6″x9″
Original colored pencil on black paper
This drawing depicts a lion, calm, eyes closed, basking in light, unconcerned master of his domain.
Reference: I close my eyes for a while
This drawing is for sale.
Mar 242012
Mar 232012
Today I finished the style test portrait for Diana, in preparation for making very large oil painting portraits of her children.
The finished painting is 9″x12″ on canvas board. It was made in eight sessions.
This is the color and style sample portrait for a series of much larger commissioned paintings. They are intended to match the color palette and style of family portraits she already has which were made the better part of a century ago. Unlike most modern portraits, the ones in her family have a very cool feel to them, with an olive toned background. However, I need to balance that coolness with warmth in the skin. To that end, the underpainting color is a dark, cool red. After finishing this painting, I believe I will need to underpaint with cool green instead when I create the larger portraits.
Project: Diana Portrait
Feb 162012
3″x5″ oil paint on canvas board
Five sittings
Reference is my own photo
The finished mini painting shows a pentacle carved candle holder with lit tea light casting a pentacle on a nearby apple.
For the final layer I added glow around the candle flame, and painted in the candle flame.
A look back at the steps leading up to the finished painting:
Pentacle Candle and Apple - WIP3
3″x5″ oil paint on canvas board
Four sittings
Reference is my own photo
In this layer I added light reflection on the apple, as well as brightening and better defining the white on the candle.
Pentacle Candle and Apple - WIP2
3″x5″ oil paint on canvas board
Three sittings
Reference is my own photo
In this layer I brightened up the red of the apple, as well as brightening and better defining the white on the candle.
Pentacle Candle and Apple - WIP1
3″x5″ oil paint on canvas board
Two sittings
Reference is my own photo
Base layer is thin alizarin crimson
Today I first laid down a very thin layer of black paint across the entire canvas. Next I added in a cadmium light red to create the glow on the apple and brushed black back into it to create the pentacle shadow. After that I added white to create the base lighting on the candle holder.
Project: Pentacle Candle and Apple
Feb 162012
Oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas, 9″x12″x2″
Six sessions
Reference: One of my own photos of Ringo
The finished painting is a portrait of a magical familiar, a black cat who aids with magical tasks.
For the final layer I thinly added white to create glow from the eye, and from behind.
A look back at the steps leading up to the finished painting:
Familiar - WIP4
Oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas, 9″x12″x2″
Five sessions
Reference: One of my own photos of Ringo
I added some white detailing around the eye, as well as the whiskers above the eyes. I then stared at the overall painting for a bit, because I was very, very unhappy with the entire composition of the lighting. I wanted to give the appearance that the eyes are glowing, but it looked very confusing with the back lighting being so strong. Thus, I colored over all the backlighting with a thin layer of black, also adding some shade detailing around the muzzle.
Familiar - WIP3
Oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas, 9″x12″x2″
Four sessions
Reference: One of my own photos of Ringo
I finally figured out how to get detailed fur texture in paint, so it’s an interesting contrast in the level of detail around the eye and on the rest of the painting.
Familiar - WIP 2
This afternoon I added a third layer to this painting I started about two years ago. It is oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas, 9″x12″x2″.
Project: Familiar
Feb 162012
I spent about three hours painting this afternoon, finished two small paintings, and added a lot of detail to the commissioned portrait. The two finished paintings will be covered in their own entries, including a look back at all the WIPs posted along the way.
Click for larger version
9″x12″ oil paint on canvas board
6 sessions
For this layer I added lots of details. There was still some pink showing through the eyes, so they received another layer of white, along with some shading. I added another very thin layer of white to the skin so it will have a more translucent appearance. The lips received shading and coloring from Alizerin Crimson and white. A touch of black further defined the nostrils. The velvet shirt is Pthalo Blue and white. Her hair is dark brown and white.
This is the color and style sample portrait for a series of much larger commissioned paintings. They are intended to match the color palette and style of family portraits she already has which were made the better part of a century ago. Unlike most modern portraits, the ones in her family have a very cool feel to them, with an olive toned background. However, I need to balance that coolness with warmth in the skin. To that end, the underpainting color is a dark, cool red. As the painting nears finishing, I believe I will need to underpaint with cool green instead when I create the larger portraits.
Project: Diana Portrait
Feb 052012
4″x5″ oil paint on canvas
Four sittings
Reference is one of my own photos
For the final layer, I added some touches of pure white to the light reflections in the vase.
A look back at the steps leading up to the finished painting:
Glass Vase and Candle - WIP2
4″x5″ oil paint on canvas
Three sittings
Reference is one of my own photos
In this layer I added brighter candle reflections in a very pale yellow.
Glass Vase and Candle - WIP1
4″x5″ oil paint on canvas
Two sittings
Reference is one of my own photos
Base layer is thinly applied alizarin crimson.
The second layer started with a very thin application of black paint over the entire canvas. It then took a pale beige paint and defined the outline of the vase. Additional beige and white paint was added in places to create the base layer of lighting.
Project: Glass Vase and Candle
Feb 052012
This afternoon I happily spent the afternoon painting. I finished on small still life (Glass Vase and Candle), worked on three other paintings, and also prepared two more small paintings. In this post, I will show you the three WIP paintings.
Click for larger image
9″x12″ oil paint on canvas board
5 sessions
This layer I added very thin layers of color to the darkest and lightest parts of the skin shading, to add definition, depth, and detail. I also added another layer of white to the eyes, and roughly defined the hair line.
Project: Diana Portrait
3″x5″ oil paint on canvas board
Four sittings
Reference is my own photo
In this layer I added light reflection on the apple, as well as brightening and better defining the white on the candle.
Project: Pentacle Candle and Apple
Click for larger image
11″x14″ oil paint on canvas board
Three sittings
I was very, very unhappy with the first attempt at the background color. Before painting it, I did not realize how BLUE the black paint I have actually is, so the first attempt turned out a very muddy cold color.
For this layer of the background I used white, yellow, and a dark brown paint. I did all the color mixing on the canvas. For the top part, I laid down the color rather thick to better hide the cold layer underneath. I didn’t mind the coolness on the bottom, so the layer there is much, much thinner, allowing the cold black to tint the shading.
I will probably be adding one more layer to the background to darken the outermost shading.
Project: Samhain Candles
Jan 192012
This is a tutorial I originally wrote in 2008, and I am posting it now to my web site with some minor edits and expanded explanation. It describes in detail how to realistically draw fur on black paper, utilizing layering and opacity to create detailed color and lighting. To create such a drawing for yourself you will need black paper or another black drawing surface, a graphite pencil, an opaque white colored pencil, and an array of other colored pencils.
How to Draw Fur in Colored Pencil on Black Paper
Jan 012012
6″x6″ dip pen and wash on aquaboard
Ink: Sennelier Walnut Stain
Subject is Gigi, an adorable, elderly, stubby-legged mutt dog rescued by dear friends a number of years ago.
I took several photos of Gigi while I was dog-sitting over the holiday, and when I got home pulled them up on my computer. I first sketched the drawing in pencil, then inked it with a croquille dip pen. This was my first occasion using aquaboard, which took the ink very nicely. The next day I used a round brush to apply the same ink in a wash. Again, I was extremely happy with how the aquaboard took the media.
This is what the drawing looked like before adding the wash, but in black and white.
Gigi - Line Version
Dec 062011
Cat With Prosthetic
8″x3″ brown ink on watercolor paper
Subject is a long-haired cat with a steampunk prosthetic for one leg.
I dug through my art supplies and came up with an unopened pad of watercolor paper. It came from a discount store, so I had shoved it aside assuming dubious quality. When I opened the pad, it appeared to be ideal. The paper is 140#, with a light tooth and an apparently strong surface. Not wishing to spend several hours on another fail, I sketched out a quick cat drawing, and was able to ink it without difficulty. The real test was the wash, which, as you can see, worked fine. While I still have plans to buy paper so I am using a reliable quality source, this should suit me just fine in the meantime. There are only 12 pages in the pad.
This image is from my camera, hence the uneven shading left-to-right across the image. I left most of the page blank when drawing this, so after I use the rest of the page I’ll pull it off the pad and create a proper scan for my portfolio.