WIP - 16x20 Centaur Braiding - Part 7

Now I'm starting to paint!  I have been putting a little time into this here and there as time allowed over the holidays and have done some decorating on the pillars and just in general cleaning up edges and defining the objects and shadow shapes.  On the 29th Dec.  I started painting the face and hair of the mother centaur.  Faces tend to be very absorbing and require several seperate sessions using dry brushing  techniques to build up opacity and detailing.

These two images show most of what I was working on on the 29, detailing the pillars and starting the face of the mother centaur.  Sorry for the glare on the painting.

 I also spent most of my time yesterday painting the same face and today, I also worked the stone floor, the rug, the side table and the legs and values of all three centaurs.  I do a lot of skipping around when I paint, LOL!

Here's a close-up of the mothers face.  This will get a bit more work, mostly on the details such as eyes, lips and jewelery, ect.  I'm just starting to lay in the daughters features here.

This side table was just a bit to plain, lol!  OK, I really had planned it to be a carved and inlaid table all along...I just wasn't sure what was going on it until I did it.  Notice the dragon carving with taloned foot on the chaise.

This last image shows some of the flooring detail and the rug.  Much more to be done on all of this, but, it is starting to get there!  

Season's Greetings!

I'd just like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, whatever your beliefs, and, however you choose to enjoy them! 

We are going to have a white christmas!  This will be the first in 14yrs for the dfw area of texas!  Here's the view out back.

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!