Library Cat . .. almost finished!

Very long and productive day today! The portrait is looking great! I am so happy with it! I hope that I can get a good photo of it tomorrow. You really can't get a very good idea of what it looks like from these photos.

I put a smoking jacket and ascot on Max and got just about all the books painted. I left an open space for the little mouse that will be peeking out from under the book on the left. Max's face is just about finished now, just need to add some whiskers. I brightened up the light, and fixed the perspective on the green book in the front. I may add some titles to a few of them, but I'm not sure yet.

Let me know if you have any good ideas for books, "Mice and Men" or "Cat's Guide to Life" LOL . . .

More soon!

Live Creatively!

Liz

Library Cat part 3

Now I've got the cat just about where I want him. I have spent FAR too long playing with this. I don't usually put this much detail into the preliminary underpainting. We've decided to put him into a smoking jacket, so I took some time googling for images. There are some very natty jackets :) I'm not sure how patterned I will make it, the painting is very busy already. The next step is actual PAINT and that's when the fun starts!

Live Creatively!

Liz

Cat in the Library on the Easel

Now there's a convoluted description. I've been working on the cat in the library painting. I really like the design, I just have to be careful not to make it too bright. My paintings are generally bright and colorful, so it's going to be difficult to keep it dark and moody. I spent far too long futzing with the books and design, but it was fun. Kind of like making a puzzle. I thought I might have made the right hand side of the painting too cluttered, but I think I can change the emphasis with lighting and coloration.

Next I'll put the cat's face in. I don't usually go through this much preliminary work, but I don't really have any reference for this painting, it's just coming out of my imagination, so I want to make sure that I get all the potential problem areas resolved before I start putting too much paint down.

Live Creatively!

Liz

New Anthropomorphic Painting

I thought I'd bring you along on the journey from idea to finished painting. I had a patron contact me to create a memorial portrait of her cat, Max. She wanted a dark, period piece with him at a library table/desk since he loved to sit on books :)

I don't usually go through this much preparation for a painting, but this is a very elaborate portrait - and I want to make sure that I work out any possible conflicts before I get started.

The first step is to get a 'feel' for the commission. I did this with a color study of the basic idea. This is not set in stone, and I will make a lot of changes to it as I refine the ideas.

Color Study
Goauche on Paper
7" x 9"

After discussing the color study with her, I drew up a sketch incorporating some of the changes. A different lamp and chair, removing the wine bottle (he was not a drinker) . I thought it would be cute to ad a mouse among the books (at this point, he's just a vague reference on the lower left above the "A" in APortraitForYou.)

Pencil Sketch 7" x 9"

Probably the biggest change from the color study is removing the window. I thought that it would bring too much light into the room. I've replaced it with a painting of a rainbow hanging on the wall. For you artists out there, notice that I changed the arc of the rainbow. Can you tell why?

In the actual painting, the center of interest will be illuminated with light thrown from the lamp, and the background will be more subtle. Hard to portray in a quick pencil sketch. The other layout considerations are making sure that I leave a path to Max. I don't want to visually block the viewer from coming into the painting. The books are not a closed arrangement, but have an open area that leads you into the painting. I'm not sure, compositionally, about the books above Max's head. In the actual portrait, they will be blended into the background more, so I think it will be alright and not lead you out of the painting.

By Monday, I expect to be starting the actual portrait - come along, it's going to be fun!

Live Creatively,
Liz

Indigo

Indigo
16"x20"
Oil on Canvas
sold

This is Indigo, a Siamese mix. His name was inspired by his beautiful blue eyes. This commissioned portrait was influenced by the painting of the hairless cat I did last year. You may remember that one, it had a retro turquoise and brown background. This has a similar color scheme with a different pattern.

This is the other cat portrait with a retro background:


well, another long day tomorrow, so I'm off!

Live Creatively!

Liz