HERE COMES TROUBLE - WIP

HERE COMES TROUBLE - 9 X 13 inches
You have to love goats. They are kind of cute, very mischievous and inquisitive and lots of fun to watch. They have their down side of course but not being a farmer or owner I am able to ignore that. I met this little guy out at Kilby Historical Site in Harrison Mills. She just seemed to be looking for trouble and I thought she would look great in one of my pictures. I also took some great shots of the old machinery there. This old hayrack has lots of interesting parts and shapes and the two just seemed to be a perfect fit.
I have finished laying out the machinery and the goat and now I am trying to decide how much of the foreground to develop. This is where I can get too carried away so I am trying a more cautious approach as I begin to fill it in.
On the side, this weekend my marketing workshop for artists is on the go. We have a full house so there will be lots of interesting marketing plans emerging from the group. We are all going in the same direction and yet there are so many routes to take. Registration is also going well for my last workshop this winter on Sunday, March 6.

VADER

VADER 5.5 x 6.5 SOLD
Vader is my latest commission and he was a real treat to draw. Vader lives in Australia but has friends here in Canada. They asked me to do the picture as a gift for Vader’s owner. She had both a good picture of him plus this great silhouette shot that she had taken. The challenge was to try and incorporate both of them into one picture. Photoshop really saved the day. Instead of spending days on drawing different scenarios, I was able try many different situations and size ratios but it was still surprising how long it took to come up with a good combination. I really love how the silhouette of his face catches your eye right away when you look at the picture, it implies so much of the character and personality of the dog and then it moves you into the picture and the dog himself. Also the contrast of the roughness of the background with the smooth sleek fur of the dog really takes the picture over the top. Needless to say I was very pleased with the final results.

Keeping Watch

KEEPING WATCH - 3.2 x 3.2

Well number 3 is done!! I am really excited to see this set finished as it has been percolating in my mind for some time and now it is a reality. This pair of swans is not as active as the other two but certainly a common site within a flock. Swans mate for life and do look out for each other. This pair just seemed to be in that classic pose and I wanted them part of my set.
I decided to go with the larger format, 3 x 3 and now I am glad I did. There just seems to be that little extra room to really develop this particular piece. I hope you enjoy this little series as much as I do.

To Crop or Not to Crop, That is the Question

GET LOST!! - 3.2x 3.2

“Get Lost” is the second piece in my mute swan trio and now I find I am having a problem. I had originally planned on doing the pictures as a 3 x 3 but after completing the first two I had this great idea to crop them. This dilemma has brought me to a standstill as I really can’t decide. The first picture, "Winter Friends" which I posted last week was cropped but now looking at “Get Lost!!” I am changing my mind. ( I have included both the cropped version and the non cropped version of this picture so you can see the difference.) I need to decide as I want to proceed on the third picture which will feature two swans. I don’t think that I could paint the larger version and then crop it as easily as the others. (I know for you big picture painters the idea of doing a 2 x 2 picture versus a 3 x 3 picture seems ludicrous but these are the dilemmas of the miniature artist) The time has come to make a decision. Any thoughts??
GET LOST!! - 2 x 2

I have been very quiet as late as I have been down for the count with a terrible cold. I am now up and running again and thankfully feeling much better. Finally on another note, the registration for my marketing workshop in February is going really well. Only one spot left!!