Elk, On the easel.........

Here's a fun small painting of a Champion Elk I'm working on here in the studio today.   This one will measurably be viewed as a 7 5/8" x 4 1/8" from within the frame.


Most of the basic animal is in.   I'll be painting in the textures of antler and fur as well as correcting bits around the mouth and jaw line to show facial muscles and expression. 


The background will show distant tree line somewhat vague as not to distract from the foreground.


I have two maybe three small critter portraits coming up shortly.  The drawing for the first will be completed today for client inspection.    With clients permission, I'll post the progress on that painting as well.   Thanks for stopping by.  Love to hear your comments!  Thanks

Autumn and Winter in the Studio

Last year I started this  painting of a male Elk.  It's been hanging on my studio wall ever since set aside for other pressing work that needed to be completed.


Winter is a wonderful time to hunker down in the studio and catch up on all those such paintings.
It's a bit chilly out and rain is in the forecast.


This Male Elk making his presence known to all those willing gals is once again on the easel.
Yesterday I began by filling in all the rocks beneath his feet.  Today much of that is still to wet to work on so I'll be painting in the legs and slowly working in the body.

In the image to the right you can see the rocks are roughed in.  It will be a slow process tying all upper and lower levels of water together.   Oil dries way to slow during the chilly winter months.  


The Elk painting measures 22" x 28" and is on stretched canvas.


So far I'm still on my original design track.  However, anything can change as I see something that can me made better as I move along.

As you can see the level of the water drops off the further back into the image.   The water in the foreground will be shallow.   I'll be leaving some of the rocks above the waters surface to enhance the look.


As mentioned above I'll be letting the work from yesterday dry while I begin work on his legs.


I'll post the progress as time allows.   I hope you have enjoyed the painting process so far.  I do believe there are earlier posts from last year.  I''ll check that to make sure.    And repost if anyone is interested if not.

Here is the latest update on my oil on canvas Elk Painting.  Today I'm trying ever so hard to keep my focus.  The Holiday is fast approaching and it seems more appropriate to bake cookies, plan for dinner quests and so forth.


I'll stay on task today and perhaps sneak out of the studio later for those cookies!  The dough is in the refrigerator waiting to be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters.  :- )


I'll be painting in the second layer on the antlers today.  This layer will simply define the grooves and directional growth on them.  As you can see, I've left a significant portion of the canvas vaguely defined with rocks.  I prefer leaving the canvas somewhat clean in preparation for many layers of washes which will still reveal them. This technique is only used with water.   I'll add more golden colors along with some dark shadows as these layers progress.  Under the hooves, the Elk has kicked up some bottom sediment.    The final few layers will reveal blue sky reflections and water movement.  


This is a rather large painting.  As stated in earlier post, 22" x 28".  Seems small size to some, but for all the detail I try to paint in, it's HUGE!  


Drying time makes for a slow process in this large piece. ( I've yet to find a happy resolve to painting water with acrylics which I have recently worked with) .  A challenge for a later day...    I'd say with the thin washes I apply at any given time, a couple of days sometimes more hanging on the wall is adequate.


When working strictly with oils, I might have as many as five paintings or so hanging on the wall between stages.  These days since also working with acrylic, it's not a matter of staging a rotation of paintings dry enough to return to.  I love that aspect of acrylic painting.     


I'll post a new progress image after I have started on the fore ground.    If anyone has any questions regarding my techniques, please feel free to post them.  I'll answer as soon as I can.  Of course, you can always email your questions for a speedier response.


Warm wishes everyone!    :- )

7 Point Elk ~ On the easel

This drawing of a 7 point Male Elk was started some time ago.  It was set aside to finish more pressing works due at that time.  I've pulled the canvas out and started working on it again.  It will probably take some time to finish.  One, it's a 22" x 28" oil on canvas.  Two speaking of oil there is the drying time in between the coats or washes and layers upon layers of hair and other details to add.


The background will be water.  He will be standing in a river, shallow where he stands.  Rocks will be visible beneath the surface.


I had chatted with a gentlemen last year who had really wanted me to paint in a background with a familiar area.  Often paintings that evoke a memory are the ones people are more likely to purchase.   He is right of course.  However, I LOVE water and painting it.  I've yet to paint water with these elements before so I'll just proceed for now with the original concept design.    


I'd love to sell works of course, however there are particular things that draw me in and get me excited about a painting.  In this piece of course the Elk is amazing but the water being challenging at best draws the enthusiasm even higher for me.


So it's back to the easel with an oil painting this time.  I will post it's progress as soon as time allows.