New Work - Winter Stroll

Finally something new to show!   This is my first winter piece of the season...where did the time go!  I had planned to have a whole series of winter scenes done this year, but, it just has not happened yet, and now, it may never get done...at least not this year!  I'm dreaming of a white christmas, and this little painting may be the closest I'll get to that living here in central texas!  Oh, it does snow here... usually 2 or 3 times each winter, but, I don't recall having a white christmas as long as I've lived here!  So, I'll just paint a wintery scene instead...less shoveling to deal with, ha!  This is an 8x8 oil on panel. 

"Winter Stroll"

WIP - 16x20 Centaur 'Braiding' - Part 6

I have spent a few days working on this and it finally has enough to show some progress.  I spent most of this painting time working those columns, over and over again...why, oh why did I subject myself to not just a single pillar, but, to TWO matching pillars!  Painting precise geometric shapes in oils, freehand, without masking is about as difficult as it gets, as far as I'm concerned.  It is just so hard to get it right!  Well, these pillars have come a long way, but, they still need a lot more work just to get the base shape and values right.  After I am happy enough with that, I'll decorate them!  Same goes for the archway and walls.  I am starting to block in the colors now and some of the details.  I won't get into the figures  too much more until Iget the background closer to being finished. 

Sorry for the wet paint glare.

I promise I really will give that poor child and her cat faces! 

New Work - Lone Rangertaur

This young centaur lad loves to play the good-guy with white hat, silver star and six-shooter, and, his favorite character to play; the lone ranger!  This is an ACEO oil painting on birch. 

New Work - Eat My Dust!

Finally, a new one!  I love the drama and excitement of horse racing, so, this is an ACEO of a thoroughbred kicking up a dust storm as he streaks to the front! 

New Work - Three Amigos

Here's a fun new ACEO of three black and white paint horses, one a tovero pattern, one tobiano, and the youngster an overo. 

WIP - 16x20 Centaur 'Braiding' Painting 5

Here's a brief update:  I didn't get a lot of painting time on this and there is not too much to show yet.  I did work the backroom and worked the color of the colums and walls.  Made a change to the mothers arm, and, added a wall oil lamp with silver reflector.  Over all I just did a bit here and there. 

Sketchbook - More Centaur Sketches

Here are two new ones in the centaur sketchbook. 

WIP - 16x20 Centaur 'Braiding' Painting 4

Today, I made a few changes to the background.  I spent part of the day studying photographs of ancient Italian architecture and egyptian relics to get some ideas for the structure and decor of the rooms in this painting.  It is not my intention to mimic any one culture, rather, to create a plausible sub-culture that might exist if centaurs were real and living among human cultures of the ancient times.

    This family is obviously well off with a palacial estate and many luxuries.  Here, the mother is having her eldest daughter braid her mane and help her with her dressing for a night out with her husband when he returns home.  The youngest daughter entertains them with chatter and play.  She and her pets find the occassion very exciting and festive and as a result is always getting underfoot.

   I changed the doorway columns and wall structure and also changed the table and pictures on the right side.  I thought they were just too modern looking.  There will be a tapestry on the wall instead and an oil lamp on the wall behind the childs head.  In the back room I added a fireplace with a cooking pot, and, will have a brick wall mantle above it.  Floors are undecided, yet.  I'm leaning towards brick and stone floors similar to ancient Roman architecture, or, my original idea of woven rugs...have to wait n see.  Lots more details to be worked out on this .

WIP - 16x20 Centaur 'Braiding' Painting 3

My next step is to paint a monochromatic underpainting to work out the values and lighting for this painting.  This is not a step I normally bother with in my smaller work, but, this large, complex composition is purely fictitious with no reference outside of my imagination to rely on, so, I need the value study to help me work out these details. 

This is painted in using just white and burnt sienna. 

I added a little ultramarine blue and burnt umber to create some deeper dark values here for the back room and for detailing on the centaurs. 

I am not finished with the value painting, yet...just had to quit for the day.  I am not so much interested in creating every little detail in the monochromatic study, but, I do want to fully establish the lighting/shadows at this point and make sure it works well in the composition before I start adding color. 

WIP - 16x20 Centaur 'Braiding' Painting 2

I finally got back to work on this one!  I don't have a name for it yet which is why I am using 'centaurs braiding hair', ha!  I'll think of something as I work on this.  I finalized the drawing (called a cartoon) by redrawing the various elements on tracing paper which allowed me to cut out and move elements around until I was satisfied with the composition.  I then retraced it on a full sized sheet exactly how I wanted the layout on the painting. 

 Next step was to prepare the painting panel.   I am using a new product by Art & Enns of Canada, a polystyrene panel claimed to last over a thousand years with no deterioration...like I'll be around to see if it's true, right?  Ha!  Anyway, I have been looking for a better painting surface for a long time and decided to try out a panel from A&E on this painting.  I like how they are made, but, they do have a pronounced texture on them.  It is not too bad, though, so I painted the surface with alkyd paint tinted with burnt sienna for a warm  golden underpainting to help fill in the texture.  I sanded that down and now am happy with the surface.

With the panel ready to go, the next step was to transfer the cartoon to the panel.  I taped the cartoon to the panel and used a red transfer paper between the cartoon and the panel and then drew over the drawing on the cartoon using a hard ball point pen.  Once finished I had a light red tracing on the panel. 

 It is very light and the fine detail was not transfered due to the panel texture.  I know that as it was, I would lose my drawing once I started applying paint, so, my next step was to redraw the tracing using a Sharpie marker to establish a bold, detailed drawing. 

 I will make numerous adjustments to this as I paint, especially on the figures faces and legs.  The background will get a lot more added to it also...I'm still considering how I want to decorate the rooms and the centaurs.  This is how it looks now. 

Next step will be to start applying paint!