I really hoped to get to the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery (Waterloo) to view/photograph the exhibition of cat pictures but am running out of time. If anybody else visits I'd be grateful if you could email some pics to me :-)
Have called a halt to the black cat portrait - awaiting feedback from my client. The cat is an elderly lady at 19 years old but still has beautiful bright eyes. She was photographed sitting by patio doors on carpet with curtains/furniture in the background which I was asked to remove and replace with grass or similar. But without putting in a complete background the grass looked wrong so I've made a simple background based on the colours in the ref photo. Until I hear back, I won't add final touches like whiskers and shadows to ground the cat ... Pastels on Fisher 400 sanded paper.
I quite like this rich cream coloured mount with the picture as it picks up the colour in her eyes.
As usual I outlined the kitty then worked on her eyes .. can't stand working around empty eye-sockets :-)
The idea here is to build up the base colours and check the markings are all in place and then I'll go back and add the fine details. I have used blues and browns, as well as black pastel, for the dark fur.
Enough cats ... off to mow the lawn now as I need some fresh air. The pastel dust has got to me (and everything in a 10 foot radius)!
Ah she's lovely :) you can tell her body belongs to an older cat but as you said her eyes are full of sparkle!Jules
ReplyDeleteShe is lovely, her eyes are gorgeous....Your post made me sneeze, LOL.
ReplyDeleteThanks both :-)
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard from my client yet so can't do more unless he wants anything changed. I'm keen to draw the whiskers in as she will look so different then.
Bless you Chrissy!!
Both cats are very nice. Really nice to have a painting of a very old cat especially as it will be a nice memory some day. I lived for several years with all the dog toys (stuffed animals) with holes where the eyes were. It gave me the creeps. Like a house full of zombie toys.
ReplyDeleteYour black kitty turned out adorable for all your concerns about the reference photos. And the little black and white cat is adorable. It does seem as if black/dark pastel dust gets all over, doesn't it? Sanded supports are the worst at making that dust too! Wish PastelMat or ColourFix Suede came in more colors!
ReplyDelete