Isaac

Here is the start of the painting of Isaac. I always wonder about posting the work in progress photos of my paintings because I will be the first to admit that they look like a mess to begin with and I do wonder if customers look at them and think "what is she up to?" but hopefully the photos are helpful and interesting to watch. From my point of view, it's good to give customers the opportunity to ask for any changes they might want whilst the painting is happening, not afterwards, plus seeing the process can make people more appreciative and understanding of the work that is involved. Also, it's great to have somewhere with estimated start dates although they do often get changed as I don't give myself enough time. You'd have thought I'd have learnt by now!

Finished - Gucci

Here is the finished version of Gucci. I've really enjoyed putting the two images together and am very pleased how it has turned out. I've often had customers who couldn't decide between having a full body and head portrait and this is a great way to combine the two so I must remember to offer this option to future customers!

Things aren't going quite as quick as I'd hoped due to many interruptions with appointments and other things plus I keep having equipment issues. Last week it was lack of light to work by and this week it's lack of paint brushes. I ordered some recently, but decided to go for a different brand and it turns out that their sizing is different so I was sent some really teeny tiny brushes. They'll be great for small details but not for most work so I'm making do with very worn out brushes until the next set I've ordered have turned up. :-D

You'll be glad to hear I have a new daylight tube! It has made painting a lot easier without too much eye squinting going on and headaches developing. You can actually see the difference it has made when taking today's photo compared to yesterday's - yesterday's was very yellow on the left hand side of the picture where the lamp is stood and today it is showing the colour far more naturally.

Gucci and the daylight tube fiasco

I finally have a lamp to work by so have been able to get on with this painting today. Unfortunately I'm still without a daylight lamp as the second bulb/tube I was sent was also broken but any light is better than nothing. I've finished the bottom painting of Gucci today and will get to work on the head portrait tomorrow.

Delays...

Typical. The daylight bulb I work from died last week and I ordered a new one which duly turned up the next day but only to find that the new one was broken! This means that painting in this dull light is next to impossible so just wanted to apologise for any delays! I will be sending back and ordering a new bulb today so hopefully it will turn up in the next couple of days.

Gucci

This next commission is of Gucci. This sort of layout is a great way to incorporate both a head and full body shot, with the greens in the background bringing the two pictures together. Unfortunately, due to the lighting conditions I had to take the picture of the painting under, the colour isn't showing as strong as it is in real life but I always make sure that the final photo of the painting shows the colours to their full strength.

Callan Finished

Here is the finished version of Callan, approved and just had his first coat of varnish. I use matt varnish to provide extra protection for the painting but it also helps to provide the paint with a matt finish as some acrylic paint can be slightly shiny when dry so the varnish calms this down and stops the light reflecting so much.

Callan by the end of today.

Today at lunch time - I've spent the morning working on his cheek and have added a bit more around his eye. Because of his markings and the wonderfully clear photo, I am painting in every hair to make sure I get it as accurate as possible. I'm also a bit sad in that I love doing the tiny details but I do worry about the strain I put my eyes under and have a feeling I'll be wearing very thick lenses in my glasses before long!

Stage 2. It might seem a bit odd the order in which I work but it's partly due to the medium. Because acrylic dries so quickly, I don't work all over the painting as other artists do with other mediums because I have to concentrate on making sure the area I'm working on doesn't dry before I've blended the brush strokes in. I also start on the neck as it's the "underneath" section so the last thing I want is for a brush stroke from the neck to end up on the face. I also like to get the eyes in early as that gives the painting character and I can get more of a feel for the animal when I look at it's eye. As for the muzzle of a horse, I like to paint this early on too as I love horses muzzles, they're so soft and I really enjoy this part as I want to make sure it looks strokeable. Once I've finished all these parts, painting the face structure tends to fall into place and tie everything together.

Callan

Here is the first stage of the painting of Callan (I got it right this time Liz! ;-D). I know you're not meant to have favourites of any sort but I adore greys and rarely get to paint them so this is one painting I've really been looking forward to - strange considering that greys are actually one of the hardest to paint! There are more markings to consider, and I of course have to make sure I get them spot on so this will be a challenge but a very enjoyable one.