Archive Easel Paintings
Snow Day-Finished Painting
| Posted by: | CommentsHere’s the finished painting:
I continued to add details to the fur, finishing the wolf and then the foreground and just a suggestion of trees in the background.
Stage 3- Snow Day
| Posted by: | CommentsThis is Stage 3 of Snow Day:
I have continued to add dark, foundational colors to the wolf. The darks are the foil for the lights. If you do not get your darks in the lights will not “pop” and add that realism that we are looking for. I built the foundation in dark greys, sepia, some warm browns, ultramarine blue(especially in shadows) and black. Then I begin to softly stroke in the lights so that the fur begins to look real. I use mainly white for this but also some cream colors. Go easy-you don’t want to draw in every hair! I also started to add some snow to the background area. To make the nose come forward add a touch of warm color on the muzzle and then add white on top of that. I use more blue under the chin to push it back. Alternate your warm and cool colors depending on waht you want to come forward in the picture plan and what you want to recede. I think we may have a lesson on bringing attention to the center of interest and go into some design elements. Please don’t hesitate to email me your questions!
Stage 2-Snow Day
| Posted by: | CommentsI am beginning to add color now to the wolf. I strengthen the darks with black and sepia. (I am using Polychromos which are a hard pastel). I also add some warmth with a brown soft pastel.
I have also added some ultramarine blue in the shadow areas of the wolf. And the white is added in the lights. At this stage I am being very careful not to apply the pastel heavily. The papers tooth will quickly build up and then no more pastel can be added. At this early stage it pays to be careful!
New Painting-Stage One-Snow Day
| Posted by: | CommentsI want to show you how I painted “Snow Day”. I really enjoyed this painting of a wolf laying down enjoying the snow. I used grey velour paper as the support and a combination of hard and soft pastels.
I began the painting by drawing with my black hard pastel. I like to have a foundational drawing to build on and to keep me on track. I also added some white highlights. I also began to add some background using my white pastel. We want to create some atmosphere around the wolf to create a 3 dimensional look.
You can see that I have already added the eyes. I like painting them. If they don’t turn out right the painting won’t be a success.
Wolf portrait Watchful Eyes
| Posted by: | CommentsHere is the finished painting.
I carefully added the lighter colors of the wolf to bring it to life. This was the most time consuming part. I used white and cream to stroke in the hairs of the coat and tail. I added white over the blue of the snow. Questions or comments? Please email me!
This is stage 3 of our curled up wolf
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I have continued to add more dark colors: black, sepia, blue, dark brown. The eyes are really glowing now and all thats left is to carefully add the lighter colors. Stay tuned for the finished picture.
Stage 2 of our wolf
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This is Stage 2 of our wolf. I have begun to add the underlying colors of the fur. I have used lots of black, sepia, and warm browns. It is important to get the under colors dark enough so that when the lights are added they show up well. I also undercoated the snow with blue. I also added some purple tones around the eyes to add drama. Since purple is the complement of yellow it should help the eyes to glow.
First stage of a new painting of a wolf
| Posted by: | CommentsThis is the first stage of a new painting of a wolf curled up in the snow. I started it on medium gray velour paper and used black hard pastel that I sharpened to draw the image. I also added the eyes. I like to do the eyes first because then the animal is looking at me while I paint. It gives the painting life from the beginning.
