Monday, November 17, 2014

New work - finally!

After a busy summer and fall I finally have some time back in my studio!  I work in a variety of media and often find myself pondering while working with one media that "gee, this would be easier if I was working with pencils"...and then when I work with pencils find myself thinking I could do it faster with acrylics/oils or.....?

So, I started a couple of owl studies, just portrait or head shots in preparation of a larger composition that I have planned. I started on the acrylic version first and after I had a bit of momentum going put it aside and began a different pose of the same owl in coloured pencil.

Here is the acrylic owl as far as I have it finished:

acrylic painting


Coming along nicely, albeit very slowly as the feather pattern is a time killer!

Well, if I think painting the feathers in acrylic is a time killer boy oh boy, the coloured pencil version took forever!  Coloured pencil is worked very much like watercolour in that any where there is white or a highlight area you have to avoid putting any colour in as it will muddy the white. So....that meant that all that white feather pattern had to be established by avoiding the section, no matter how tiny, and then filling in the white or light colour pencil. Another approach is to cover everything in white and then put colour over it - which works with a strong pigment like a black pencil but will alter the colour of anything else.  The sequence worked out to be a combination of both methods...and as I already said took forever!  Probably 50 - 60 hours in total to work it to the level that I am happy with.

I tend to upload more often to my Facebook page so I did an update on there a week or so ago:
coloured pencil
At the time I wasn't that happy with the paper I had chosen for this piece. I thought the colour was good when I started but once I got some work done it seemed too bland so I posted it on a couple of groups on Facebook and got some opinions...but I had pretty much decided that it needed some colour.  The paper is a pastel paper so I got out my pastels and spent an hour or so perking it up and then continued with the mind
numbing feather pattern.


This was me working on this piece...even the owl himself was yawning!

Anyway, here it is - just a phone pic because it is snowing and grey outside today, so I will take a better shot when the sun is shining and before let it go to a new home. If anyone is interested in this piece send me a email by clicking on the email button to the right. Click on the piece to view it a bit larger.

'STEADY GAZE'
coloured pencil on Fabriano paper
 





I hope you enjoy "Steady Gaze" and if you are interested in acquiring this piece get in touch!