A New [and Better] Look for the Seiner, and Other Little Bits and Pieces ...

I quite liked the softness of the background colors in this photo. My niece's boyfriend took it at Spanish Banks.

So, I started again - masking the ship, and washing and glazing with aureolin, phthalo blue, permanent rose and cobalt blue.

I did the mountains with a thin w/w glaze of indanthrone, and added some more cobalt clue to the water.

I wanted to compare the look of the two - liked the newer one MUCH better.

Started adding the shadows to the ship ...

... and some of the local color.

More of the same, and added the rigging. 

Then finally the net. I took this photo in early morning light, so it's quite washed out and very blue. My next step will be to do some subtle wave action in the foreground, hopefully leading the viewer's eye to the people, and mast with the netting.

I also intensified the darks around Jules' face. I wet the entire previously painted are, then drizzled in some black.

This is the next project [along with some ducklings, too]. This is Miss Sophia, one of the animals to be added to the huge painting of eight cats. 

My trainer took these photos last week - Bruno and I chuffing around in the back field.  He's got a nice long and  supple topline, is stepping under well with his hind legs, and has a lovely frothy mouth - all signs of a relaxed, happy camper.

I'm getting a lot of painting and drawing done, which is good, but only because I haven't been able to ride. Some nasty flu virus saw me coming, and decided to take up residence, so I've been laid low for several days. I haven't yet quite established a routine that organizes me, so that I have time for Bruno and for art, and somehow Bruno always wins out ... but I'm getting there.

Thank you so much for dropping  by!

A Portrait's Progress - the Young Lad in Watercolor

Since the last post, I added Jules' hoodie, done very loosely in a wet in wet wash of violet, orange and indanthrone. I didn't want it to attract too much attention, so used the violet colors of the background, and kept the values in the light to mid range. 

Several thin glazes were done to his face and neck with mixtures of aureolin, permanent rose and cobalt blue. The hat was thinly glazed with the background color, painted to give it a bit of shape and depth.

The fedora was then done in three segments, painted wet in wet with a black mixture made of orange, violet and indanthrone. I think I'm done. It doesn't look exactly like Julian, but it's a good rendering. I really like the contrast of the looseness and softness of the background with the detail and depth of the face and hat. I will put this aside to give a thought to doing a bit more to the sweatshirt where it is close to the face.

Thank you so much for dropping by!