Sally Lancaster Work In Progress

This Blog Has Moved!

2010-03-15T09:20:00.000Z

I have taken the decision to move my blog to Wordpress because of some of the features I can get via that provider so you will no longer be able to follow my blogs via Blogger. The new address for this blog is http://sallylancasterartistwip.wordpress.com/ so please change your favourites, subscribe to that blog via email etc and delete this Blogger address and I look forward to seeing you over there! If you've any questions, please don't hesitate in asking.

Jack

2010-03-11T15:58:00.003Z

I managed to finish Jack's neck today and am quite pleased with it so far, although the colours aren't showing correctly as I talked about in my previous post.

Jack

2010-03-10T15:40:00.003Z

Time to make a start back on my commissions after having just spent a lovely month over in Australia! I lived over there for a year doing the backpacking thing about 12 years ago and have wanted to go back ever since and we finally had the opportunity to do so, so I made sure we made the most of it and went for a month! We travelled from Brisbane down to Melbourne and had a wonderful time, even with a friend's wedding thrown in to make it extra special.

Must stop daydreaming and get back to the subject! This painting is of a very handsome grey called Jack. As you can see, I have put down the background colour and made a start on him. I'm going to have to change my methods a bit on this painting as the photo to work from is quite small so doesn't have huge amounts of detail so I'm going to have to loosen up a bit and not work in tiny detail mode like I normally do. I've made a start putting down some base layers and will work up from there. For those new to my work in progress blog, I need to point out that the photos I take during this process are rarely exactly the same colour as the original painting. It's really difficult to get the camera to copy it exactly, plus lighting plays a huge part in how the photo turns out. Also, with acrylics, they can have a slightly shiny appearance until I put on a coat of matt varnish when I'm finished so this can also show up in the photos too.

Latest Commission - Finished

2010-02-01T15:02:00.004Z

Here is the finished version of the painting, awaiting approval. I know I keep saying it but I have really really enjoyed this painting, especially getting to be all geeky and work on the tiny details in the tack etc. It's amazing how someone with so little patience can sit and paint such small details for hours and enjoy it. It has my husband baffled!

Lady Arabella Moger and Rupert

2010-01-30T15:55:00.003Z

I'm so very very close to finishing but having spent the day working on very small details, I canna take no more cap'n! My poor back is aching from leaning in so close to the canvas and never mind my poor eyes. I'm such an old woman, ha ha! I'm pretty pleased with the progress so far on this painting and only have a few small bits of tack to finish up which I should manage on Monday. By the way, do I sound odd if I comment on how darn gorgeous this horse is??!! I think he's absolutely stunning!

Lady Arabella Moger and Rupert

2010-01-28T17:27:00.003Z

Rupert's coat is proving to be a surprisingly tricky colour to work out, there are so many colours in there, including grey tones and because of how quickly acrylics dry, I have to work on very small areas at a time so that I can blend these colours together to make them look like his natural coat. I'm pretty pleased with the result so far but because I have to work in small sections, it means that each time I mix up more paint to use, I have to get it to match finished areas so when I come to work on the painting next, I might well start tweaking areas I've already covered!

Lady Arabella Moger and Rupert

2010-01-27T16:28:00.003Z

Believe it or not, I've been working on this painting all day! All I've managed to finish today was Lady Arabella but it took me all morning just to paint her face as it's quite a precise thing to paint and just a single brushstroke out of place can make it look all wrong. I also just wanted to point out that because of it being dark outside, I tend to take work in progress photos with lighting from the daylight bulb which is overhead and this can show the painting as much lighter than the original. I try to take the finished painting photo in daylight but photos never show the paint to it's true colour and strength.

Lady Arabella Moger and Rupert

2010-01-26T16:52:00.003Z

Here is todays update. I must admit that I thought, being a smaller painting, that it wouldn't take as long as usual to paint but there are so many little details to include so it's taking the same amount of time as a much larger painting. Having said that, I bizarrely adore painting tiny details so I'm loving this one and if it wasn't for my eyes getting tired, I'd happily keep going into the evening and maybe night!!

Lady Arabella Moger and Rupert

2010-01-25T15:47:00.004Z

Time for my next commission and this time it is of Lady Arabella Moger and her favourite horse, Rupert. This is quite a small painting for me, 10x12" but a really interesting one as I don't get to do many horse and rider paintings. Below are the first couple of stages. I start with the drawing having been put onto canvas. I then mask the edge of this drawing with masking fluid so I can paint on the background without worrying about going over the lines of the drawing. The photo below shows once this background paint has dried and I have removed the masking fluid and gone around the edge of the drawing to define it and touching up any bits of paint necessary.

Then I start to add the first layer of paint, purely just to cover up the canvas so it doesn't show through on any later layers. Some areas, like the saddle, I will leave until I come to paint it as it's quite a mixture of saddle, reins, whip etc so I don't want to paint over it now and forget what's going on under there when I come to paint it.

Shamrock - finished

2010-01-25T10:26:00.001Z

Here is the finished painting of Shamrock, awaiting approval.

Shamrock

2010-01-21T16:09:00.003Z

I thought I'd post a couple of stages of todays work so you can see how I paint. The top photo shows the dark underlayer that I start putting down. I always work with dark on the bottom and lighten up on top.

This photo shows how I have started to put lighter layers on top, creating the different shades and tones in the coat. I will go over it at the end and put in any tones that are missing or have been covered in the process. I also painted in Shamrock's eye before starting the rest of the face as this helps me to feel the character as I'm painting.

Shamrock

2010-01-20T17:19:00.002Z

Here's todays update. I've been working on the neck area today and have managed to get most of it done with just a bit of tidying up tomorrow.

Shamrock

2010-01-19T15:28:00.004Z

My next commission is of Shamrock. I have been looking forward to this painting as the colouring is so unusual and I love it! Below are a couple of the first stages. The top one is just after I had painted on the background and tidied up the edges around the head area.

And this stage is when I have covered up the canvas with the first, very attractive, layer of paint, covering up the white canvas so colours that I paint on top come out correctly.

Lillie - Finished

2010-01-13T16:18:00.002Z

Here is the finished version of Lillie, awaiting approval. Again, there's a bit of light reflection on the background because some acrylic paints can have a slightly 'plasticy' shiny appearance but I always varnish with a matt varnish so this never shows on the final piece.

Lillie

2010-01-12T17:12:00.003Z

I decided to make the background a bit more interesting than just grass so have been working on this today. Unfortunately there is quite a lot of light reflection on the righthand side but this will be sorted once I've varnished the painting at the end. I've made a start on the grass around Lillie but there's a lot more work to be done here. And then I can get on with finishing Lillie and making the edges blend better.

Lillie

2010-01-08T17:23:00.003Z

It's taken me a while to get around to posting an update on Lillie's progress but that's mainly because I've been waiting to hear about the background as the first background idea was going to hide Lillie and I normally paint backgrounds in first so it's looking a bit of a mess to me at the moment. Now that I can move forward on the background, I will get that done next and then finally finish the details of Lillie as I will then be able to paint her fur edges over the background and make her appear to be sitting in the grass. Hopefully!

Westie - Finished

2009-12-17T16:21:00.003Z

I finished this painting today. Sadly the photo isn't doing the colour justice but it's very dark outside and I'm having to rely on daylight bulbs. I've really enjoyed doing this painting, it's great doing a pose like this and a full body painting so fingers crossed Westie's owner is pleased with it.

Westie

2009-12-16T16:46:00.002Z

I'm really hopeful that I should have this painting finished tomorrow. I've only the mane, tail and head to go so fingers crossed. Hopefully the amazing contrast in the lighting is coming across in the painting, although, once again, this photo isn't showing exactly the same as the original painting and is showing a bit lighter. I love doing paintings with this kind of lighting as I think it makes for a really interesting painting.

Westie

2009-12-15T16:04:00.003Z

Here's todays progress on the painting. There's a slight bit of light reflection on Westie's rump because the paint here was still wet when I took the photo.

Westie

2009-12-14T16:55:00.003Z

This painting is of Westie and is going to be quite big at 24x20" and I've really been looking forward to it!! I absolutely love doing full body paintings of horses like these so it's always great to have one to do. I've painted the background as a grass green to hint towards the fact that Westie is in a field and as with the shadow, I will make the edges around the hooves rough to make it look as though Westie is stood in grass. I did try putting in a few bits of grass in the foreground but didn't like how it was looking so have stuck with it as is.

Kara - Finished

2009-12-10T12:26:00.002Z

Here is the finished version of Kara, awaiting approval. I've been very pleased with my progress with this painting and how it's turned out. I must admit that I was a bit nervous to start with incase I struggled with the colour mixing to get the Palomino colouring right, but it was easier than I anticipated and I ended up really enjoying this painting. I can have mental blocks at times throughout paintings, and often start paintings with a huge mental block, but luckily, once I got going with this painting, it continued to flow.

Kara

2009-12-09T17:16:00.003Z

I'm nearly there! Just the tack and forelock to go on this painting. I've been pleased with my progress so far with this painting and I hope any viewers have been enjoying watching it come together.

Kara

2009-12-08T17:00:00.002Z

Ha ha, not the straightest photo I've ever managed!!

Kara

2009-12-03T15:44:00.003Z

Here is the latest stage of Kara. I have to admit that I find Palominos quite a challenging colour to mix up. In the shadow on her neck there are lots of reddish tones but you have to get it just right or she could end up looking like a chestnut! I also love having quite contrasting tones to paint, such as the lighting on Kara with the deep shadows and then the bright sunlight coming in from the right.

Kara

2009-12-01T15:25:00.003Z

This painting is of Lady Kara, a beautiful Palomino mare. This is the very early, messy stage of the painting with the background painted on and now dry and then I have started to block out the main areas of the painting with the first underlayer. It will get better, honest!

Archie - Finished

2009-11-23T17:35:00.003Z

Here is the finished portrait of Archie, awaiting approval. I've really enjoyed this painting, Archie being a very good looking horse and a joy to paint.

Archie

2009-11-19T15:32:00.003Z

A bit more progress made today. There are a lot of colours in Archie's coat which need blending together. My palette has consisted of oranges, browns and even pinks and purples to try and capture it properly.

Archie

2009-11-17T16:19:00.005Z

This is the first stage of my painting of Archie. Firstly I draw out the basic outline of the subject onto the canvas and add a few details like the positions of eyes, shadows, tack etc and then I go around the outside edge of the drawing with masking fluid so when I paint on the background, it doesn't matter if I go over the edge of the drawing with the paint. The photo above is of it with the masking fluid removed.

Then I do a wash of base paint to cover the blank canvas so I can then paint on top without the white canvas showing through. I leave other areas uncovered to start with to make them easier to pick out when I come to painting them later.

And then I can get started on painting in the detail. I've started with the neck and will then move on to Archie's head, leaving the tack until last.

Cab - Finished

2009-11-10T12:48:00.003Z

Here is the finished version of Cab, waiting approval. I always find it interesting and slightly amusing with each painting as to the areas I love to paint and the areas I find more challenging. I absolutely love painting eyes and it's often been commented upon by people looking at my paintings, especially if they're close ups of faces. I also love painting dogs noses as they have that wet look about them that I really enjoy depicting. Horse's muzzles are also a favourite of mine as I adore how soft they are in real life and have great fun trying to make them look as soft in my paintings. However, ears are a real bug bear for me, in both animals and humans! I have no idea why but I always struggle with ears. Hands, feet, paws and hooves are also quite tricky as it can be quite easy to get the sizing slightly wrong and this in turn can make them look very strange!

Cab

2009-11-05T16:26:00.002Z

I finished tweaking Cab's face today and painted his ear so just his mouth and nose to go. I've been trying to get a decent photo, which in these dark evenings is tricky to do as my daylight bulb reflects off the painting and gives it a slight white 'glow' and on the original painting there are a lot more oranges and burnt siennas in his coat. But this was the closest photo I could get and shows some of the colours quite well.

Cab

2009-11-04T17:08:00.002Z

Cab is suffering from shiny head today as I took the photo whilst the paint was still wet. Still quite a lot of work to be done on his face but I've made a fair bit of progress today.

Cab

2009-11-03T16:27:00.003Z

He's coming along! I was hoping to have made a bit more progress today but something came along that halted all progress so I'll come back tomorrow with a new painting head on.

Cab

2009-10-30T09:36:00.001Z

I gave up and used my small digital camera and it seemed to save perfectly well so it must be something to do with my new digital SLR but nevermind! As you can see, Cab is at that, what I like to call, ugly stage. I started out by drawing Cab onto the canvas and then I painted just inside the edge of his outline with masking fluid, which is a new thing that I discovered thanks to another acrylic artist, as this allows me to go crazy when painting in the background without worrying about losing the outline of the painting. Then I blocked in the drawing of Cab with brown just to cover the canvas to stop it showing through when I start to layer paint on top. I've started to paint in his coat and when doing this, on each painting, I have to sit for a minute or two and think how to approach it as each animal is different to the next. I've just painted a Cocker Spaniel but his coat is completely different to Cab's so it takes me a few mins to figure out how.

Cab

2009-10-29T16:34:00.002Z

Well, I have started the painting of Cab but you might have to wait for a photo! For some reason, my laptop has decided that each time I save a photo, it will change the colour without me asking it to. It happened yesterday and has done so on every photo I've taken of the painting today so I will have to wait for hubby to get home tonight. My laptop is currently very close to becoming a flying machine and heading out the window! :-D

William - finished

2009-10-26T16:42:00.004Z

I managed to finish William today. I must admit that I really struggle when painting curly ears, it's really hard to keep the dark undertones and then paint lighter layers on top, whilst keeping the curly under layers showing through but I've hopefully managed okay! Just awaiting approval, or if he needs any tweaks.

William

2009-10-22T17:30:00.003+01:00

Here's William today. Unfortunately the colours aren't showing up as strong as they are in real life because of the lighting when taking the photo but as you can see he is coming on. The colours on his muzzle have been quite tricky to do as there are lots of layers and colours in his fur around the muzzle but I'm pleased with the result.

William

2009-10-21T16:30:00.003+01:00

I've finished William's neck and chest area and also his ear. I've made a start on his nose and eye as I like to paint these features in first when working on the face as it brings the character out. I will be painting the other ear in last as it sits on top of William and leaving it till last means that I can make it appear closer to the viewer and layered over his neck etc.

William

2009-10-20T16:27:00.003+01:00

This handsome fella is William. I started with putting down the background yesterday and today I blocked out the canvas and put down some of the darker undertones of his coat. I've made a bit of progress on Williams chest and neck area and will finish that off tomorrow. I noticed my head got in the way of the photo and has cast a shadow on the righthand side of the painting! :-D

Finished!!

2009-10-14T18:24:00.003+01:00

Finished, wooooo!! Please excuse the terrible photo of it but it's dark outside and the painting is being lit by my daylight lamps so just a touch of light reflection. I will get a better photo during the day tomorrow when I can take more time over it, and see the painting without blurred eyes! You'll be glad to know I have an opticians appointment in the morning so we'll see just how permanently cross eyed I've become since the past few paintings! :-D

Wedding Painting

2009-10-13T17:26:00.003+01:00

Just little Hope left to go. I would do a little 'I'm nearly there' dance but it's amazingly exhausting painting such tiny details all day long. I don't think the lunch of popcorn helped either!

Wedding Painting

2009-10-09T16:55:00.003+01:00

Getting it finished today was a bit of wishful thinking but nevermind! And please excuse the poor photography today, it is Friday afternoon after all and I now have to get the house clean and this room re-arranged as it's also the guest room as I've a friend coming to stay for the weekend. We're off to the Chepstow races tomorrow with my new camera in the hope that I'll manage to get some reference photos for racing paintings. My photography skills are pretty non-existent but here's hoping for something I can work from! Have a great weekend everyone! Now, where's the wine.....

Wedding Painting

2009-10-08T17:28:00.002+01:00

The end is in sight! :-D I've finished all the animals now and have made a start blocking out the canvas on the bridal party. It's been quite nice being able to get back to putting down large areas of colour again after spending so much time concentrating on small details. I'd love to get it finished tomorrow so keep everything crossed!!

Wedding Painting

2009-10-07T17:45:00.001+01:00

I'm really starting to go cross eyed! :-D

Wedding Painting

2009-10-06T17:50:00.002+01:00

Slowly but surely getting there!

Wedding Painting

2009-10-02T11:37:00.003+01:00

It's starting to come to life now that I've started to paint in the 'subjects'. However, I might need new eyes after this as it's taking a lot of concentration and a steady hand to put in all the fine details, especially on the cats who are only about 1 1/2" tall!

Wedding Painting

2009-09-30T16:42:00.002+01:00

Finished the background today and un-peeled the masking fluid to show all the subjects on the painting.

Wedding Painting

2009-09-29T18:01:00.004+01:00

Here are a couple of updates from today. I've put in the groom and have been working on the wall, the first photo showing how I laid out and painted in all the stones and the bottom showing how I've layered on top to make the stones more 'stone like'.

Wedding Painting

2009-09-28T11:36:00.002+01:00

This painting is 24x20" and will be of the bride, groom, daughter and all their animals in the setting of where the wedding will take place. Yes, that's right, of where the wedding will take place as it hasn't actually happened yet! It's also a surprise present for the groom so we've had to be very sneaky, getting photos of everyone in their wedding outfits which proved quite tricky with the groom but we finally got one last week. That's also why he's currently stuck on the canvas as a piece of paper as I've had to put everyone in separately and am waiting to hear if I've put him in the right position before I commit to drawing him on. Unfortunately, this means that I can't get on with the rest of the painting until he's confirmed as I need to paint the wall in next and would prefer to not have to do so before he's in place and once the wall is painted, I can paint everyone infront of the wall.

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy - Finished!

2009-09-09T18:13:00.002+01:00

I've finally finished! This painting has taken me longer than normal but it was quite a different painting for me, for starters it was bigger than the norm at 24x20" and then there were so many colours in the coats to consider but I really enjoyed it and even I'm quite pleased with the result and that's saying something!

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-09-08T17:29:00.003+01:00

So... very... nearly... there......... Only Stevie's ear to go but I'm having to stop for the day before my eyes go completely cross eyed! :-D

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-09-07T17:57:00.002+01:00

Slowly getting there!!

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-09-02T16:32:00.003+01:00

I made a start on and managed to finish Misty's face today, hopefully picking up on the roan details in the fur. It's quite tricky for me to paint things I'm not seeing infront of me so I hope I've done okay! I then made a very quick start on Stevie's ear but will get started properly another day as I now have to rearrange my 'studio'. Sadly, even though this is my full time job, I don't have a dedicated studio and this room also has to be the guest room, ironing room etc and as I have a friend coming up from Bristol for the night, I need to move everything into the corners just so I can get out the air bed for her. If anyone has an insulated wooden shed they fancy donating to me to become my studio, please let me know!

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-09-01T17:42:00.002+01:00

Latest update. Misty is proving to be far easier colourwise so I've made quite a bit of progress today. I've also made some tweaks to Jimmy.

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-08-28T13:18:00.002+01:00

At last, an update! It's been such a busy week as I was at the Monmouthshire Show yesterday with my tradestand so Wednesday was spent preparing for it, mounting prints, sorting bits and pieces and then going over to the site to put up my tent. This was my first one day show and luckily it stayed dry and was really busy. It's always hard to gauge the results as I will have to wait and see if I get any business from the day but I sold some prints which at least covered the cost of the pitch. It was also the first time that I'd attended a show on my own, I normally have my husband with me - I won't be going on my own again!! Because it was so busy, and I don't like leaving things unattended, I managed one toilet break and didn't get to eat anything until the show ended at 6.30pm! I'd become so used to going to quiet shows with hubby where it's easy to wander off if needed so this was quite a shock! Stevie, Misty and Jimmy also came with me to the show as I worked on the painting whilst there and they were admired by everyone. I've nearly finished Jimmy, just a few tweaks needed and made a good start on Misty. I've given myself just next week to finish this painting, having also forgotten it's a bank holiday weekend, so fingers crossed! :-D

Trio

2009-08-20T17:19:00.003+01:00

Today's update. I went over a lot of yesterday's work, tidying up sections and putting in slightly more detail and have made a start on the neck.

Trio

2009-08-19T16:15:00.003+01:00

Okay, so who's bright idea was it to paint these dogs wet? Oh yeah, mine! There I was thinking that wet coats would make the curls a bit more uniformed and easier to paint..... but I was wrong! There are so many colours and tones to fit in but at least it's making it an interesting challenge!! I've made a bit of progress today and hopefully it's looking okay so far.

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-08-13T20:47:00.003+01:00

Hmmm, today's painting didn't go quite according to plan! Although I must admit that I'm not sure what the plan is! I painted on some dark under layers and then went and painted over the bits I'd painted over, therefore cancelling out what I'd already painted. Hopefully it will start coming together and I'll work out what I'm doing! lol! No painting tomorrow though as the in-laws are coming to visit.

Yesterday....

2009-08-13T09:08:00.003+01:00

So, what was I up to yesterday that meant I couldn't concentrate the day before? I went to London to visit the Osborne Studio Gallery where I had set up a meeting with the owner to show him some of my work in the hope they might be interested in taking some of my paintings to sell. He had seen some of my images that I had sent via email and was still interested enough to see them in person so we drove all the way to London yesterday, paintings at the ready. Unfortunately, however, the gallery owner had completely forgotten about the meeting and gone off to do a valuation!!!! Luckily his partner at the gallery was able to have a look at my paintings and kept a couple, Waiting and Denman & Kauto Star, to show the owner when he got back. I'm not sure if they'll want to keep the paintings or will be able to sell them but to even get such a gallery interested in viewing my paintings in person was fantastic! It's also EXTREMELY hard finding galleries interested in equestrian art but this has given me the courage to continue my search, although I might stick a bit closer to home next time!!!

Stevie, Misty and Jimmy

2009-08-11T14:46:00.004+01:00

Here is the beginning of the painting of Stevie, Misty and Jimmy. I haven't got very far so far as I have a big day tomorrow that is starting to take over all my thoughts and I'm finding it hard to concentrate! It's an art related thing that's happening tomorrow but I won't say what exactly until I get back from it as I worry about jinxing myself!! I am the original pessimist!

The colour in this photo isn't particularly strong compared to the original due to lighting when taking the photo but I try to get the final photo as close to the original as possible.

Stan - Finished

2009-08-07T15:35:00.004+01:00

Here is the final version of Stan, awaiting approval so fingers crossed! I was even able to get a decent photo without too much trouble because the sun is actually making an appearance today! This summer has been absolutely crazy with hardly any sun and far too much rain, but it has given me an idea for a painting should I be brave enough to venture out in the rain with my camera....

Stan

2009-08-06T17:11:00.003+01:00

I think I've finished the painting but I will be able to come back to it in the morning with fresh eyes and will no doubt find a few bits and pieces that I will want to tweak. I've really enjoyed doing this painting, Stan is extremely handsome and been an absolute pleasure to paint.

Stan

2009-08-05T16:17:00.003+01:00

I'm slowly getting there! I've attached two photos from today, the top showing how I put in darker areas before adding the lighter layers on top. I still need to build up the lighter layers a lot more as there are some lovely highlights on Stan's face.

Stan

2009-08-04T16:37:00.002+01:00

Stan's face is starting to take shape now, with his ears and eye details finished. Please take no notice of the two pieces of paper towards the bottom of the photo, these are just to make sure the painting doesn't stick to the easel!

Stan

2009-08-03T16:58:00.003+01:00

I really should realise that Mondays are not a good painting day! Because we tend to be away or busy most weekends, I end up catching up with house work and other chores on Mondays and today was no different. I managed to do a bit of painting and you might notice that the background has changed colour! When I painted the green background, I had run out of one of my favourite greens so tried to recreate it with others but I wasn't happy with it and finally decided to change it for a beige background today and I'm much happier with it.

Stan

2009-07-24T13:03:00.003+01:00

The top of Stan's neck and his mane were finished today. I won't be working on the painting much next week as Chris has the week off and this will probably mean we will have to catch up on all the dull house related projects that haven't had any time spent on them of late. Let's hope the weather picks up and we can also get out in the garden before letting the weeds take over completely!!

Stan

2009-07-23T17:05:00.002+01:00

As you can see, I have made a start on Stan's neck. He has a lovely dapply summer coat which is slightly tricky to paint but enjoyable as it's such a beautiful colour.

Stan

2009-07-22T15:34:00.003+01:00

Here is the first, very ugly stage, of my painting of Stan. It's taken me three attempts to get a background I was happy with thanks to patches showing the canvas through, not quite happy with the colour, not quite happy with the blending etc but I'm finally there. I wanted to show this very first stage to show how I work, first filling in the background and then I go around the outline of the portrait again with a pencil as I nearly always go over the line with the background paint a bit and I need to make sure I have the outline spot on. Then I put a basic colour wash on the canvas to block out the white underneath. This also helps to prep the canvas as I've noticed that when I put the first layer down, the paint sometimes doesn't adhere properly and if you're able to see in Stan's forelock closely, there are white spots which is where the paint hasn't adhered to those spots. Once I get this first layer down, this sorts this problem out so it's not worth trying to put any detail down in the first layer.

Barley & Meg Finished

2009-06-30T12:11:00.003+01:00

I finished Barley & Meg yesterday and am awaiting approval. I've really been struggling to get a decent colour version via photo, the green background is more green in real life and both Barley and Meg have slightly stronger coat colours but at least the detail is showing in the photo.

It's Friday!!

2009-06-26T16:41:00.003+01:00

Sadly I didn't manage to get the painting finished today like I had hoped but I did finally manage to get Meg's fur sorted and I'm quite pleased with the result. Again the colour is faded and not as strong as the actual painting but the photos give you an idea of how it's going.

Meg

2009-06-24T16:10:00.004+01:00

I made a start on Meg today. The top photo is of the patches of colour I have put down to become the underlayers and then you can see in the bottom photo where I have started to put the lighter layers on top. It still needs a lot of work, especially as long fur can be very tricky to paint as it goes in all sorts of directions and yet still needs to retain a soft look.

Barley Finished

2009-06-23T18:01:00.004+01:00

I managed to get Barley finished today, with the hope of finishing the painting by the end of the week. The bottom photo is the most similar in colour match to the original painting and the other two photos show a couple of the major stages of the painting today. I will no doubt start tomorrow with a bit of tweaking of the painting when I spot things that I might have either missed or am not quite as happy with as I am right now, but that's very typical of how I work and sometimes I have to remind myself to stop incase I go over a painting too much and end up spoiling it!

Barley

2009-06-19T13:41:00.003+01:00

Just before I start the weekend, here is the latest update of Barley. Bizarrely I find tongues quite tricky to paint! Not sure why, it's mainly getting the colour right that I struggle with but it does seem like a strange thing to find hard to paint.

Barley & Meg

2009-06-18T17:00:00.003+01:00

Here is today's update. I only managed to get Barley's neck finished today as I find I tend to work in certain sections at a time, the next section being her beautiful face, and I have to start that on a new day as my head will then be in 'face zone'. Strange how the mind works isn't it!!

I would like to point out again though that the lighting when I take photos of paintings on the easel is never the best (lots of light reflection on the painting) so the colour on this blog may not completely match the original but when I take the final photo, this is when I try to get it as near to the original as possible.

Barley & Meg

2009-06-17T16:33:00.008+01:00

Time for a commissioned painting! This painting is of two beautiful Golden Retrievers, Barley and Meg. It's on a canvas size 20x16". I've decided to show lots of work in progress shots as I go through the day to help people see how I work and also how much work goes in to each painting. I've been painting lots of horses and short haired animals lately so had forgotten how much work goes into longer haired coats so thought it might be interesting to show how I achieve this.

Lottie - Finished

2009-05-14T16:44:00.003+01:00

Here is the finished version of Lottie, awaiting approval. It's got to be said that it was lovely to do a painting that didn't take as long as the last one and wasn't so fiddly! Also, this was only 10x12" whereas Daniel was 14x18" so the size made a huge difference too. I loved doing both of them but it was a relief to be back in my comfort zone for this one! And on the request of fellow artist Laura Hardie I am going to put on my showcase blog the work in progress for a racing painting I am currently working on so please visit that blog and see how it's coming along.

Lottie

2009-05-13T17:51:00.004+01:00

Here are a couple of updates of Lottie, the bottom being the latest. I don't get to paint many cats and being a bit cat crazy, it's always so enjoyable when I do get one, plus Lottie looks very like a cat my husband once owned.

Lottie

2009-05-11T13:00:00.003+01:00

Here is the very first stage of Lottie, looking a bit like my nephew has had a go! I've put down the background and then the first layer of colour on to Lottie to block out the canvas. She will start to look better soon, I promise!

Daniel - Finished

2009-05-10T16:49:00.003+01:00

Here is the finished version of Daniel, waiting incase any tweaks are needed. And yes, I have spent a sunny Sunday afternoon finishing the painting! I simplified Daniel's pj's for two reasons, one being so not to distract from his face by them being quite busy and two.... to make them easier for me to paint. Now, time to go out and make the most of the rest of the sunny weather. Especially now hubby has finished gardening and I can stop hiding indoors pretending to work!!

Daniel

2009-05-08T18:26:00.003+01:00

Still getting there!! Nearly finished the blue of his pyjama's, just the detail to put in. I thought I'd show the painting as it is on my easel so you can get more of a feel as to how it looks when I'm working on it. The colour of the painting never comes out as strong as in real life when I take a photo of it on the easel with indoor lighting but I take the final photo under natural lighting which helps bring out the colours.

Daniel

2009-05-07T17:19:00.003+01:00

Just his clothing to go! Think they're Iggle Piggle pyjamas but my knowledge of kids telly is rather poor!

Daniel

2009-05-06T16:38:00.003+01:00

Finally I have moved on from his face! Hair painted today and the under layers to his arms and legs which is currently drying. For some very strange reason, I absolutely love painting hair, even though it needs to be so fine. Perhaps that's part of the challenge but I really do love painting hair especially when it's blonde like mine!

Daniel

2009-05-05T17:50:00.003+01:00

Must stop!! As predicted, I spent Friday afternoon and then all today, fiddling with the skin tone and have now re-done it about 6 times!!! The silly thing is that there wasn't really anything wrong with the layers I painted over but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and would spot the tiniest thing I wasn't happy with and then had to go over the entire thing to make sure the paint colour matched all over. I'm telling myself to stop now as I'm happy with it and hope I won't spot something tomorrow when I start painting again.

Daniel

2009-05-01T13:20:00.003+01:00

Here's Daniel as of lunchtime today. I'm on to something like the 4th layer of skin tones as I put one down, then notice a small bit I'm not happy with so re-do the whole face to make sure the colour is the same all over and then notice another bit I'm not happy with and it goes on! I'm happy with it at the moment though so will finish the finer details and the top right hand side of his forehead and will then move on or I'll never get the painting finished!! But no doubt I will come back after I've had some lunch and fiddle with some bits of the face!

Daniel

2009-04-29T16:28:00.003+01:00

Here is my posting today of Daniel. I'm getting there with the skin tones and starting to put in the detail around the eyes etc. My daylight lamp has made the photo a lot lighter than the original but you can see how it's starting to look.

Daniel

2009-04-28T17:36:00.004+01:00

This little cutie is Daniel. I was lucky enough to paint his sister Charlotte a couple of years ago and now it's Daniel's turn! Painting humans is completely different to animals so I'm having to remember how but I do love painting people, especially kids with cheeky grins. When painting skin tones, I have to work a lot more loosely, building up lots of layers, starting with darker tones and layering the lighter tones on top. I've done one lot of layers on Daniel's face but tend to go over it again once these layers are dry as it makes for a more even colour. With animals, I tend to paint in the individual hairs so it's quite a different process. Human skin has a very smooth tone compared to animal fur so requires more blending which can be tricky with acrylics but again, part of the challenge I enjoy. Am I mad??!! (hopefully no one I know will answer that as I know what they'll say!)

Parson - Finished

2009-04-14T12:49:00.002+01:00

Here is the finished version of Parson, awaiting approval. This has been a brilliant painting to do thanks to the fantastic detail in the photo and also the interesting pose. Fingers crossed for the verdict!

Parson

2009-04-09T16:30:00.003+01:00

I didn't manage to finish the painting today but here are a couple of updates of the work I did do. I've a few tweaks to make to Parson's face and then it's just the ear and finer details such as whiskers to add on. My eyes need a rest now after spending the day painting in so many little hairs!

Parson

2009-04-08T16:05:00.002+01:00

I'm getting there! I'm really hoping to get this painting finished tomorrow as, working for myself, I didn't realise it was Easter this weekend and that hubby will be having a 4 day weekend! When you work for yourself, you tend to forget that bank holidays exist, especially having no kids I have no idea when school holidays are. As for knowing what the date is, I rarely have a clue!

Parson

2009-04-07T16:53:00.003+01:00

Here is today's update. I am loving doing this painting, not just because of Parson being so gorgeous but also because it's a really interesting pose which gives me a new challenge and keeps painting portraits refreshing.

Parson

2009-04-02T14:52:00.004+01:00

Here is the very first, and basic, stage of Parson. I've put the background on (with added light reflection from the window!) and have blocked in the canvas with Parson's main colours, just to cover up the canvas to stop it showing through later in the painting. I've been really looking forward to this painting as Beagles are one of my favourite dog breeds and this is also a fantastic photo for me to work from.

Clover - Finished

2009-03-31T17:39:00.003+01:00

Here is the finished version of Clover which I have emailed to the customer and am awaiting approval. She's been great to paint, ever so pretty and enjoyable.

Clover

2009-03-30T17:34:00.003+01:00

Clover is really starting to take shape now. I'm hopeful that I will be able to get her finished tomorrow but now that I've said that, I'm sure lots of other things will come up and stop me from working on her all day!

Clover

2009-03-27T16:39:00.003Z

Hmmm, I've been working on this painting all day but feel as though I haven't got very far! I think that's mainly because I've been working on more detailed areas such as the eye so haven't been able to cover such a large area of the painting.

The colour of the painting isn't showing as strongly as in real life either due to the lighting but I will make sure it shows properly in the final photo.

Clover

2009-03-26T15:51:00.003Z

Here is the next stage of Clover. She's such a pretty horse and I'm really enjoying this painting.

Clover

2009-03-24T15:42:00.005Z

I made a start on the beautiful Clover today. It's at that very messy stage where I have painted in the background and then blocked out the canvas with a base layer so I promise it will get better!

Bea - Finished

2009-03-22T19:03:00.003Z

Here is the final version of Bea, waiting for approval, which I still get nervous about! :-D

Bea

2009-03-19T16:32:00.003Z

I've nearly finished Bea, just her ears and muzzle to go. I'm quite pleased with my progress so far. As many artists will agree, starting a painting is the hardest part, knowing how you're going to approach it, working out in your head what colours to use, how many layers may be needed for certain areas etc but it gets easier when you get in to it and for me, it's also easier once I've painted in the eyes as this is where a lot of the character lies and you get more of a feel for the painting.

Bea

2009-03-17T15:54:00.002Z

I'm back and painting! I got on a bit further with the painting of Bea today and it seems to be coming along okay so far. I'm hoping to crack on with all my paintings now and catch up with deadlines so keep an eye on the blog. Also, many thanks to everyone for your kind words about my dad. He had been ill for a long time with dementia and the cancer was very quick so he was hopefully in very little pain and was completely unaware as to what was happening so he's gone on to a much better place. A place full of ice cream and sail boats, two of his favourite things!

Sad news

2009-03-02T17:46:00.003Z

Just to let you know that my dad died at the weekend. He'd been very ill so it's a release for him but I won't be getting much painting done for the next couple of weeks but I will be contactable if anyone needs to get in touch.

Bea

2009-02-25T16:28:00.003Z

Here is the start of Bea. New customers and the eagle eyed amongst you might notice that I've been a bit slower of late with my work and that I've given my waiting commissions large amounts of time to work on them. This is because unfortunately my dad has been taken really ill and so I need to make sure I can drop things if I need to get back to Devon in a hurry. He has been ill for many years and we had prepared ourselves for this day but it's still been quite a shock seeing him so ill and we're praying that he won't have to suffer for too much longer, hence keeping my time table as flexible as possible. And I don't want those of you who have deadlines to worry, I will get the paintings done in time, hence my time allocations for each.