Wordless Wednesday

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Christmas Pin Up 2009

So a little while ago I posted the charcoal sketch, "Legs Eleven", on my portfolio.

When I compose a value sketch, I invariably end up painting several different variations of the same theme.

Here is one painting, but probably not the last:

Now, if you're a member of my Facebook Page, you'll have seen this next one already - but for those of you who aren't...

(HOLD THE PHONE - you mean to tell me that some of you aren't in the loop? why not? I give away one painting every month - it's almost as good as free pie and chips - and who wouldn't want free pie and chips?)

... i'll understand if you need a moment to go join my page.

it's okay, we'll wait for you.

Now then, as I was saying - with Christmas just around the corner, I decided to create a Pin Up for the holidays, in the tradition of Vargas or Elvgren, but with my own little brand of sizzle.

I'm delighted with how she turned out in the sketch and can't wait to transfer this to AquaBord for the painting process.

The sketch will also be available for sale, closer to Christmas.

Wordless Wednesday

Day 3 of Dog Art

... and now back to our regularly scheduled programming ...

Today I'm listening to a new artist I was introduced to by Chuck Dilmore who writes evocative, funny and sometimes irreverent literature to tease and delight the senses over at Half Moons and Maidens. The artist is Imogen Heap, and she reminds me a little of Sarah McLachlan mixed with Bjork, with a little Garbage (the band, not the stuff of dreams for our neighbourhood crows).

I have painted three Greyhounds in my limited dog art career. I don't actually market myself as a dog artist, not only because of the pithy comments and connotations the term brings to mind, but because I don't feel comfortable with the subject matter. I'm not a dog person, so with each new canine portrait request comes a certain amount of research to get a hang of how the fur falls, the eyes reflect light, and so on.

I have to say though, that I'm starting to understand Greyhounds. My last two have allowed me to get a little more intimate with the bone structure. I'm especially pleased with how the grey & black turned out. Almost a whimsical expression, I believe. I'm also proud to mention that whenever I sell a Giclee of a Greyhound painting, I donate a portion to aid in Greyhound adoption at Greyhound Crossroads.

The power of music

It's pretty common for artists to listen to music while working, and I'm no exception.
The problem is, sometimes music can work against me. Like today, I was sketching out a new dog ACEO and heard Taylor Swift's "The Best Day" for the first time. It hit me sideways, unexpected and yet so familiar.
I was crying big, wretched, noisy fat tears by the time it was done. Thank goodness I don't wear makeup while I paint.
I was going through old photos last weekend, still finding boxes to sort out since my mother passed away last year. This one is my favourite, because we are both obviously so happy.


I love you Mom!

Day two of Dog Paintings

As promised, next in my series of dog commissions is this lovely lady named "Lizzie".

Lizzie's owner, Cindy, is a very special lady who bid on a custom portrait to support the "48 for Larry" auction that was recently held to raise funds for Larry of Blockhead Radio fame. Cindy is also an ArtFire shopkeeper! She makes and sells accessories for dogs at www.mydoggieandme.artfire.com

Lizzie was painted with a limited palette of Quinacridone burnt orange, Raw Umber, Goethite and Indanthrone blue (all Daniel Smith watercolors). I started out with some light wet-in-wet washes then used backstrokes to "pull" the washes up to resemble strands of hair, and a small amount of dry brushing. A sweetie to be sure!



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Siberian Husky Watercolor

I've been a little remiss in posting to my blog lately, because I thought I didn't have time to blog. I've been updating my Facebook Page, Tweeting, responding to emails and, of course, painting. What I failed to remember, of course, was that not every blog post has to be a short story. So allow me to share with you what I've been up to, a paragraph at a time!

I've found myself painting a lot of dogs lately. Big dogs, small dogs, huge paintings, itty-bitty paintings. Labradors, Shih-tzus, and more. So for the next several posts I'll focus on the dogs. To get things rolling, here's my personal favorite:

Siberian Husky. The blue eyes, the expression - it all drew me in. And the nose...so sweet!

I didn't use any masking fluid for this painting, instead I just layered very light washes and glazes. The reflection on the nose was achieved by painting around the white space, then once it was dry I lifted out the color around the white space to soften it.

Next up: Shih Tzu, Lion Dog and/or Chrysanthemum Dog ...

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