Saturday, January 22, 2011

action piece


New sketch. Just a small one (running out of illustration board LOL) A Little action here. Just a line drawing with color values laid down with rough Aquatelle pencils. A variety of browns and black. It's now ready to 'puddle'!

Friday, January 21, 2011

More of Max


Max is coming along nicely.Using instant coffee now i can control the intensity better and get a really textured look. Takes time though as i am building layers necessitating drying time in between the layering. Note the roan color of the one at the top which i have just started to lay down layers on. I've been trying to get that color for ages. Seems like when i wash out this one aqu telle pencil i have it shows just a hint of pink. Interesting? Hope i remember that for when i'm really trying to paint a roan!
Don't forget to click on image to make larger. Hopefully.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Max the super mule immortalized

Here is the beginning of my mule commission.This is Maximilian the super mule. I had three photos to work from and decided on a sort of collage of all three.I am about half way through and sort of wish Max was not such a dark color as i sort of like how the colors are right now. I'm almost there with the mug shot at the bottom of the frame. It was opportune that i happened to have a coffee cup left lying around where the coffee had gone really thick and intense in color. I still need to build up some layers as max is really quite a dark brown mule. I also changed some things from the rough sketch above.Two fairly major adjustments. Can you spot them?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

different breeds now

Finally i seemed to be moving away from Arabians for a while and depicting other equines like this high stepping Saddlebred  above. See i still have snuck in an abstract feel on a more realistic outline. I'm enjoying this. A smallish piece too. Something else a little different for me.

Saddlebred, 8" x 10" watercolor on  board
Prints available www.cafepress.com/ronniesprints
Sketch on the drawing board with Aquatelle colors roughly laid down. Finish piece on top.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Quarter Horse for a change

Another splashy watercolor.Splashes and sploshes. That's what arts all about. For me anyway! This time straight watercolor with no other 'stuff'. It is out of a pencil not a tube though. I use aquatelles to lay down the colors them puddle around with lots of water. Fun! See the very different build and attitude of this Quarter Horse as compared to the wild eyed Arabs of previous paintings.
Quarter Horse, 14" x19", watercolor washes on board.
P.S The only safe horse is a quarter horse. You know, the one you put quarters in to make it go! LOL
Prints available via www.cafepress.com/ronniesprints
The sketch shaded with aquatelle pencils prior to the onslaught of puddling!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

botticelli horse


See top image with enhanced shadows and softened eyes.I'm sort of happy with it. There something classical about it like the horses in


 the Rocco co era or the lady in Bottecelli's Birth of Venus with the big hair and the contra-posto stance. I still have it taped to the board so i still may work it  a tiny bit more maybe integrating the head by mellowing the bright blue behind the face.
As for the picture at the bottom,I'm having a ball with photoshop and have really solved the problem with the eyes by casting a shadow over one of them.I used Exposure under appearances to off set the colors. That's all. Cheating you say! No way. I calling using artistic ingenuity and  modern technology.
Click on images to enlarge.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

painting in progress from sketch

I sort of wanted this to go the other way but i guess this is the way the pics loaded. The sketch at the bottom was done on illustration board in graphite then outlined and shadowed with blue aquattelle pencil. The brown shadow at the side is goodness knows what.Call it a sloppy photographer at work.(No it's not coffee)
Next i focused on Negative space only. The same sloppy photographer got to really slop around with Prussian blue water color washes and of course the mandatory coffee stains.Abstractly indicative of a landscape background.Hopefully!
Thirdly, i wet and spread the aquatelle (watercolor pencil) lines to create shadows. I came in around the eyes (too much) with ink wash and then decided i was having too much fun so made myself stop for the day. Got some things to rework tomorrow.


iv>

>
Eyes definitely need to be quietened down a bit. Still more work to be done.

Splash

Here is the finished original of Splash. Splash because i started to get back to splashing to create movement and loosen up this which that was beginning to get tight.I've had a lot of fun photoshopping this image to create some wild effects. See the next blog for many faces of one painting thanks to computer media.
Splash, waterbased mixed media on board 16 x20
Prints available Go to www.cafepress.com/ronniesprints.com

Thursday, January 6, 2011

not so grey any more

This is actually he grey horse i was working on a couple of days ago. Yeah i know i got somewhat carried away with the tail. I'm still working on it so it may be pruned next entry. As for the grey. It will be a Photoshop project. R

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

photoshop

Ride like you mean it Photoshop image so far. Experimenting with new tools. Would like to be able to outline the whole thing. Back to the manual.Photoshop for Dummies. Gee I can't be much of a dummy coz I can't understand it! LOL

Ride Like You Mean it

The paintings are all fine and dandy but cartooning for me is my bread and butter so to speak. Here is the line drawing for a piece commissioned by Healthy as a Horse for this year's theme RIDE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!
Still needs to be colored once approved.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

work in progress

Started the sketch yesterday and added quick washes today. I used a little Aquettelle pencil on the sketch lines and shadows as well as the usually slops of watercolor mixed media. A spot of tea is in there too.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Jan 3rd work, another Arab

Not quite finished this one and don't have a name for it. Another Arabian Stallion looking all proud and snorty as of course they do! Think it could do with some splatter. Maybe not?
16" x  12" Watercolor mixed media on board.