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Monday, April 6, 2015

Maggie Re-visited ...

Months ago, last September, I started this portrait of Maggie, the Stealth Dog. It's good, but I didn't like leaving the neck in limbo.

This is what I did this morning, after watching a video by Norbert Gramer on youtube last night. He has a wonderful way of integrating the animal into an abstract background.
I scrubbed the hard edges on the right with a sponge, lifting as much as I could. Then, when dry, I painted a wet wash of aureolin and quin. burnt orange. Dried that, and did some work with a black mixture. It's not perfect because of the hard edges which are impossible to remove without damaging the paper, but I like the look. 

Maggie, looking very intense [as she usually is].

I'd like to use that technique on the background for Voodoo.  I will finish of and darken his face and his topline, and somehow figure out a way to integrate him into the rest of the painting.

Thank you so much for dropping by!

12 comments:

  1. Wow. You know, your work is brilliant ! I don't know what to say, other than that I am so impressed! I really love the header...the geese.

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  2. Oh yes it definitely looks better with the softened neck.This is a dilemma for me, too.Although I do soften up the edges of my subjects,but still I am vary of painting backgrounds/merging them with the backgrounds.Thanks for telling about Norbet, I looked him up and his work is wonderful.May be I would try adding some colors in the backdrop in my next portrait! Maggie is coming along great, BTW x

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  3. Maggie is looking good. I love to watch videos like that. I'll check it out.

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  4. A magic sponge,,, and a magic brush,, and a little magic in your mind is all you need....
    and look
    what you get is magical beauty
    love
    tweedles

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  5. We love watching your paintings come to life☺

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  6. Think a composition of degrees of finish--some portions finished, some sort of finished, some hardly at all. The viewer sees through intelligent eyes; she's capable of putting all the info together to get the whole.

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  7. Ooh yes, this is great! Looks likes he dog is peeping out from the grass :0)

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  8. Maggie is coming along beautifully and I love the softness in Voodoo. Nice work!

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  9. I love the way you softened the hard edges in Maggie's painting, Kathryn! Looking forward to see how you proceed with Voodoo. Looking good so far!

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  10. Both Maggie and Voodoo is looking great. Maggies got that intense look. Just perfect. I think I will take a look at that video myself.

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