"When creating an embellished print, my aim is to improve on my original drawing"
GARY EXPLAINS HIS EMBELLISHED PRINTS
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - THE ORIGIN
Early in 2015 I had a 'lightbulb moment'. I was working intensely towards a big solo show, my first in 22 years. We'd secured the huge Mall Galleries and I felt something fresh was essential to offer my collectors besides original drawings and limited edition prints. Embellished prints were the missing link.
They were the smash hits at the 2016 exhibition with 54 selling for brilliant prices through the live and silent auctions. TV's charismatic character, James Lewis volunteered to join us as our auctioneer and with an audience of over six hundred, he had them hanging onto his every word. James brought his hammer down time and time again creating record prices for many embellished prints; Snow Leopard sold for £6,700, Jaguar for £5,250 and The Orphans for £4,500.
Since 2015 I've drawn over 250 embellished prints for charity auctions and events and will continue to create them as long as collectors keeping bidding.
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Over the years I have set aside a few prints from each edition specifically for charities. After choosing one of these prints I spend many hours adding thousands of new pencil strokes, drawing across the whole printed image to achieve an even effect. Every time, the end result is a richer tone and more texture and most importantly, each print is unique. The lithographically printed limited edition becomes even more 'me' and much closer to an original drawing.
As you may know, I haven't completed any new drawings since early in 2015 when I finished 'The Incredible Journey'. I'd worked on that sporadically over four long years, writing my autobiography in between times. So for the foreseeable future, an embellished print is the closest you can get to an 'original' from me.
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - THE MATERIALS USED
All my prints up until recently used the lithographic method and were printed onto Fabriano Five paper which is the same superb quality paper I use for my drawings. So drawing straight onto the prints made perfect sense.
My main tools for embellishing are Derwent onyx pencils. They are a fairly new invention by the company and give the equivalent rich tones of a 10B or 12B pencil but you are able to maintain a fine point without the 'lead' breaking or crumbling. I love using them.
As with my original drawings, I used a plastic eraser to create highlights in darker areas.
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - ADDING FURTHER VALUE
Whenever possible I use very low or high numbers or Artist Proofs (AP) for embellishing to make them extra special.
Also my friends Rula Lenska and Virginia McKenna OBE co-sign them adding further value to the print.
"With your help embellished prints are a brilliant way to raise funds for conservation"
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - COMPARISONS
NOT EMBELLISHED
EMBELLISHED
I have embellished two Swimming Polar Bear prints, one for my Mall Galleries solo show in 2016 and this one above right, for Born Free's latest online auction beginning on 27 November 2020. For this new version, I very much played with the ripples and accentuated them even more to give further depth and weight to the water..
NOT EMBELLISHED
EMBELLISHED
EMBELLISHED
Since 2015, I have embellished Heat & Dust five times for various charity auctions. Of course each comes out different as they are embellished by hand and I don't compare each one.
I have placed these three together so you can see the subtle differences between them. The one on the left is the standard limited edition without any embellishment at all. The other two have been embellished. You'll notice the dust is more pronounced on the middle one as is the background tone, which makes the white of the rhino appear even brighter. Some of the detail on the skin is more punchy too.
Helping Rhinos currently have a framed embellished print of Heat & Dust that they'll auction at their major 2021 event at the Natural History Museum. After that I will be embellishing one more Heat & Dust print for my 2021 charity exhibition in aid of Born Free. This is the last copy I have put aside.
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - UP-COMING CHARITY AUCTIONS - REGULARLY UPDATED
"When you bid on my embellished prints, rest assured that 100% goes to charity"
SITTING PRETTY
AUCTION ENDED
Edition number Artist Proof 58/125
Signed and numbered by the artist
Co-signed by Rula Lenska
100% in aid of Born Free
SWIMMING POLAR BEAR
Edition number 11/850
Signed and numbered by the artist
Co-signed by Virginia McKenna
100% in aid of Born Free
THE SPIRIT OF ELSA
AUCTION ENDED - PRINT SOLD FOR £1,100
Edition number 1250/1250
Signed and numbered by the artist
Co-signed by Joanna Lumley, Virginia McKenna,
Rula Lenska and Martin Clunes
100% in aid of Sketch for Survival projects
OLD TUSKER
AUCTION ENDED - PRINT SOLD FOR US$955
Edition number 2/850
Signed and numbered by the artist
Co-signed by Rula Lenska and Virginia McKenna
100% in aid of Voice for Asian Elephants Society
CHEETAH CUB
AUCTION ENDED - PRINT SOLD FOR £750
Edition number 848/850
Signed by the artist
Co-signed by Remembering Wildlife founder
Margot Raggett and Rula Lenska
100% in aid of Remembering Cheetahs
THE SNOW BEAR
AUCTION ENDED - PRINT SOLD FOR £500
Edition number 2/850
Framed
Signed and numbered by the artist
100% in aid of David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - EXHIBITIONS & AUCTIONS THEY'VE SOLD IN
TWO SOLO SHOWS
2016 HEART & SOUL exhibition at Mall Galleries - 54 embellished prints helped towards raising £160,000 for Born Free & EIA
2018 LOVE & PROTECTION exhibition at Nature in Art - live and online auction of 50 embellished prints raised £40,512
for six wildlife charities; EIA, Animals Asia, Born Free, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Nature in Art and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
2020 SUN SEA & STARS... POSTPONED because of the coronavirus. It was to include many embellished prints.
CHARITY AUCTIONS & EVENTS INCLUDE
Born Free Ball at The Landmark Hotel
Helping Rhinos event at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS)
Voice for Asian Elephants Society film premier of GODS IN SHACKLES at the RGS
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Ball at The Dorchester
Remembering Rhinos book launch at the RGS
Animals Saving Animals event at the RGS
Born Free event organised by James Lewis at Holme Hall
Sketch for Survival exhibition at OXO gallery x 2
Remembering Rhinos Kickstarter campaign
Remembering Lions Kickstarter campaign
Remembering Great Apes Kickstarter campaign
Remembering Cheetahs Kickstarter campaign
Goodheart Animal Sanctuaries Ball
Voice for Asian Elephants Society Ball
IAPWA event at the RGS
Project Rhino event at the Cavalry and Guards Club
Born Free Ball at The Royal Horticultural Halls
Bookmark literacy charity Ball at The Landmark hotel
Borana Conservation Trust Ball at The Hurlingham Club x 2
Most recently in three online auctions for Born Free and Helping Rhinos
EMBELLISHED PRINTS - A SELECTION OF FANTASTIC PRICES REACHED
When more than one price is listed it reflects the number of embellished prints I've created since 2015.
SOULMATES £1,250
THE SPIRIT OF ELSA £1,200 £700
EMPEROR PENGUINS £1,200
MOTHERS LOVE £1,157 £1,000
THE SNOW BEAR £1,125
TOGETHERNESS £1,025
ELEGANCE £1,050
JAFF £1,000
ELEPHANTS AFRICANS £1,000
OLD TUSKER £1,000 £1,000
IN DREAMS £950 £940
PLEA FOR THE RAINFOREST £950
PRIDE & JOY £950
WOBBLY £950 £900
SERVAL £930
BROWN BEAR CUBS £900
SLEEPYHEAD £900
LEMURIENS £900
ANGEL EYES £900
SNOW LEOPARD £6,700 £5,500
JAGUAR £5,250
THE ORPHANS £4,500
THE CHARGE £4,500 £2,200 £2,100 £1,700
BENGAL TIGRESS & CUB £4,500 £2,600
CHEETAH £3,500
OSTRICH £3,250
FRIENDSHIP £3,000 £1,650
LOVE & PROTECTION £2,500
IBERIAN WOLVES £2,000
BLACK RHINOCEROS £2,000 £1,050
HEAT & DUST £1,900 £1,530 £1,500 £1,300 £1,100
JOY £1,750 £900
HUMPBACK WHALES £1,550
SABU £1,550 £1,300
MASAI GIRAFFE WITH OX-PECKER £1,525
SLEEPYHEAD £1,300 £900
SUPREME £1,300
FRIENDS £1,300 £800