The Green Man Continues ...

I've been gradually glazing thin w/w applications of alizarin crimson and quin. violet to the leaves and face.

This photo was taken outside [yay, it stopped raining] and warmed in the editing.

This is the unedited photo.

And this was taken under a studio light, and touched up.

I hadn't really planned out a color scheme for this, so it's taken some interesting turns.  My green man is becoming a red man. I find it appealing though - it certainly is working out to be an intriguing value study, if nothing else.

As ever, your comments are most welcome.

Something Different ...

A clip from the 1958 movie, Auntie Mame.

Julian, as my version of the Green Man

Thin quin. burnt orange over all, then a graded wash of alizarin crimson.

Building up shadows with the orange.

More shadowing, and I've blocked in the hair.

I'm starting to add deeper shadows with alizarin crimson in the warm areas and quin. violet in the cooler spots.

I have always been fascinated with mythology and ancient legends. One of these is the Green Man, who symbolized rebirth, and the proliferation of new growth in Spring. In modern times, he is seen as a symbol of Nature, and the protection of the living planet. That's my interpretation anyway. :)
I have taken a sketch I did of my nephew, and am working in warm, "natural", autumn colors. So far, I am quite pleased with how the painting is coming along.
The clip from Auntie Mame deserves an explanation. I love the movie and the character of Mame. She is a wonderfully eccentric woman who LOVES life, and the plot revolves around the story of her raising her nephew. I sometimes see myself as Mame, in my relationships with my niece and nephew. My niece, Paulina, is having some anxious times right now as a teenager. We had a chat a few weeks ago, and she wanted to have more times together. Yesterday, I drove into Vancouver, and spent the afternoon with her. Somehow, we ended up heading out towards the university area, strolling along the nearby streets. I used to work in an office in the area, and it was so pleasant to see how the area has changed and stayed the same - both. I've always loved that part of Vancouver. It has somehow kept a small town, hippie atmosphere. Paulina said I looked like an alien to the planet, looking and wondering and examining all around me. I'll take that as a compliment, and blame it on my "artist's eye".

   

Paulina and I stopped to admire some gorgeous dahlias.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Because You Asked ...

The latest on Trigger

Himself

Before I start getting ready for work [at my "real" job] I thought I'd quickly post Trigger's state right now. He still needs a bit of fussing - perhaps more thin glazes in the shadows, and his delicate roan spots.  Judy left  a message wondering where the update had disappeared, so here it is. I must say, the watercolor in real life looks much better than on the screen here. I quite like it, and hope the owner loves it!!!

As always, your comments are most welcome.

Like Opening an Unexpected Gift ...

For me, it is like opening a gift when I take off the masking. This is Trigger as he is now. I have a lot of touching up to do - ears, eyes,  mane, face, some rust-colored flecks in his coat - but basically he is done. The background colors are not quite so garish in reality; they are a bit more grayed. I am pleased with how he has turned out, and really hope the owner feels the same.

As always, your comments are most welcome. 

Trigger Takes a Dramatic Turn ...

I went as far as I thought I could with the grayed-violet shadows.

I played a bit with a black around the eye and muzzle, and decided I needed a background to determine how dark to go with his head and neck.

I didn't want to mask, but had to do so. The first wash was quin. burnt orange with quin. violet. The second was quin. violet with cobalt blue.

Then I did several scrumbled washes, using the same colors plus indanthrone blue.

[It's actually not quite as red as this.]

Now I am working on darkening the shadows with a black mixture, and working on his features.
Quite a difference from the last version!

As always, your comments are most welcome.

Two Out of Three for the Leaves, and a Fresh Start for Trigger

This one came out relatively well. I did a w/w wash, with no masking, of quin. gold and cobalt blue - they flow so beautifully together.

This leaf is all right, too.

I would have been better to have stopped here, but ...

... I wanted to go darker. Mistake.

Creeping along with thin washes of quin. red, quin. burnt orange and indanthrone blue.

I found a few drawing errors, and I wanted to show more of his chest, and the neck in proper proportion. I think he is coming along better than Trigger I.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

Trigger Hit the Showers Last Night!

This is what he looked like before I went wild with the ultramarine blue.

And after ...
I don't know why I use it. I almost always end up with a fiasco.

I went to bed around 10:30 last night, and had to get up at midnight to take good ol' Trigger for a shower. I let it dry overnight, and then started playing with it after I rode Bruno.

This is after several thin applications. I use relatively thin paint, apply with a large soft sable round, and then blend as I imagine one blends oil paint, with a stiffer, synthetic flat.  

I have used this technique successfully, I believe, with these two other horse portraits.
This is Bruno, looking very suave and debonair.

This is my mare Sweetie, who is no longer with me. She was a gorgeous girl!

As ever and always, your comments are most welcome.