Should haves...

Wall and Door           pastel               8" x 10"

Walls!  Who'd have thought they could be difficult?   That flat (but not) EXPANSE of colour that has to be filled with "interest".   Well, grab a handful of colors and scatter them about!    Lots of should haves (several to do with perspective) but over all you get the message.  

Kinda fun!    

And below, the lovely mother Laila at her wits (kits?) end.   

and

Enjoy!

Jess and Karina

 Jessie & Karina         pastel              16" x 18"

This week I learned that dear much loved Karina had crossed the rainbow bridge.   Half this portrait - Jessie only - was posted on January 18, 2011;  Karina's space was just a faint sketch and a note "coming soon".  

My life took some abrupt turns and the portrait slid into a portfolio and waited.  Last night when I heard the news, I took it out - and this morning Karina joined Jess.   So now they're finally together, if only on paper.  Both are Siberian Huskies, Jess with a red coat and Karina a grey.

Below is the photo, their two heads glued together.   I hope the above does them justice.   Laurie, their "parent", lives in California - the original should arrive there sometime soon.   I hope it gives her good memories of her best beloved Karina, and the bond between her and Jess.

Enjoy

How Now Round Cow?

"Round Cow"              pastel            13" x 21"

More challenging!   Face a bit tricker since at more of an angle - if you click on the picture you'll see a larger version.   It's flawed, but it works. 
* April 17th post shows photo of gal above, the cow with the twisted horn who watched coz and self 'retreat' from their bovine blockade!   On that post feature item was cow with calf.  I thought I liked it best, now I'm not sure.
*Post immediately below shows the beginning of the above.



Enjoy!

Face Off!

"Cow & Calf"        pastel        12" x 14"

There is a story behind this.   Below is the photo from which it comes.  This group of cows were blocking the path my coz and I were planning to take.   Now, cows may seem benign - especially if you believe definition of "bovine", sluggish, dull, and stolid - but if it's a mother with calf, watch out.   If she gets the idea you might hurt her li'l darlin' you could be trampled to death.   It's happened, in England, and surprisingly often.  So  "they" stood and looked at us; and we looked at them.   A genuine face off.    You guessed it, we chickened out and backed down.  They watched us as we left... 

Cow below with twisted horn (who's at back of group above)
monitored our departure from top of dike.
Cute cow actually.  Amazing how ROUND her body is.

Enjoy!


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LUNCH AHEAD

"Lunch"                   pastel            16" x 7"

A doodle at noon.

I've always liked this photo of mare following lunch (!) and foal in background trying out the grass so I did it, quickly.   Figure pleased me since person in photo was hidden behind mare, so above is pure invention.  (Sarah...I didn't even try to make figure look like Fan - whoever it is looks weary and male.)  

Enjoy

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Kanja

"Kanja"     pastel      12" x 14"

A handsome, soft-hearted Rotweiler/Shepherd mix.

In case you're curious, it IS different paper from previous post - a greyer tone.      

Enjoy!


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The Essence of a Doodle

 "Sophie, a Golden Wheaten"      pastel         8" x 10"

A doodle by me - you can tell that from the smudges - of Sophie!    The path to the sketch began when I asked for a copy of the screensaver showing Sophie, a much loved family dog.   It came, I sketched, but who knew if it was totally on target.   I sent a photo...apologising for the roughness of the piece.  To my delight it turned out my doodle had captured the essence of Sophie - so a happy ending for me and for the original which is off to a better home than a storage portfolio.

And YES I fixed the smudged coat to be curly...but never took a foto.

I "collect" photos of critters that I may or may not work from.   I like them to come from the owner or someone who really KNOWS the animal - and of course is able to give me permission to do a portrait from the photo.   All of this with the understanding that if I do something (there's no promise I will or by when) I will email a photo of the piece to find out if it really IS the best beloved, not just "a dog" or "a cat".  There is NO obligation to purchase but if someone wishes to, contact me - prices vary and are very reasonable.  Of course, if it's a commission it gets done immediately.  

Person Portrait!

A Portrait     pastel      12" x 14"

I am reasonably smug about results!   It's the first that I've had the guts to post.   A friend of a friend and, sorry, I cannot remember her name.    No drawn outline, just went in with color.   No work of art but at least it looks like the subject - a bit!   And of course that's the photo.

In pursuit of doing portraits, my attempts to date have included numerous of myself and another friend.   Masses of them, and all missed the mark by a mile.   Perhaps because the faces were TOO familiar?

Enjoy!

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"Jenny & Her Goose"       pastel           12" x 18"

The top of the armoir is Jenny-stan - her very own stomping ground.   A long jump up too.   She shares it with the wooden goose, an antique duck decoy, a plush hawk, a plant (fake) and a tortoise lamp.  The lighting is from below, a lamp on a sidetable.   I love the way her toes curl over the edge.

 

You can't see the hawk or the tortoise here but you get the idea.   A pretty good fake plant, huh?

Enjoy!

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Aha! JENNY!

"Aha! JENNY!"        pastel         12" x 18"

It's "Aha!" because I'm pleased.  At last.  

However, as I did it I kept wondering why I'd chosen a pic with such a weird perspective distortion of the hanging paw.  Now I'm real glad I stuck with it.   The pose is a Jenny standard:  perched as high as possible with one paw draped over the edge.  In fact in my mother's room (which abounds with Jenny photos!) about half are this pose....

Enjoy!

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Jenny Today

Jenny 26/3         pastel         10" x 18"

Well, that's what she was doing!    Am still puzzling with how to pastel AND use her real coat colors, being grey and white.   I'll try again another day!

Enjoy!

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Foxy Foxcubs

"Foxcubs"       pastel       8" x 10"

Never done a fox before - I was surprised how foxlike they are.   Seriously!  Oftentimes I come to draw an animal and am surprised to find that the animal is not the slightest bit like my mental image.   These guys had FOXY FACES!   Totally amazing.  

Enjoy!

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Passing Grade

A Blue Gee         pastel        18" x 18"

Today's Jenny               pastel             12" x 18"

In both there are flaws but enough passes to make it onto the page!

Enjoy!

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Playing with Tigers

           The Original                                       Pastel                                            Colour Pencil wi Pastel

Interesting to see them together.    The Original is a given - a handsome critter!  Next two my takes on the original.   My preference?   I lean towards the middle/pastel version simply because it isn't trying to be accurate.   The far right/mixed media demonstrates the hazards of not being totally accurate...however he has much better teeth!

Enjoy!

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Jenny & Flying Mane

"Jenny"              pastel              8" x 11"

On her favorite chair, her morning sleep - preceded by her apres breakfast snooze and to be followed by her 4 hour afternoon nap.   I do believe the lass is putting on weight!

BELOW - testing out new color crayons, Prismacolor, the obvious choice as a subject was Fan's horse with flying mane.  Not finished but gives you a sense of the potential for detailed work.

Flying Mane             Prismacolor Pencils          5" x 7"

This Day's Daubs

 "The Boy from the Souq"     pastel      6" x 10"

Above...he's the boy on the right in Muscat Souq posted Feb 7th.  Better but still too small to capture facial details.   Next stop - larger on sanded.

Below...continuing challenge, or fiasco!   Winding river in Wyoming canyon.  

"That River"            pastel          8" x 10"

Enjoy!

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Sketchbook

Today & Before       Pastel/Color pencil         sizes various

Clockwise from top left:  Jenny - Boy - Unknown Pooch - Jenny pretending to be a plate

The boy is from about 10 days ago when I was working on the Suq in Muscat, the other 3 are from today.   Lots of photographs too of Jenny with legs all twisted up.   May choose one of those for tomorrow.

Enjoy

Fan's Horse - Best Scratching Post in Miles

Fan's Horse - Best Scratching Post in Miles     Pastel      8" x 10"

Another "been wanting to do this for ages".   Photo taken in 2009, always loved it.    A blissful and energetic scratch for this gee-gee.   Ain't we lucky that we don't have to rely on the perfect post?   Mane and forelock unclipped so they flew in all directions.

Enjoy!

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Fluffy, a Pomeranian

"Fluffy, a Pomeranian"   pastel   8" x 10"

Sadly Fluffy died this past week, of natural causes but still devastating.   Fluffy lives in Beirut, Lebanon, so this portrait has a long way to go before it reaches "home".   He was a rescue by one of the founders of BETA (the only animal shelter of it's kind in Lebanon) and then given to a family member.   BETA are an incredible group and many of their dogs now have homes not only in Lebanon but also Canada and the U.S.  Not just dogs, any animal.

April 20th. 
Fluffy arrived and is hanging on the wall, where he is ALWAYS visible.  I understand, on first seeing in the morning, the picture makes his owner cry - but for the rest of the day, it makes her smile!    And soon I hope it will be smiles ALL the time.


Enjoy!

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Off the Beaten Track

"Souq, Muscat ca. 1960"     pastel     8" x 10"

My father took the photo, I sketched it today.    Always been fascinated by it - so narrative:  in the dark centre, two men looking at my father and grinning; the boy leaning against the wall with the serenest of smiles; and the orange turbanned men who are, I'm sure, the boy's uncles.  Anyway they're clearly enjoying a very amusing conversation. (And if you can't see that from above, look at photo below)

Rifles were an essential prop for the young bloods.   And the reason I suspect boy is nephew of orange turbans is that he's bullets in his belt.   The boy's wand suggests he had a camel, or a donkey or some goats around the corner.  I say camel, the BMW of Oman at that time.

I've loved this photo for 52 years and always wanted to paint or sketch it.  It's so Rembrandt!   I did it way too small thus wickedly diff to capture facial expressions, or any detail come to that.

What pleased me most?  Hard to say.   #1-I DID IT!   #2-Perhaps the boy's feet.

The Photo - a broader scene, I tightened it up in mine.