van Quang; work-in-progess by Alex Castro

Kato,  1/9th scale Samurai Bust; produced by Fort Duquesnes, painted by Alex Castro; Private Collection of George Papandreas