A couple new starts

I have started work on a few western pieces to show at our student show in May.  Soon, our art teacher,  reserved a great space and I'm hoping to have 7 or 8 pieces ready to show and hopefully sell!  Fingers crossed!

This first one is of the female drover at the drive of the Fort Worth herd of longhorns that occurs daily in the historic stockyard area of Fort Worth.  I was there recently to take pictures for art subject matter.  I have just started this and have alot more work to do to depict the weathered face and stern gaze she has.  The title of this one "Watching the storm".  Thanks to my son, Freddie, for naming that one.  This is on a paper I have not tried before, W & N 300# cold pressed.  I managed to get a good buy so I purchased 10 sheets recently.  So far, so good.  The size of the painting is 22 X 27.

In keeping with the longhorn drive idea, the next is of a shot I got that same day of some of the longhorns as they were coming at me being driven along Exchange Ave.  As I've stated before, I don't have alot of experience with doing animals but the one I've been working on titled "A word in private" has made me more determined that I can do animals.  So I think that this has a good start.  I have just started laying in the first washes of the brighter colors.  Having these bright colors down first seems to add a glow to the darker colors added later.  On a full sheet of 300# Fabriano Artistico cold press.  Might name this one "The Drive". 

Our annual stock show and rodeo starts today and the parade is tomorrow morning in downtown Fort Worth.  It is an historic parade with no motorized vehicles and huge crowds of spectators.  I have not attended it since Freddie was a little boy.  It was considered a must see when I was growing up and I never missed one of those parades unless the weather was just too bad, as often happens during the stock show.  I'm thinking I might go to the parade to see about getting some good pictures.  Should be lots of folks and animals to catch the interest of my camera.

A Word in Private

I have not been blogging lately due to holiday commitments.  I know everyone can relate.  The title of this post is what I have decided to title the latest painting I have been working on.  Below you will see four pictures of the progress.  It is not finished but I am very pleased with how it is turning out.  This is my first time to ever do an animal.  Plus even more intimidating, is the fact that this is on a full sheet of 300# Arches cold pressed paper, 22 by 30 inches.  Seems huge to me!  This painting will be for sale when it is finished.  Surely living in Fort Worth, it won't be hard to find a buyer!  Wish me luck!

In this first shot above, I had started working on the figure and laying in warm tones as under coat colors for the horse and saddle.

Then I added richer colors on the horse and saddle.  Sorry I don't have a shot of the rest of the under colors before I started adding the texturing on the horse and saddle.

Above you can see the beginning of the textures on the horse and the saddle leather.  Also there is a pink-coral wash on the background.

More work on the texturing as well as adding a violet blue wash over the background and adding salt for texture.  Still more work to do on the figure, horse, the mane and other parts of the leather pieces.

Progress on Brazos

I'm really pleased with how this is looking.  I took the masking off of the hair against his hat and did a light wash of a lighter version of the hat.  I think it looks pretty good.  First time I have tried that!  I have also done some work on his clothes.  This is on Arches 140# stretched cold pressed paper.  My intention was to do some of the pattern in his scarf but I have changed my mind and erased the pencil drawings I did of those designs.  Before I attempt something that detailed on a real painting I think I will do some practicing on scrap paper to see the results. 

My husband, Jim

Thought I'd take a stab at doing a painting of this shot of Jim from one of our vacations a few years ago.   Of course I still have work to do but I think it is turning out pretty well. This is on 300# Arches cold pressed.

Ted

In March of this year, I attended a five day workshop with Ted Nuttall.  I have mentioned several times in this blog how much I learned from Ted during that week.  I feel that my painting took a big leap forward under his instruction and my subsequent almost daily practice.  Here is the snapshot that I took of him during one of his lectures and the painting I am doing of that picture.  The first shows some of the early washes and a bit of detail emerging.  The next is how the painting stands now.  I still have work to do.  Ted paints entirely on Arches 300 pound hot press paper.  He encourages his workshop students to use that paper during the workshop and I have been using it almost exclusively since then.  However, I wanted to try this portrait on 300 pound cold press and I am pleased at how it is handling.  Different, to be sure but actually quite a pleasure to work on.  I think I will be using it more and more along with the hot press.  And I can't say enough how much I LOVE the 300 pound paper!  No warping, no stretching!  A bit more money?  Yes, but I work mostly on quarter sheets and usually use both sides, since I am in the practice stage and not the masterpiece stage!  LOL!!!  So that makes it a bit more affordable.  From my days of sewing, I learned that nothing replaces quality materials.  If I am going to spend my time doing something, I don't want to be trying to accomplish good work with inferior or bargain materials.  Thanks for reading!

Chandler, another WIP

Another from a cute little snapshot when Chandler was maybe 18 months old.  Watering flowers with a spray bottle.  My usual paper for my portrait work is Arches 300 pound hot pressed and I've grown really fond on that paper.  This is on Arches 300 pound cold pressed and it is really different!  Need lots more water in my brush or it behaves like a dry brush.  I'm also not accustomed to doing flowers or foliage in the background so this is quite an experiment for me.  I'll post more stages as I go along.  I have to keep telling myself that I am learning and there will be bummers along the way.  I'm pretty much Type A when it comes to wanting things correct from the beginning.  Wrong attitude for a water colorist, huh?