FINAL ENTRY :))

 

My final post is always my favourite.  It is when I get to share my artwork with my patron in the hopes that they find my work pleasing and that it speaks to them.

The final touches included the background splash using Moonglow and I was torn as to whether to stay pale or go darker--in the end kept it light. I just couldn't keep my brush out of the fur though! Popped in one more washy layer; tweeked the left eye and added some white hairs around the collar.

'Queen' Osha

Every project has its challenges and with each one I learn something new about the quality of water colour pigments. It is a roller-coaster ride...one minute I am up and the next I am down. So happy to be able to say that I am pleased with the end result of my painting and can say now that I have finished "painting Osha."

CN

ENTRY #4 :((

 Oh, oh, the Verona Gold is proving impossible to work with. It will not tolerate layering which is what water colour is all about. So, in my attempts to 'fix' the results the painting is evolving and taking on a life of its own...hopefully I am not producing a monster but at this point in time I have to admit I am very discouraged. As much as I wanted a lighter fur rug, it seems I may have to go darker if lifting the paint is ineffective. We will see.

💦 💦 💦

Here's the result after lifting off the top muddied layers on the fur rug.

I am not happy with it, however, surprisingly it is a definite improvement! My option now is to apply a new darker layer over this base layer of gold but even as I type this I know that that is too risky. It is what it is I fear.

Originally, I thought I would leave the background without any colour, but my hubby, who always gives me honest feed back, felt that a  colour would enhance the big picture. I considered burnt sienna, moonglow and burgundy, ultimately settling on moonglow.  Tomorrow the painting should be finished.

CN

ENTRY #3 :(

 Osha's body was completed today. Well, I say completed but not--tiny details will be fine-tuned later but I will leave it for now and go on to the fur rug. In the reference photo, this is a very dark brown but already I am sure that I will be go lighter. In order to bring out the golds in Osha's face, Verona Gold is my colour of choice. Unforunately, this is my first time using this pigment and after doing one section of the fur, I have discovered that the binding material in the paint does not allow for an effective wash. It's too late to change now so I will continue on knowing that I have some headaches ahead trying to work with this pigment to get the effect I want. 

I needed a break from fretting over the fur so finalized my colour choices for the pillows. Once again, the plan is to keep them light in tone as I want Osha to be the main focus. The bench back is becoming a real problem for me. I don't really want it there but I DO like the shape of the top of it. So I have got to get creative here and come up with a way to avoid a brown back, but still get that lovely outline. Also, do I really want that third pillow in there? Oh, so many unknowns but I will forge on and have faith that in the end it will all come together.

CN

ENTRY #2

I have started work on Osha. She is basically white, which I find tricky so just to get into that head space I have decided to start in with her tail which is pretty much all white. I am using a very pale grey to start with--this may or may not change as I progress. There is also a strong element of shadow and highlight as she is in direct sunlight which comes from the left. 

I am fairly satisfied with the result so far. Her left leg was my next focus. The variance in colours between her legs, which are brown, and her body markings, which are burgundy, is quite pronounced and a little surprising to me. I hadn't anticipated that burgundy would play such a large part. I am hoping the digital colours are a true reflection of her actual colouring. My apologies, Janette, if that is not the case.

I love painting the faces of these precious pets. It is detailed work and can be a real challenge but I feel that with Osha I have fine tuned it quite well. It is likely I will return to her face again and tweek the colour a bit.

I am using cold press paper, so there is more granulation happening than I would like but such is the medium.

So this whole time that I am painting her body, my mind is constantly coming up with ideas for background colour. I have considered and rejected several ideas already. Originally it was burgundy, however, after playing around with several options I am now quite certain that "moonglow" will be my colour of choice. It is a beautiful grape colour that will compliment Osha's beautiful browns and ochres. 

CN

ENTRY #1

There is much to consider with my newest project. Already I have a myriad of ideas running through my mind. Sitting down in front of a blog helps me to organize my thoughts and provides me with a sort of mental time line.

Osha was Janette's beloved German Shorthaired Pointer. As you can see from the reference photo, Osha definitely projects an air of royalty. I find her face positively intriguing.

OSHA

In order to be able to capture Osha's face, the painting will be on the larger size measuring approximately 15" x 20". At this point, I am still completely undecided on background, which is not my forte to begin with. There is still much for me to learn in the world of water colour, but one thing I have learned for certain is that my brush should never touch paper until I am one-hundred percent positive as to my final vision of the painting. Unfortunately, this can take days...

So I have come up with a preliminary sketch which Janette seems okay with. Please don't panic Janette--it is just the first step and a far cry from the finished work!

While background ideas swirl around in my head, I have a pretty good idea as to my colour palette for Osha. She is enjoying the warm sunshine so there will be a balance of warm and cool browns. I also plan to bring in some "regal" colours like gold and purple. As I progress, it is possible there may be one or two additional colours added.

Okay, so back to the drawing board for now.

-CN