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.