Tonight's progress of Green Heron painting

I am really enjoying painting this bird's lovely and colorful plumage. The image scan appears darker than actual which is always a problem when scanning large sections with black pigment. I will be painting more compositions with a black or dark backgrounds because I can achieve a more dramatic effect. 

New wildlife bird painting on the easel

As an artist, it might surprise some that spending a lot of time on my computer is essential when preparing for my next composition. Before I can actually sit down and paint, I sort through the thousands of digital photographs I have taken and then sometimes need to combine and manipulate the images using Photoshop until a suitable pose is reached.  I also spend a lot of time out in the field, researching, collecting and taking photographs of whatever plant, animal or scene that might inspire a future painting.

The following work in progress features a green heron in breeding plumage. The reference photographs were taken while camping in St Augustine , FL. I would wake up early each morning before the majority of humans were out and about and when the creatures were still active, and left with 2 cameras in hand... I can spend hours in the field observing and photographing my subjects so loosing track of time is a common occurrence. The adult heron in the painting was watching over her brood which had fledged the nest and were perched hiding amongst the mangroves.

Pet Portrait of Shih Tzu in Pastel

After finishing the chair late last night, I sent a scan to the client and this morning I had received confirmation via email of the approval of the portrait. Watch for my next painting on the easel coming soon!


Shih Tzu Portrait
Medium: pastel
Size: 10.5" x 8.5"

Shih Tzu portrait step 4

Now, just when you might think the most difficult aspect of this dog portrait is complete, think again! What you may not realise is that the dogs are sitting on a wicker chair...now I have to add the intricate details of the side webbing! I guess I really do keep the "best" for last...

Shih Tzu Portrait step 3

Finally, a bit of time tonight to sit at the easel and start the second pup in this dog portrait. Working on such a small scale using pastels on the suede has it's challenges, especially when adding the features of the face such as the eyes and nose. The dogs heads measure a mere 2.5 inches across!

I will go back and make any necessary adjustments (I see the top dog's right eye needs some tweaking), however, for the most part, the hardest aspects of the portrait are done.

Shih Tzu portrait step 2

At this stage, I have completed the first dog in the pose. You will notice as the painting progresses that the larger dog's fur is shaved down while the smaller pup sports her long coat.

I color corrected the scan to better reflect the actual portrait.

Pet portrait painting in pastel

Here is my latest pet portrait commission work on the easel...two adorable little shih tzus posing for their owner! Portrait size is 8x10 and I am working on ochre colored suede. Better images to come...

Pet Portrait of Weimaraner Painting

The client readily approved this commissioned dog and kitten portrait so I can lay my pastels down and call this one finished! They look like best buddies, don't they?


"Best Buddies"
Weimaraner and Kitten
14"x11"
pastel

Pastel painting in plein air...

Last weekend while at camp, I pushed myself to sit out in the wilderness and paint my first plein air using pastels and sandpaper. It was not easy sitting in the hot, scorching sun while the deer flies and horse flies chomped on my bare legs.The most difficult aspect of plein air painting for me was having to work with a 360 degree view of the world while I tried to reproduce only a fixed dimensional part of it on paper.  Hopefully, I will find it becomes easier with more practice...

On my next post, I will reveal the portrait of the Weimaraner...I am waiting client approval on the finished piece.

Cedar Falls
9" x 12"
pastel on archival paper