Coming off of a year and a half spent locked away in my studio working on 50 portraits that had to stay under wraps until the exhibit opening, I am super excited to start sharing pieces as I finish them, as well as lots of in progress photos to show my process. I'm also looking forward to a chance to get feedback. One of the hardest things about working from home is the lack of feedback on a regular basis. I have a whole bunch of ideas for new paintings to come and can't wait to get started.
So, to break in this new blog, I'm going to share some progress shots of my most recent painting. My brother is in school, and has been mentioning how cool some art for his apartment would be. His birthday was coming up, so I decided to paint something for him.
Enter Dawson. Dawson is the family corgi, and I think he might secretly win the contest of who Josiah's most excited to see when he comes home on break. Dawson has also managed to become a sort of celebrity amongst Josiah's friends, even if they haven't met him. He has his own Facebook page. He's kinda a big deal.
So, it only seemed appropriate to make a super sized version of him, on a 3 foot square canvas. I've worked this way a few times before: very loosely in acrylics, layering washes of bright colors. It's a really fun change from my normal high-detail realism. I seldom work this large, so I was a little uncertain it was going to turn out well, especially in the early "ugly" layers. But he shaped up nicely!
Creating the outline
The first washes...looking pretty rough.
Playing with warm and cool contrasts...shaping up a bit better. It helps that his eyes are no longer scary, evil red.
And done!
The real Mr. Dawson posing with his larger-than-life portrait.