A Lunchtime Break

New Work - Katie & Racoons

These are two new works, a pet portrait, "Katie" 4x6

...and "Racoons" an ACEO

Sketches - Centaur Market Scene

I finally decided to start working out some ideas for another centaur painting, this one with a market/bazaar theme.  These intial sketches will be very rough, without details until I settle on the layout to paint.  Once I have my plan, I'll work it up into a more detailed and exact drawing, but, for now, this is as much detail as it needs.  This is about a 10x14" vine charcoal sketch.  More to come as I work out varying ideas on this same theme.  Any comments or suggestions welcome here! 

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.

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' 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. 

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!