Oh my ggoooooodness! This guy, despite being still a goofy youngster, all spider-thin legs and wispy waist, got caught in a moment of grown-up old-school gorgeous! How could I resist this photo?? Well, I could not. I started this one with a deep Payne’s gray underpainting, knowing that I want to have those dramatic shadows … Read More “Portrait Marathon: MikiToo = DRAMA!!”
As I’m typing this, I’m waiting for the paint to dry enough to safely scan the portrait, so I’ll kill some time showing you the interim steps. After the last step I showed you, I kept deepening my darks and adding detail. I also started adding some color, beginning with yellow, as you can see … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Hailey Done!”
Hailey’s portrait is starting off a little differently than usual. Typically, I start with a blank canvas, transfer my drawing, and then do the underpainting, usually in dark blues, not working on the background ’til I’ve got the underpainting well underway. I decided to try a different route with Hailey. She’s a black greyhound, and … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Hailey begins”
Alright! Pending an overnight waiting period, I think Bailey’s done! What do you think? Any comments? How did I get from that sort of Dresden blue look underpainting to this? Lots of layers! I got the background laid in, most of the color in Bailey herself, stepped back, and wasn’t happy. I went away, had … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Bailey DONE”
The weekend is over, and it’s back to the fun/work of the Marathon! Bailey is taking shape on her canvas. This is a phase I always enjoy. The underpainting, usually primarily in thalo blue, establishes the values, like a black and white photo, but giving a tone to the final painting, with the shadows moving … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Bailey stage 2”
Well, for all the flurry of sign-ups, we got off to a slow start yesterday. The first few people weren’t quite ready to roll when I was, so I skipped forward ’til I got to Eliza’s Bailey. Look at that girl!!! *melt* (She even reminds me a little of our Happy, in who’s honor I’m … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Bailey”
Whew! Well, it took some jiggering and figgering, but I worked out how to make my cards into truly neat little perfect-bound blank books! I wanted to expand what I could do with my eco-friendly greeting cards, and expand my line at Stroke of Green. I brain-stormed for months, and finally hit on these little … Read More “Hand-made blank books”
Oh boyohboyohboy!! UPS just dropped off three boxes of my new cards! I’m so excited about these! They’re non-holiday-specific, one step greener than my Christmas cards were, and a different style. The “You make my heart RACE!” card would be perfect for Valentine’s Day (6 days off – still time to order!), or just any … Read More “Whoo hoo!! New Cards Arrived!”
I will sleep on it, but I think … I’m feeling pretty well finished with Bella’s portrait. I was really enjoying building and building up the layers of watermelon and ultramarine blue and lemony yellow, balancing towards one or the other in different areas. When I went back in with some tinted white glazes, everything … Read More “Bella’s Portrait Update”
*tap tap* Is this thing on? *cough! ahem.* Oh, hi! I haven’t forgotten about y’all, or the marathon I left hanging before the holidays. See? Here’s Bella, in progress. Too funny, huh? She’s going to be colorful, very, when I’m done with her. As you can see, she’s in the underpainting stage, with most of … Read More “Back to the Marathon!”
