A Lunchtime Break

Meriko - I'll Surf With You!

"Meriko - I'll Surf With You!"

12 x 16 alkyd oil painting

Original idea sketches

chosen layout

Blocking in some colors

Moving turtle back to where I originally had it in the sketches.  I moved it because I was thinking of adding more animal life, but, it quickly became obvious that the central position was not working for the composition.

Painting in Hawaii's Diamond Head volcano using a (one hair) 00 Umbria round brush.  

more work on the island.

Jumping in on the wave

More on the wave and working in the reef under water.

Pretty corals and fish and light-dappled white sand

more on the water … waves, texture, values, and texture

Yep!  Still working on that wave!

See … We have dolphins!  

… and terns, albatrosses, and, a frigate bird.

Starting work on the surfer-dude, and, changed the color of his board.

He's cute enough … or ...  

perhaps a little odd yet.  We'll see if he doesn't improve as I go along here.

More work on … the water (duh!) Also, the hotel back there has grown some windows.

Working on Meriko now and, of course more on the wave, and water, and hotel, and, and, ...

Sun glistens off their shiny, wet bods … and he has a puka shell and shark tooth necklace!

Final

Mystic Unicorns

"Mystic Unicorns"

36 x 48 alkyd oil painting

First idea sketches

This last sketch was chosen by my commissioner so the next were worked up further from that.

4x6 color study.  Background is evolving.

Drawn onto the 36x48 inch canvas with alkyd paint

My palette for this painting.  Titanium white, viridian green, cadmium yellow, quincridone rose, dioxazin violet, ultramarine blue, mars black.  

A new addition to the story

Precocious baby sees you watching!  

Dad sees you too!

Underpainting done, starting to paint sky and trees in top middle.

Added a water dragon

Wanted an old ruins but changed from stone house to a ruin of a possible stone castle or cathederal doorway.

Doing some adjustments to the equine anatomy

background developed further

Changed the head of the dragon and added trees.  On the upper left, added a figure … and, lower down, celtic circles inscribed in the rocks and overgrown with mosses. 

Decided to change this ones color!  He went from a silver black to a strawberry roan.  I like the contrast against the background better.

the figure in the trees is a horned huntsman

A lot more work on all three unicorns

finished the dragon and added foliage to the ledge.  Developed the big trees on the ledge and added rocks to the streambed.

more on the stream, developing the values and details of the background and added a carved Greenman to a foreground tree.  Big celtic circles on the stone under the unicorns feet.

Detailing the water, and unicorns, and, ground.

Hairy unicorns … with gold cloven hooves!

Two fairies lounge amongst the toadstools

And finally, the finish.  More fairies accompany the unicorns, all watched over by a tea-sipping satyr and a princely frog.