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Painting
Once the feature is mounted onto a frame and electrics fitted, the process of painting is started. A spray-gun is used to create a nice even coat without brush strokes in it.
The first step is to paint the fibreglass white. This helps to diffuse the light behind so that the whole feature lights up evenly rather than just in strips where the fluorescent tubing is located.
Colour is then sprayed on in stages, starting with the lightest colours and finishing with the black. This is challenging work, as it is very hard to correct any mistakes once the paint has dried, which can be in a matter of seconds!
The features are lit up whilst painting so that the artist can be sure that what they're painting will look good at night during the Illuminations.
Photo Gallery
Cupide very early on with light shades of red and pink added - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
More colour and a large number of curls added - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
With the lighter shades added, darker colours can now be applied - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
Sarah Myerscough (me) working on Cupide with a spray gun - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
A good illustration that every feature is painted by hand (note the very subtle differences) - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
Black areas are painted last (very carefully!) - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
A completed Cupide ready to take its place on Blackpool Promenade - Painting - Making of a Blackpool Illumination - © Sarah Myerscough
What are Blackpool Illuminations?
If you have landed on this page from Google or another search engine or from a link on a website, you might just be wondering what you are looking at.
Blackpool Illuminations is the greatest free light show on earth, where Sarah Myerscough (me) works as an artist. The Illuminations are an annual event that takes place from late August / early September to November, along six miles of the promenade in Blackpool, a seaside resort in the North West of England.
Blackpool itself is the most visited seaside resort in Europe and provides family entertainment throughout the year. It has three piers, the 518ft Blackpool Tower featuring an excellent circus, miles of golden sands, a huge amusement park (Blackpool Pleasure Beach), a waxworks (Madame Tussaud's), a Sea Life Centre, a Ripley's Believe It Or Not, a zoo (Blackpool Zoo), two major theatres (Grand Theatre and The Opera House), dozens of amusement arcades (including Coral Island), a water park (Blackpool Sandcastle) and much, much more...
Where should you go next?
If you have landed on this page by chance and are wondering where to go next:
- For more behind the scenes photographs of the Illuminations, select another page from the Blackpool Illuminations Gallery menu.
- For information about my life as an artist, take a look at my Timeline pages.
- If you are interested in purchasing artworks, take a look at my For Sale pages.
- If you're not sure what you want, why not try my Lucky Dip?
- Finally, if your appetite has been whet for a visit to Blackpool, take a look at my About Blackpool pages for links to Blackpool attractions, accommodation, events and more, but don't forget to bookmark me and come back some time!
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