Aviation artist Douglas “Doug” Castleman, has been interested in aviation for most of his life.
For him, aviation art was a perfect fit. Castleman received his degree in Fine Art from California State University, Northridge and went on to become an award-winning artist.
Castleman was featured on Aerotech NewsRadio Aug. 23, to talk about his career and creative process.
During the live interview Castleman told Aerotech that he feels “privileged” to be an artist and document aviation history.
During his high school years, Castleman had thought he would be a watercolorist, but when he began studying art in college he was forced to try new media. That’s when he discovered that he really enjoyed working in oil paintings and found them relatively easy to do.
Today, Castleman mainly uses oil when working on aviation artwork. He shared that his creative process begins with drawing the aircraft on paper and then using tracing paper to move the image to the canvas it will be painted on. Castleman uses a value study to determine where the lights and darks are in the painting and then he is ready to start the actual painting process. His favorite aircraft to paint are the P-38 and F-104 Star Fighter.
According to Castleman, to become a good aviation artist you have to learn to paint the aircraft accurately without becoming a “rivet-counter.”
He added that it is important to go to air shows and museums to learn how the aircraft “really looks and not how you think they look.”
In addition to his aviation artwork, Castleman also works in landscapes. He offers private lessons and teaches classes at Yosemite National Forrst during the summer.
Castleman is a member of American Society of Aviation artists and the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators. He recently became involved in the Air Force Art Program in which the Air Force sends the artist out to do paintings for them. Castleman recently returned from Cape Canaveral, Florida where he was tasked with painting a satellite getting ready for launch. “It’s great to be able to see stuff as a civilian that most civilians never get to see,” said Castleman.
To hear the rest of the story, visit http://www.aerotechnews.com/news/2012/08/31/aerotech-newsradio-august-30-2012/. Aerotech NewsRadio is a weekly program broad casting live on Thursday mornings at 11 a.m. Tune in to 1380AM to hear the show live. To view his work, visit www.douglascastlemanaviationart.com.
