New Work - Braiding Mother's Hair

Finally it is done!   this oil painting is 16x20.   I will be offering a limited edition of 16x20 prints on canvas of this and will list them here and on etsy once they are available.  Here are the final photos with some detail close-ups.  You can click on the photos to see enlargements. 

WIP - 16x20 Centaur Braiding - Part 9

Almost Done!  After being forced by a bad modem to stay off the internet, I managed to put quite a bit of time into this and have it very nearly completed!  Whoohoo!  There are a few things that still need finishing off and a few touchups here an there, but, the majority of this is done!  I really had a blast painting this!  Trying to come up with the interior of thier home, with all the decor and furnishings was very challenging and has been an evolution with many changes along the way.  That archway and the pillars was by far the most difficult part and is still not quite where I want it, so, I may yet make more changes to the upper archway and the uppermost walls before I call this done.  I replaced the framed painting and the oil lamp from the back wall.  The painting was just too modern-looking and the lamp was too distracting by appearing to sprout from the littlest girls head.  Finally, the mother is now holding a hand mirror and sporting the latest in upper class centaur fashion and accessories.  Here are a bunch of close-up images.  Click on the images to see enlarged photo images!

WIP - 16x20 Centaur Braiding - Part 8

This is actually two sessions of painting on this, but, I decided the first sessions didn't show enough difference from the Part 7 session, so, I'm combining them instead.  A lot of detailing going on now, especially on that back wall.  I generally work from background to forground and left to right...when I'm not jumping around that is!  Here is a pic from where I left off on the first of these two sessions, just the full painting image.  

The rest of the pics are where this stands now.

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!  

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! 

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. 

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.