I’m picking up a lot of commissions, which is good, but had to let the 30 Day Challenge go in order to keep up with orders.
My client gave me permission to share this painting of his cat. Step by step photos can be seen below.
The next big thing to prepare for is an exhibit at the Twisted Olive in Bethlehem, PA in June. I’ll provide more information as it becomes available. Lots of painting to do!
Oh yes, THE GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow, January 31 at midnight and the drawing will take place February 1, with the winner announced on that day. As a subscriber, your name will be placed in the drawing. The winner will get a free 10-pack of greeting cards, your choice of any image from my gallery on the front.
Created on Arches Cold Press paper using Winsor & Newton watercolor paints
- Brown Ochre
- Yellow Ochre
- New Gamboge
- Cobalt Blue
- Permanent Rose
- Ultramarine Blue
- Burnt Sienna
- Burnt Umber
The Undercoat – What do you see under the fur?
- Watery Brown Ochre in some areas, Watery Yellow Ochre in other areas that are more yellow
- Eye – New Gamboge, then Cobalt Blue to create green – outlined with light Burnt Umber
- Skin part of ear – mix of Yellow Ochre/Permanent Rose/Cobalt Blue
- Nose – watery mix of Yellow Ochre and Permanent Rose – this will be darker later; also around mouth and on Bella’s left paw
- Fur – watery Permanent Rose/Cobalt Blue/Yellow Ochre making purple/grey
- Collar – Permanent Rose wateryFeatures on Bella’s Head
Still looking underneath the main colors; avoid the lightest areas
- Dry brush – Brown Ochre; in redder areas it’s Burnt Sienna – using a stippling dry brush and blend so there are no hard edges
- Nose – thicker mix of Yellow Ochre/Permanent Rose
- Some more yellow in the eye
- Brown Ochre dry brush to start defining the lines on the face and the darker areas
- Darkest Darks
Burnt Umber with a bit of Ultramarine Blue for the darkest markings – dry brush
As you can see, the darks look too dark, but that will be rectified when I put in the mid tones.
Mid Tones
- Using mostly dry brush and stippling – little dots – put in the mid-tones – not the darkest, but not the lightest – burnt umber in some places, burnt sienna in others
- Drop of Chinese White in the eye to create the highlight
- Bits of black and red in the collar. Structure the white areas more with the Yellow Ochre/Perm Rose/Cobalt mix
The Body
- After showing the work in progress to my client, we decided that the subject needs to be a bit darker and more greyish/black. No problem – just some adjusting of colors.
- I started adding more depth to the undercoat of the body with areas of Brown Ochre.
- Next, I created a watery mix of Burnt Umber/Ultramarine Blue, creating a brownish/black and lightly laid out all of the stripes, mostly with dry brush.
Build depth and balance – darken stripes, blend, balance. Still need to finish the feet. They aren’t in the reference photo, so I need to come up with something.
