Russell - finished?

I corrected some colours and values and fixed a few details. If my client is happy with it, I feel it is finished.

Russell step 5

I have added in some individual whiskers and hairs to see if I like the effect. I like the looseness of the fur so there is just some values that need correcting and it is getting close to being finished.

Russell step 4

I'm working on figuring out where the shadows and highlights are to give a more rounded, natural appearance. They still have to get a lot darker. I also darkened some of the background as well. I can see that the chin is wrong and needs fixing. I've decided to keep the fur much looser in appearance than the eyes to give a soft look.

Russell step 3

I darkened and did more adjustments to the eyes, started blocking in more colour in the fur, and darkened the background.

Russell step 2

I have finally found time to get back to the commission I'm working on. I started on the background and then worked from the eyes out blocking in basic areas of colour. I have to let it dry thoroughly before going back to add details to the eyes and, of course, lots more work to do on the fur.

Finished library cat

This is the finished small (4x6") painting I did for a gift exchange at work. Now I can start on the commission that I've drawn out.

Russell step 1

This is an 8 x 10" commission I am starting. I drew it out this morning but the light wasn't good so the photo is terrible. It will photograph much better once I start adding colour. It will be slow going at first because I am also working on another painting I can't show right now as it is a surprise and the recipient might see it here.

Trilliums step 7

I finished the flowers and added more washes of colour on the leaves. I'll have to look at it another day to see if there is more I want to do or leave it as it is.

Trilliums step 6

I continued blocking in shadows and layering more colour for depth on the leaves. Next I will start to do more on the flowers leaving the finishing of the leaves until the last to compare values with the flowers.

Trilliums step 5

I darkened the background to make it less busy and the flowers stand out better. I have blocked in the first washes in the flowers and started working out the shadows going across some of the leaves.

Trilliums step 4

I have covered all the paper with base colour except for the white Trilliums. The flowers will be relatively easy but I have a lot of work to do on the leaves yet. The background will have to be a lot darker as well I think but I'll leave that until the leaves are done.

Triliums step 3

I worked on the dark negative spaces between the plants today. I added some interest with negative painting in some of the areas and I am thinking it needs more connections between the plants to create more movement. I will be able to add that using the greens of the leaves at a later point in the painting.

Triliums step 2

I went over the drawing correcting the lines and working out the final positions for all the flowers and leaves. I then started adding some brown in background areas to check on the negative areas and overall design. Now that I know where it is going, the painting itself should come along a little quicker. However, the fact that I am working all weekend will hold things up again for a short while.

Finished Perfume Bottle

I was able to finish the painting of the perfume bottle today. It will be donated to a fund-raiser to raise money for our art club. I now have to mount it on an 8 x 10 canvas to match the other donations.

Perfume Step 3

I only had an hour to paint today so I concentrated on the darkest darks as well as making layers of reflections in the white table. I am not copying the refracted colours in the bottle exactly. Instead, I am learning that broken, sharp edges give give the appearance I am looking for.

The other thing that will be interesting is that the whitest part of the painting will be the refracted light on the table just under the bottle, not the direct sunlight like you would imagine.

Perfume step 2:

I corrected the drawing lines and have done a couple of hours of painting on this one. The darks have to get much darker and there are lots of details I have to put in closer to the end.

The light blue areas are the masking fluid which preserves the white areas of paper until the end.

Starting 2 paintings

I finally have time to get back to my painting. I've really missed it but life has a habit of getting in the way. I have three paintings to do in the next month so I have to make time for my art. :) I have to work tomorrow but I should be able to do a lot in the next two days.

The first one is 8 x 10" and is a commission for a co-worker. It is hard to make out from the outlines, but it is a picture I took of her Trilliums. I had to move a few blooms as well as leaves around in photoshop to make a good composition without looking artificial. The photo of the drawing isn't very good because I had to boost the contrast to see it here.

The second one is a still life of a perfume bottle in bright sunlight. It is also 8 x 10" and will be donated to our art club's sale to raise money for the club. Every member is donating one or two small paintings.

It's been awhile since I added to this area. That's not usual, (I am usually posting every day or two), but life has been getting in the way of my painting. I have been spending my time matting a pile of small reproductions for a craft show coming up as well as picking up extra shifts at work. I have a couple of paintings planned but haven't started drawing them out yet. I hope to have more to show here by next week.

I am also shipping two paintings down to the Blue Canoe gallery in South River for a show (Our Winters in the Near North) Oct 24 through Nov.

Sept 28/08

The area on my web site for on-the-easel will now be linked to this blog. It is easier for posting my own updates than emailing my webmaster almost daily. :) I have finished my last painting and I am now trying to think of a composition for my next portrait. I also have a commission that I have to get started on so there will be more to see here shortly.

Here is a photo of my version of Paul Peel's painting "Modest Model" I copied for our art club's challenge to copy a master. I won't be putting this on my regular site.