WIP Day #5 oil "Elephant"

I was home today from work not feeling well, so instead of lying in bed I thought I might get a little more done on this painting. I couldn't resist the urge to put in some of those wrinkles, but of course I have a lot more to go. I again worked on the shadows and lights on the head but did nothing on the background or legs. Tomorrow is another day so hopefully I will get some more done.

WIP day #4 oil "Elephant"

It probably doesn't look like much change has been made today, but I have put in about 4 more hours on this painting. I am using a "fatter" mix of oil today concentrating on deepening the darks and trying to get the colors just right. I think I am almost there although I haven't even started doing the background yet. I want to get the exact right color for this so that it really looks as if it is stirred up dust from the running elephant. I will let this try for a few days and do some more on the weekend.

WIP day # 3 "Elephant"

I have made a bit of progess today on this painting although I still have a ways to go. I so want to go in and start the detail work but I know the painting is not ready for it yet. I really want to get the foundation right before I start in with the fun stuff. I am working in thin layers (or glazing) building up the darks and lights and defining the shapes. I know the eye has a lot of work yet and I am not sure about the placement. I have to study the photo some more.

WIP day #2 "Elephant"

I had a day off today so I am back at it again. I am starting to get excited about the painting at this stage. It is really beginning to take shape. I am beginning to block in the colors I will be using is very thin layers. They dry quite quickly at this stage so tomorrow I will be able to go back and add another layer or two. I find as I stand back and look at the painting little things will pop out at me that need to be changed. I notice that one of his tusks looks a little off so I will do some adjusting tomorrow. Overall I am happy with the progess.

WIP in oil "Elephant"

This is the first stage of my painting of the African Elephant. It is done on stretched canvas and is 24 x 30 inches so it has quite a presence in a room. I started by drawing my image on the canvas with a pastel pencil. I like to use these as I can rub out lines easily if they are not quite right. I usually do a lot of rubbing out in the beginning. I think the main ingrediant to a successful painting is getting the drawing right. I wanted the crop to be quite tight with not a lot of background showing. This way the elephant has all the attention, as it should. I use the blue paint to draw in the image after I am satisfied with the drawing. I start to do some modeling at this stage indicating where I will be putting the shadows and the hightlights.

8 x 10 inch oil "Pewter and Plums"

This little painting is done on prepared masonite in oil. I really enjoyed how the oil worked on this surface. It was a lot easier to get good detail than when I use canvas. I have some more pieces of the masonite cut and ready to go, so I will probably do a larger piece in the near future. I am enjoying doing these still lifes especially when they are depicting light and dark and reflection. I have another painting started that is totally different from this and I think I will post my progress as it goes. It is quite large (24 x 30 inches) and is of an animal. That is all I will say for now so stay tuned to my progess!

20x 20 inch oil "Storm Clouds" & 18 x 24 inch "After the storm"

Lately I have a fascination with clouds and storms. The second image is another experiment using oils on canvas. It doesn't really show in the photo, but the background is a very dark navy blue giving the painting a moodly effect. I like the overall effect and will probably do some more large canvases very soon. The first painting is done from an image I found on Wetcanvas.com. I like the colorful palette although it has a totally different feeling from the first painting. Again this is done on stretched canvas in oil and is approximately 18 x 24 inches.