adapting

oil on 18" x 24" canvas panel. i find it interesting that i feel as if i've finished this painting in a remarkably short time. as i check my working time table records it seems that in the time i spent painting there was nothing out of the ordinary in the way i've paced myself compared to my other paintings. i guess this time i had a higher concentration level and i think i over estimated the time needed to overcome the possible painting obstacles i've forseen. 

in my haste to start the painting i've forgotten to take a pcture when it was still in pencil so here is the next best thing... in burnt umber blockings.

 

i did my color test on the face first then on to the rest of the body. the palette colors i used are similar to the bunnies on my bunny burrow painting. i was aiming for a reddish brown fur instead of the usual ocher-tan.

next i worked on the grass starting from the upper right first going left. i've mixed some yellows and blues into the grass pigment for variety.

here the grass is almost done. only a twig and bits of earth to paint on the lower left part.

finished ^_^ i haven't used any black for this painting i'm still thinking on how dark i want my darkest hue on the painting to be. since i've only finished this painting a while ago i'll be thinking this over in  a day or two. i'll be updating is entry with a picture if i do.

snow leopard

this 18" x 24 " oil painting of a snow leopard wasn't really in my project to do list. my original plan was to make an amur leopard. this means using a lot of yellow, orange and brown colored paints, warm colors in short. this past month (march 2010) was so hot i decided to make a snow leopard instead. at least, i'll be using "cool" colors in my painting. (its a psychological thing)



as usual, i start with the eyes, then the nose and ears while trying to make the fur look a bit scruffy and coarse, outdoor cats can't look too groomed.



i didn't really know how to draw scruffy fur. so the method you see here was done by trial and error. it took me a while to figure out how to do it too.



the fur at the back and sides of the leopard must have a coarse look while the chest and belly parts have a silkier look.



i chose to blur the background because the snow leopard is already very detailed. having a background that has more details would make the painting unbalanced.



with my experience from painting logs on the fox cub canvas, it was easier to paint the chopped of log under the snow leopard's paw. here's the finished painting ^_^v

mandarin duck

the first time i saw a mandarin duck was on a duck species book my reaction was "is that for real?". it really looked like a cartoon and since then it was my favorite species of duck. it comes in different colors too. when i saw the announcement of an art gallery looking for visual artists to participate in a 12x12 canvas art show. i decided that this was my opportunity to oil paint my favorite duck.



the adult male is a striking and unmistakable it has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". the breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange "sails" at the back. meanwhile, the female is similar to female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill.

japanese koi

paintings of carp fishes are very common in asia. so i decided this would be my next challenge to paint a subject that's common but in a different light. and this is what i came our with:



a primarily red with black spots and white under belly carp fish said too be prized in japan. i may not be anatomically correct with my spots but this was how i understood it when i was reading articles on japan's nishikigoi (japanese carp or koi) criteria for judging best in show. i think this is what they call a taisho sanke variety. if i'm wrong please correct me.

yorkshire terrier

like all 1st day workshops the instructor will tell you to draw a sphere and put the correct shades on it. next comes the cube then a glass bottle test. to tell you the truth i do badly at these exercises because they're boring. but i understand why these tests are needed. it's for the instructor to measure your drawing abilities and to correct any flaws.

usually the teacher gives you free reign on what u want to draw so i chose a simple drawing just to learn how to use the medium correctly.



cute yorky pup 8.5 x 10 reeves oil paint on canvas board

i started with a set of 12 reeves oil paint and cheap brushes that i can throw away and wont feel bad about it. in the end, i actually enjoyed oil painting and have decided to do more paintings.

during my painting lessosns i've learned that buying cheap brushes and have their hairs come of while painting can be pretty annoying and embarassing as the teacher looks at your painting over your shouder. no more cheap brushes for me!! right now, i'm favoring the synthetic kind from japan.

prior to this workshop i've been experimenting on making animal paintings using pastel in hopes that i might have the talent to be a wild life artist. this is why i chose to do a dog to practice fur drawing on oils.

here are my pastel works on animals:



husky pup 15 x 21 rembrandt pastel on watercolor paper



chillin tiger 15 x 21 rembrandt pastel on watercolor paper