Atticus (Commission)
Atticus was commissioned by a coworker and friend. Atticus was my first watercolor cat portrait.
Olive (Commission)
All black animals are difficult. A suitable photo is the most difficult part. You have to capture highlights, mids, and darks in the fur to create depth. Without them you have a flat black blob. In a good photo you can also hopefully see the colors in the fur: blue, purple, brown, black, etc. Even though you may have a black cat its fur is reflecting colors around it, which is where the colors come from. That is not easy to capture with point and shoot cameras/phones in average lighting.
Thunder Road (Original Artwork)
(The title was stolen from Bruce Springsteen. I listen to the Born to Run vinyl often.)
The power of the clouds didn't quite come through like I wanted but all in all I'm happy with the result. This was my first painting this large, a half sheet (i.e. 15" x 22"). The water control required for that much area is not something I encounter in pet portraits. I'm also at 8,500' elevation which is a very dry atmosphere resulting in water evaporating quickly. Rewetting with a spray bottle to keep a wash alive is going to take some practice. I'm looking forward to more paintings of this size.
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