Open Studio & Salmon Art

I'm gearing up for another Open Studio event and this time, I'm part of a group of artists in my area. The Newcastle Art Studios Tour debuts on October 13th and 14th. This free tour of 5 locations showcases the work of 12 artists. For more details and a printable map, visit our web site. I'm #4 on the map. I'll have some new watercolor on Yupo paintings and some new scratchboard drawings since my last open studio in May. One of the paintings is of Ernie, the loveable shop dog at Clover and Carriage, my friend's shop in Old Town Auburn.

I'm really enjoying having my own permanent studio space, it's so much easier to set up for an open studio event. I don't have to pull everything out of storage to set up and when I'm finished, I don't have to put the displays away. There is some housekeeping to do: spiderwebs to knock down, some insects to vacuum up, some dusting, but that's a piece of cake compared to major set up and tear down!

On a different note, I completed this drawing of a salmon last week, just barely in time to enter it in the art show at the local "Calling Back the Salmon Celebration". I'm really glad I pushed to get it finished because not only am I very pleased with how it turned out, but it took Second Place in the art show! It will be hanging in a restaurant (Buonarroti) for the month of October, along with the other art show entries. Thanks to Art League of Lincoln for their assistance with the art show and coordinating the display at the restaurant.

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My Poor, Neglected Blog

I haven't forgotten about my blog, and I'd really like to post more than twice a month, but that's just not happening, so I apologize! I've been more active on Facebook, so if you'd like to see my updates there, please become a fan.

Here's what's been in the hopper lately:

- Setting up my own permanent studio space (see photos in my Facebook album). I had a Grand Opening event earlier this month.

- This scratchboard drawing of our Border Collie, Magpie, for the International Society of Scratchboard Artists' 1st Annual Exhibition. I shot video of this drawing in progress and scanned it at various stages, so eventually there will be a video of the process.

- A logo (still in progress) for HartSong Ranch Animal Sanctuary

- Ostrich eggs for the Sacramento Zoo. See the lemur eggs in an earlier post. There was also this set of four roadrunners, a red panda and a thick-billed parrot. Still left to do this year are a zebra, a ring-tailed lemur and a jaguar.

- Formatting the Annual Report for FieldHaven Feline Rescue (just getting started on that)

- Finally finished a watercolor on Yupo painting of a beagle that I started as a demo years ago. This painting is available, more details here.

- Working through my list of assorted commissioned pet portraits. At the moment, I'm working on scratchboard drawing of a cat and a watercolor on Yupo painting of a goat.

- Contemplating what I'll do as a demo at the ISSA workshop

- Also contemplating what to enter in this year's "Art at the Classic" art show at the Draft Horse Classic. I'd better get cracking on that, because the deadline is July 1st.

That covers it for now, but it seems that something new & interesting always crops up!

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Art Auction - Starting Price Half Off

* * * The auctions have ended with no bids on either item * * *
If you're interested in either piece, please contact me.

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Now's your chance to bid on a couple of my originals with low starting prices. I'm clearing out some inventory in preparation for setting up my studio.

I've started the auction for each item at just under half the original price of $95. The auction runs through 10pm PST on January 21st, 2012.

Bid by leaving a comment below - please bid in increments of $5 and include the name of the work.

Minimum Bid $45 - US bidders only, please. Shipping: $10

BUY NOW OPTION:
You can buy either piece instantly for $80 (you still save $15 off the original price) as long as no bids have been made. Simply write BUY NOW along with the item name in your comment and send a payment of $90 (shipping included) via Paypal using the email address annranlett [at] gmail.com

Winning bidders:
Make your payment of bid + $10 shipping to Paypal using email address annranlett [at] gmail.com.

As a bonus, I'll donate 10% of the final selling price to Auburn Area Animal Rescue Foundation (we got our dog, Arrow from them).
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The first item is a scratchboard drawing of a horse in an English bridle. I used my palomino Quarter Horse mare, Bess as the reference, but I made her a brunette (bay). I created this drawing for use on a horse show poster many years ago.


The specs: Framed to 8" x 10", the drawing measures approximately 5" x 6". The mat is black and the frame is black, matte finish metal.

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The second item is a watercolor on Yupo painting of a pug.


The specs: Framed to 8" x 10", the painting is 4" x 4". The mat is white and the frame is silver, matte finish metal. The image below isn't a photo of the framed, piece, but it shows the proportions.

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Catching Up . . .

Before I go further, I'd like to wish my readers a Happy New Year and extend my gratitude for your support. I wish you all the best for 2012 and hope that the new year brings you peace, happiness and prosperity.

And now down to business . . . I'll admit I'm not updating my blog as often as I'd like, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I'll catch up with today's post - featuring a number of portraits I've finished in the last month or two.

Some of them had to remain secret because they were Christmas gifts. The odds of the recipients seeing this blog are pretty slim, but it's a karma thing - I don't like to reveal a portrait to the public until the gift has been given or the client has approved the final.


Morgan - Golden Retriever, 8" x 9", ink and ink wash on scratchboard
When I first went out to take photos of puppy Morgan, he had been playing in the kiddie pool in the backyard. I took photos of wet puppy Morgan and then his mom and I decided when he matured I'd take more photos. The result is this two-part portrait.


Cohan - Maine Coon, 6" x 7", watercolor on Yupo


Cohan - Version 2, mixed media on Aquabord (ink, watercolor, color pencil)
My client wanted a Petzazz style portrait of Cohan, but her husband preferred my more realistic style, so I did both! I scanned in-progress stages of the realistic portrait; one of these days, I'll make a WIP (work in progress) video of it.


Brutus - English Mastiff, 7.5" x 5", watercolor on Yupo (with some color pencil)
This was a long-distance commission. My client is in New Jersey and this was a Christmas present for her husband. She provided a wonderful reference photo and we communicated via e-mail and one phone call.


Roxie - Tortoiseshell, 2.5" x 3.5", pencil/color pencil


Mouse - Tabby, 2.5" x 3.5", pencil w/color pencil eye & nose
Sadly, Mouse had already passed and the portrait was a Christmas gift for her owner. My client had a limited selection of photos for me to use as reference, but I was able to make it work with one of the photos. There's more detail in the white area of her fur, but my scanner just didn't pick up those light pencil marks.

The portraits of Roxie and Mouse are ACEOs - small format art that always measures 2.5" x 3.5". See more ACEO portraits here.

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Beau - Standard Poodle Portrait

"Beau" - 8" x 8"

This handsome, happy guy is Beau, a black standard poodle. My clients liked my photo with his mouth open, but they also liked another photo where his ears were windblown, so I combined the two - pulling the windblown parts of his ears from another photo.





With all his curly and wavy hair, this portrait in watercolor on Yupo was an interesting one to tackle. I knew I'd be able to figure out a way to render his texture, but didn't really have a plan until I jumped in and started. I also knew it would be impossible to get all that detail into this looser style of painting, so from the start, my plan was to "interpret" Beau's texture. I took a few photos of the process along the way.


I painted the background first, as I usually do with this type of portrait. With a damp brush, I cleaned up the edges of the dog and started to lift out tendrils of hair as well. The white area is the unpainted Yupo; the hard edges of green on the upper half are edges I haven't cleaned up yet.


A close-up of the tendrils on the ear.


I filled in the ears with paint, not worrying about any detail, I just wanted a base layer. You can see that on the right side. On the left side, I've started to add detail by lifting and dragging paint. I've also painted into the tendrils at the edge that I'd lifted out previously.


A detail of the previous photo.


A detail of the finished portrait.


Another detail of the finished portrait.

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"The Green Snail of Happiness"

This is probably the most interesting commission I've received to date - a snail painting!


"The Green Snail of Happiness" - 4" x 4", Watercolor on Yupo with Colored Pencil

My client already owns one of my tomato paintings and my tobacco hornworm painting (see below). I ran into her at an Art Walk in Auburn and she wondered if I could paint a snail. Then she pulled out a photo of a snail that she carried in her purse (because it's cute). I did have to agree, the snail in the photo was cute! And, of course, I could do a snail painting - why not?

I immediately thought it should be in a style similar to the worm, so it would work as a "companion piece". My client agreed and I took her photo with me. I scanned the photo and returned it to her later. Then I took the scan and tweaked it in Photoshop to give it a look similar to what I'd done with the worm painting.


"Green Scourge" - 4" x 4", Watercolor on Yupo with Ink





I decided not to try to attempt the background pattern in the photo, but to make it similar to the worm's background. I made some changes to the foreground grasses also and had to extend them at the bottom so the painting would be square. This was not a situation where I tried to duplicate the photo, but I used it as a guide. Sure, it's a crazy painting, but I'm pleased with the result! And my client's response? Well, she's happy with her "Green Snail of Happiness": "I LOVE my happy little snail!!! He’s just so WONDERFUL!!

Click here to see the original photo and the Photoshopped version of the worm photo.

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A Trio of Greys

This morning I delivered three greyhound portraits to a client who also happens to run the Greyhound Friends for Life (GFFL)'s rescue facility in Auburn, CA. The facility is wonderful and they've improved it further since I was last there. It's not open to the public, but they usually have an open house or play day a couple of times a year - check the events calendar for dates. Of course, if you're interested in adopting a wonderful greyhound (or grey/sighthound mix) they have some really nice dogs available there or at other GFFL facilities.

Each portrait is 8" x 8" in watercolor on Yupo, with a little bit of color pencil. The color schemes were chosen to work together - I used shades of purple as a unifying color for the dogs' darkest areas. The body colors - yellow, blue or orange - are what the client selected to match each dog's personality. The backgrounds all have blue in them and two of them have green in varying amounts. I took photos of the paintings at various stages of progress.


"Swaps" - finished portrait


"Swaps" - reference photo


This is over halfway done. The background and ears are finished and I've blocked in the colors of the dog, but need to work on the blending of the brindle pattern and add detail.



I've blended most of the brindle pattern by pushing paint around, lifting it and adding more of both purple, yellow and orange. The arrow points to an area that still needs work.



"Lulu" - finished portrait


"Lulu" - reference photo


Here I've done the background and have blocked in most of the purple areas. The ears are mostly finished. The white area is the unpainted Yupo.



Nearing completion, but still need to add detail and more blue in her face.



A detail of the finished portrait. Some of the small, fine marks around her eye are color pencil.



"Ace" - finished portrait


"Ace" - reference photo

I posted in progress photos and details of Ace's portrait last year, see them here.

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New Cat Art

I've just finished two cat paintings: one is a commissioned portrait, the other is part of a series of new works that I'll hang in the Auburn Old Town Gallery in May.

This is Devlin, a Burmese and the third pet portrait completed for a client who's commissioned me to do portraits of her many pets. Quincy the Newfoundland and Eamonn the Great Dane's portraits are already finished. Next up will be an Irish Wolfhound and then there are some more cats.


Devlin, 6" x 7", Watercolor on Yupo

The dog portraits are realistic, but we decided to go the "Paintings with Petzazz" route for her cat portraits. That would explain why Devlin is various shades of purple and blue with a grass green background - I always paint the Petzazz portraits in a vibrant, limited palette on Yupo paper.



The second painting is of a cat from FieldHaven Feline Rescue - a wonderful local cat rescue and adoption facility. The reference photo was provided by Joy Smith, the director. I can always count on her for great photos of the kitties at FieldHaven.

I used ink, watercolor and color pencil on watercolor Art Board for this piece.


"The Eyes Have It", 5" x 5", Mixed Media on ArtBoard



Here's a video showing my steps to create this painting:


This painting along with this pig and four other new ones will be on display at the Auburn Old Town Gallery in May. You can find this image on items in my Zazzle shop.

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Ace - Greyhound Portrait

Apologies for such a long post, but this portrait is a great one to use for explaining the process of my "Paintings with Petzazz" pieces in watercolor on Yupo. At least I've included lots of images to break up the text.


"Ace" - greyhound, watercolor on Yupo, 8" x 8"


This is the cropped photo of Ace that I used for reference. Many of the petzazz portraits are in square format, I'm not exactly sure why I started doing that, but I like the way it looks.

I painted Ace's portrait in watercolor on Yupo. It was fun and challenging at the same time. My petzazz portraits are never intended to be photorealistic and exact. And they're always done in a limited palette of bright colors. I think of them as "interpretive" portraits, which is good, because Ace has a brindle pattern and I had no intention of duplicating that exactly. For petzazz portraits, I want the proportions to be accurate and the main markings as well, but my portrayal of the subject is much looser than it would be if I were using pencil or ink on scratchboard. With either of those mediums, I would've duplicated the brindle pattern much more closely.

A big reason for the "interpretive" aspect is the nature of the Yupo surface. Yupo is a synthetic paper made of polypropylene. It has a very slick surface. The water in the paint is not absorbed into the Yupo, it has to evaporate. This is great because the paint retains its intense color and you end up with some really interesting patterns and watermarks (there's a lot of of watermark action in the white areas of the detail of the painting below).



It's also great because the paint can be easily lifted from the surface (for making eye highlights, whiskers). But not so great when you don't want it lifted. Corrections are very difficult because there's an obvious hard edge where the paint that was already laid down has been moved around. You can make corrections by lifting out an entire section with a wet brush; if that section is isolated from the rest of the painting, you're good to go. And if you're just not at all happy with how it's going, you can wash the whole thing off in the sink and start over. Only a few of the strongly staining watercolors are likely to leave a hint of color.

When I work with Yupo, I plan things as best I can and then just let the rest of it happen.

I didn't scan the painting as I worked on it, but I did take two photos along the way. The first photo shows the background, Ace's eyes & nose and the lightest areas of his ears and face. You can't see it, but there are pencil lines on the Yupo. Using a light box, I traced the main features from the photo onto the Yupo. Including some of the brindle pattern - the main "tracks" and patches.



I always put in the background first and I pretty much let the paint/Yupo do what they want. I may push the paint around a bit while it's wet or mist it with a spray bottle for texture, but I don't try to make the background look like anything in particular. It's just there to anchor the subject.


Here I've painted in the main purple stripes, some of the orange stripes on his neck and leg and done more work on his face.

I make lots of "judgement calls" as I go along. Since I'm using a limited color palette (orange, yellow, blue and purple, in this case) I have to decide what features will be represented by which colors or blends of those colors. I want the colors to stay vibrant so I try not to mix complimentary colors too much or that brightness is lost.



You can see on his face that I used a mix of light orange and light purple to get "grey". On his body, I used dark orange and dark purple to get a dark mix and blend some of the brindle lines together.

I use Daniel Smith watercolors - Ace's oranges are a mix of new gamboge, quinacridone sienna, quinacridone burnt orange and a bit of permanent orange. His purples are a mix of rose of ultramarine, french ultramarine and carbazole violet. The background is cobalt blue and french ultramarine. I mix paint on a separate scrap of Yupo and just keep mixing these colors as I go along, changing the ratios and water content along the way, depending on what part I'm painting - again "judgement calls".



For the brindle pattern I laid down stripes of purple and orange. Then when they were dry, I came back in with a small damp brush and alternated lines of purple and orange to overlap the pattern and enhance the brindle effect. The existing paint gets pushed around as I do this, blending the colors a bit more to help make it cohesive.

I'm really pleased with the way this painting turned out - to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to handle the brindle, but I just started and figured it out as I went along. A good thing too, because I have two more paintings of lovely striped greyhounds on my commission list!

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