Goldie - Completed!

I believe this is completed! I have spent a few hours tweaking it and looking at it in greyscale, so I think it's okay. Just need to hear back from my client and get his okay before I begin spraying.

This painting will get two layers of permanent fixative, then three layers of varnish before it is ready to be handed over to my client. It's better to do all of that spraying over the course of at least two days, so I need to begin it ASAP so he can get the portrait on time. I am awaiting my client's approval so I can begin spraying.

Goldie WIP

All right, I've almost got this portrait done! Spent all day working on this and bathing cats (yes, plural - three to be exact). I'm very happy with how much I got done!

Lots of tweaking to do now. I see something with her left eye (as we see it) that needs to be fixed, and some areas above her left eye that also need to be tweaked, and several small areas that need the values fixed a bit. I'll sit and look at it for a day to see what I else I need to tweak, then I'll have to spend at least one whole day spraying.

This painting will get two layers of permanent fixative, then three layers of varnish before it is ready to be handed over to my client. It's better to do all of that spraying over the course of at least two days, which means I have to finish tweaking tomorrow so I can start spraying. I hate to be rushed like that because whenever I am, I always find something glaringly wrong later on that screams to be changed but I won't be able to do anything about it. However, my client really wants it for his wife's birthday, and I really want him to have it on time. Since we are going away to Seattle for the CPSA Annual Convention from July 27th - August 3rd, I need to have this done before we go.

Goldie WIP 6

Another update on Goldie.

I have started her body now, but still needs a lot of work. The first 4 layers are layed down, but still need to get more depth to her body. It's looking a bit flat at the moment.

Still hoping to get it done before our trip!

I have done half of Goldie's face now and checked the values. I have to be careful though because Goldie's face is mostly white, with a few other colors mixed in. The values are simply to model her sweet face, not to add color.

Now I'm actually starting on her shoulder.

Goldie WIP 4

Just a quick update. I'm mostly working on the values on her neck, chest, and ear. Ignore the part under her right eye (as we see it). I have only just begun to work on that. I'm mostly working on the shadows right now while I try to figure out how I want to do her face.

Still hoping to have it done by July 25th!

Goldie WIP 3

I've started working on her face and ears now. None of this is finished yet. Got more adjusting to do with the values on the ears. The muzzle is only just started. Working on her neck and chest now too. I'm concentrating more on the values at the moment and will add more detail later toward the end. Got to fix the values on the right ear tonight.

Tomorrow I have all day to work on this and to prepare for a horse show I'm judging on Saturday. Still hoping to have this completed by a week from Friday (July 25th).

Goldie WIP 2

I have fixed Goldie's eyes now. Someone pointed out that they were a bit uneven in size, so I got out my ruler, checked my proportions and found out they were off just a bit. The size and proportions are now correct, but I need to tweak the right eye's coloring now.

I have the background near finished, but it won't be completely finished until after Goldie is done. Now I can get started working on Goldie in earnest! I'm trying like crazy to get this done before we leave for the CPSA convention in Seattle on July 27th, so I need to move fast and hope I don't have any problems along the way.

The coloring in the photo below is slightly off, but not too much. I'm using quite a combination of colors on the background. Let's see, Coloursoft brown earth and mid brown (LOVE those two colors), Derwent Studio brown ochre and golden brown, Prisma goldenrod, burnt ochre, dark brown, dark umber, and black, and Polychromos burnt ochre (which is quite different from Prisma burnt ochre). And of course I'm using my handy dandy trusty bristle brush to blend the colors in. The dark areas of the background definitely need to be darkened a bit more, but I'll get there. It's time to get Goldie going now!

Fallen Soldier Portrait - Completed!

All right, it's finished, finally! Whew! I knew I got the flak jacket right when my husband (with twenty years of military experience) looked at it and could recognize the different parts right away. I wish he had explained all of that to me BEFORE I started working on it, it would have made a lot more sense and been easier!

The young man's mother has seen the painting and I got the ultimate praise - she immediately recognized her son and started crying, which of course started me crying. I REALLY must have got it right because I never had to make any changes to it. She said it looked like him and nothing needed to be changed. WOW!! Talk about making my day!

It's all done and ready to be sprayed. I won't be making any changes to it, especially since the family is very happy with it, but all of your comments and critiques are welcome. I have two more to do after this as well, so the learning process is continuing, and C&C's will help on the next one.

I just looked at it and thought some explanation was needed to clarify something. The young man's face was actually quite burned by the desert sun and since he had to wear goggles often, he was actually very pale all around his eyes. I didn't want to make his face quite like that, but I also didn't want it to be unrealistic. So I compromised. I made his skin around his eyes darker, but not completely equal to the rest of his face. That's why he has a kind of ring around his eyes.

Details: Prismas, Coloursofts, one Lyra pencil, two Verithins, and a multitude of bristle and stencil brushes on sand colored Colourfix paper.
Size: 11" x 14".

Well, what a day I've had! I got up at 8:30 AM, got my coffee, sat down at my drafting table, and spent the next seven hours (minus one hour for a lunch break) working on my soldier portrait. I am SO close to finishing it now. Only a couple of hours more, then the tweaking begins and it will be DONE! Yay!! Wow, I was beginning to think I'd never finish it.

The weather was so cooperative today. Temp in the 80's and low humidity. I had to take advantage of the beautiful day and get a lot done because the heat and humidy are coming back again tomorrow. Once I finish this piece, everything else I'm working on is on Pastelbord, so I don't have to worry about the weather.

Down the homestretch now. Almost done!!

Couldn't sleep this morning so I got up. Since it was amazingly cool, I pulled this out to work to before it got hot & humid again. Worked for about 2 hours on it before it started heating up. I still need to tweak the colors of his uniform here and there, as well as his eyes, but I am getting soooo close to finishing this .... finally. His family has been waiting so patiently for this to be done!