That’s quite a title, huh? Well, let’s get crackin’. As I said in my last post, this will be my last painting in the Spring Portrait Marathon. I’ve got a couple other projects I can’t put off anymore, so Strider gets to be the big bang at the end of the show. Here’s the reference … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Finale, stage one. Strider”
Nikki’s portrait is finished! Lisa’s Nikki (aka Ms Hotlips) Between the last update and this one, I concentrated on building up layers of detail, deepening the shadow areas with color, and basically making all the color zones complicated as in real life. The scans make the background colors look very different, and have washed … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Nikki is done!”
Getting there!! After the rough start, Nikki’s portrait languished a bit while I recovered from the trauma, and did some other work. She gazed back at me vaguely as I passed her throughout the day, patiently or not, she would not say. Yesterday finally turned out to be her day. The big graphics I had … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Nikki graduates from Rehab”
*sigh*Well, do you want to hear how it went? It went badly. I tried. I did. I tried a few different things. But, the damage was done. The paint just wouldn’t stick. I got so frustrated, I actually took the canvas to the sink and scrubbed it off with a scrubby sponge under warm water! … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Nikki, starting over!”
Ah, poor Licky Nikki! She doesn’t deserve to be handled like this! It’s been a frustrating start to what should be a really fun painting of an adorable gal, but I’ve made a series of rookie technical errors that have set me back repeatedly. Sheesh! Let’s start from the beginning. Here’s the reference photo. Sweet … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Nikki off to a rocky start!”
Dorie’s portrait is finished! I like her Mona Lisa smile, combining with the pirate get-up for an interesting mood. Since my last post, you can see that I layered in lots of blues, not just in the bonnet, but in her face and body as well. I reclaimed the little fuzzy bit of her ear … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Dorie DONE”
Here’s where we are now. As you can see, things have been heating up! Her brindle patch is in, the cool blues are layering up nicely. Touches of pink are showing in the nose and eye, and the irises of her eyes are gaining depth. Oh, and the pirate skull has a red bandana, now. … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Dorie in color!”
Sorry about the slow progress in this marathon! Other work keeps getting in there, needing to be done. But, the marathon goes on! For those of you keeping track, we are on Number 7, of a proposed 10 painting series, to benefit The Grey Muzzle Organization, in honor of my dear departed greyhound, Happy. … Read More “portrait Marathon: Dorie develops”
What a cute lady she is! Lookit her, in her little pirate bonnet! Too funny! This is the photo as I received it. As you can see, it’s posed well, but it’s very dark. You can’t see her eye color, and her nose is indistinctly lost in general darkitude. So, enter Photoshop! This is my … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Dorie begins”
I spoke too soon, again! Grover’s blue universe was bugging me. It was a little too monochromatic. Also, the shadows on his shoulder looked like a net or weird markings, though they were fairly faithful to the photo. So, I worked over the stuffie to help Grover’s handsome face stand out better, and toned down … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Grover, DONE some MORE!”
