The Real Deal-Cowboy Portrait

Close ups

Oil on 7x5 canvas panel.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. Patricia was the super host this week who provided a bunch of great photos! This is her brother who lives in Colorado. He looks as if he were right from a scene in Hollywood for a western movie....but he's the real deal!! He had great poise and facial expression in the picture. Perfect casting.

This was painted on a toned canvas. A favorite ploy of mine. Much of the background is the acrylic tone.

C&C welcome. Thanks for looking and taking time to comment!  

 

 ^{psalm 119:105}        Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Special Light-Portrait

Happy Easter

 Close ups

Oil on 7x5 canvas panel.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. Joel was the super host this week who provided a bunch of great photos! This is his niece standing in the light of a window.

It has been a tradition of mine to commemorate Easter and other holidays on my blog with a painting. When I saw the pic with his niece in that special light, my choice was made!
I raised her face, closed her eyes, and added a cross to her hand.
Happy Easter, everyone....please don't forget the true meaning.

This is oil on a 7x5 canvas panel.

C&C welcome. Thanks for looking!

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 I post this in the spirit of Christianity on this day of days.
Please use it as a gentle reminder to look beyond the decorated eggs...marshmallow peeps...and the chocolate bunnies. All of which are fun and a special delight to our children and the child within us.

But the true meaning of this day is the suffering which was willingly endured so that we could all be forgiven. Through His sacrifice and resurrection we are guaranteed eternal life. This perfect life which He promised appeals to the child within us...because we are indeed His children.

Also, please don't forget to pray for all those who are in the service of protecting us and for those who have given the supreme sacrifice.

 John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Luke 23:34 NIV
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Mark 16: ⁴ And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Lilac Whispers-Portraits-Finish

Double Portrait Work In Progress

Whispered secrets in the shade of a lilac garden. 

The Completion

Last Wednesday, (4-9-14) , I had completed session #3. I'll pick up from there.

Session #4

I continued with the oil straight from the tube, but applied thinly with a scrubbing motion to fade or blend. I was adding more lights trying to come close to the value I needed. There appears to be a blue cast to this shot. No doubt due to the lighting or the camera.....couldn't possibly be the fault of me, the cameraman!!

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Session #5

I'm using stiff filbert brushes to apply the straight oil paint. Softer brushes for features, using slightly thinned paint. I keep building and adjusting value and color. At this point, I have tried to keep all edges soft until the last step.

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Ta-Daaaa- Done!

Here's when I decide where to place the emphasis (highest contrast-hardest edges). Like the sun on the faces and select strands of hair, etc. Some strokes are pretty thick in the lighter areas. This adds texture and interest to the surface.
There are many soft edges in the features in this piece, due to the shade.

There comes a point where I lay the brush down and say, "Done".

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Close Up

Close Up

Well there it is!

My sister in law picked it up and was happy with it. She cried...and not because of the price (I wanted to do it for free). The client's reaction is my greatest pay.

Hope you enjoyed my venture. Thanks for coming along.

^{John 7:12}        While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Sun Fun-Little Girl Figurative

 Close ups

Acrylic on 7x5 canvas panel.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. Marianne was the gracious host this week who provided a bunch of great photos! This is her daughter making memories in a field of flowers. Oh to be young again!
Her challenge was to use negative painting (painting around the object). For more information about this technique, check out artist Linda Kemp.
Along with the acrylics, I used just a slight touch of ink from a uniPin and an even slighter touch of colored pencil for the features.
Make sure you check back...the finish of the double child portrait from Wednesday will be posted soon.


John 17:1      “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ² For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Lilac Whispers-Portraits

Double Portrait Work In Progress

Whispered secrets in the shade of a lilac garden.
                                 

These cute kids are my sister-in-law's two grandchildren.The older one has already graduated college. She's been after me to do a painting for a while, so here goes. .
This is oil on an 18 x 24 stretched canvas. A bit unusual for me since I have worked almost exclusively on small 5x7 canvas panels for the past six years or so.
I remembered to take more snaps along the way than I usually do.

Session #1

First I worked from a grid. Because this is larger than I'm used to, plus it's a double portrait. Had to be as accurate as possible right from the start. After it was drawn, I used a sharpie on the important lines I didn't want to lose...kinda like a road map.

I tinted the entire canvas with thin alizarin acrylic to establish a warm mid value. This makes it much easier to judge your first darks and lights.Then I laid in the darks.

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Session #2 

 

Now I started to state the darks with thin oil. Mainly pthalo blue and alizarin crimson.

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Session #3

 At this point, I began to feel out some color blends and values. Straight from the tube but applied rather thinly with a scrubbing motion.

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Close up of session #3

I spent more time in developing the faces than anywhere else at first. I knew if it didn't work there, I would have to start all over.

Next post on these kids coming soon..... probably will include the finish. Make sure you come back! More to come!

Two Cute-Chihuahuas

 Close ups

Oil on 5x7 canvas panel.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. Kathy was the gracious host this week and provided a bunch of great photos!

These two chihuahuas are too cute....and I believe they know it!

This time I toned the support with a thinned mixture of acrylic purple ( aliz crimson + ult blue) as a complement to the subject. Much of it remains visible, especially in the upper right.
This piece runs the range between super thin to very heavy paint in select places.

C&C welcome. Thanks for checking me out and taking the time to leave a comment!


^{Matthew 27:23}      And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.