Miss Moo Is Picking Up Steam ...

 

I left her here last night ...

I've done nostril, eye, and started inner ear
Indanthrone blue for wall shadow 

Skipped around with a grey to simulate stone wall
Did a w/w wash over her face

Background - very wet w/w wash with aureolin for trees & quin. gold for pasture


I woke up this morning very keen to paint.  I've been playing with Miss Moo for about 3 hours, and I think she is almost done. The stone wall needs work. And Missy needs more shadowing on the black and the white areas. Other than that, I am quite satisfied with this sweet Holstein face.

Carp Update

   I really have been having fun playing with the colors and scales, especially as I thought it would be impossible to create a decent impression of the scales without meticulously painting each one. But this has turned out to be OK. Now I think it's time to tackle the water, again in a more impressionistic yet realistic way.

No ... I Did Not Disappear Off the Edge of the Earth

A very photogenic Grace

Eyes, and some light washes of quin. burnt orange, quin. violet and indanthrone blue

More wet washes

I've started using some dry brush technique

   I was at the feed store a couple of weeks ago, stocking up on hay for His Imperial Highness, and I was attracted to a very sweet Bernese Mountain dog. I found out she "works" at the store with her owner, Danielle. I asked if I could take her outside for some photos, so all three of us went out, and Danielle helped me "pose" Grace. I've been playing with the painting for two weeks, and I think it still needs darkening of the blacks, and of course more depth of shadow. But she is a very sweet and attractive girl, and I think I am catching some of that in the portrait.

   This is not the first attempt, which is below. I'm glad I started anew, with a better angle of her face.



   

Progress Report ... or ... the Life and Times of a Perfectionist

Original photo

I was here a few days ago

Creeping along, darkening leaves an right side of foreground building.

Making the Unreal "Real" ... or ....It's Only a Carousel Horse

Background washes, horse masked, and with light grey glaze

Several glazes on saddle

The mane was FUN

Starting tack, and more glazing on horse

Masking removed

A bit of striping for background

   I LOVE carousels. My biggest thrill, when I was a child, was to sit on some inert object that resembled a horse. I was a regular at Loblaw's, [in Toronto] sitting on the mechanical animal they had at the front of the store. While my mother went shopping, I would ride the wind! My parents had friends in Oakville; their home had a huge yard with statuary - one being an almost life-sized rearing horse. Yup ... that's where I'd be.

   So the romance remains with me. I found several Internet sites where there are thousands of photos of renovated carousels. I had to try painting some of them. Above is my first attempt. For me, it had to look "real" and yet "unreal". To achieve that goal, I used very bright, almost unnaturally so, colors. Let me know what you think.

The Temptation of the Peony

Before temptation took me

After giving in

Complete

Close up

 

   I absolutely could not resist. The whiteness on some of the leaves was so distracting. And I'd also accidently dribbled a few drops of water on the dark background. I HAD to do something. So I masked the perimeter of the flower, mixed up a batch of warm green, spritzed the page, and let loose. I think it looks much better, but I would very much appreciate some feedback. I thank you. [ahead of time]

  

I

A Two Bun Salute ... or ... A Tale of the Backyard Bunny

A lucky photo; they don't stay still very long

Sketch

1st couple of washes

Finsk

Another pose

Sketch

1st few glazes

More glazing and detailing

Bit of shadow for "ground"

Fin

   This is "backyard bunny". He, or one of his friends or relations, has been living here for years. He has a good life here - lots of places to hide and be safe and warm, good food [he regularly gets some of Bruno's carrots tossed under his tree] So I thought , considering it will be the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese calendar, this would be an appropriate post.

  

Chickens Today ... Feathers the Next ...

Original photo

Ist all-in-one glaze [aureolin, quin. burnt orange, quin. violet,and feet are quin. bt. orange and quin. pink]  Still wet.

          

Comb in alizarin crimson and quin. bt. orange

Adding depth all over, using same palette with indanthrone blue for darks

HEY! It's starting to look a bit like a rooster.

Very soft, wet background of quin. bt. orange, quin. violet and indanthrone  blue

His Imperial Poultry-ness

  "Chickens today, feathers the next" was one of my best high school/university friends' sayings. Another one I liked was "If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit". I still remember rockin' out to UBC for an 8:30 physics lecture, [ WHO scheduled that one??] with smoke of various legal and not-so-legal varieties billowing out the car windows. Hey ... it was the '60's. And all of us in the car-pool made it through university, and  now have decent, respectable professions.

YAY ... Another Rose Process

Another gorgeous rose from Pat's garden

For a change, I did the background 1st - phthalo. green and quin. violet

Start playing with leaves, wet in wet

More depth to rose and leaves

Decided I didn't like leaves in green, went to quin. violet

Finished

     As I sit here typing, I'm "entertained" by the pitter-patter of little rodent-like feet under my roof. The little bugger has been running a marathon up there! I'm hoping he's here only as long as the cold snap lasts; it should be warming up in a day or so. Anyway, here is another floral painting. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

A Beginning for Cindy, the Ewok

Miss Cindy, looking every inch the Ewok

My sketch

Masked, with 1st couple of washes

   Having finally completed the other commission, I could now start on Cindy. I want a somewhat warm, grassy background, that does not overwhelm with detail, as her hair is quite textured. So, I started with a fairly even wash of aureolin. When dry, I did some sponging with quite dilute puddles of quin. gold, quin. burnt orange, and indanthrone blue. I then glazed over that with a mix of quin. gold and phthalo green. This is where I am right now, and debating whether the background has adequate intensity. Mind you, with a textured background, it's easier to play with, without having to worry so much about mucking up a smooth glaze.

   ... to be continued.