More Mountain

 

At this stage I am adding the sunlit snow. 

Notice how the shadowed snow in the foreground painted section is darker and more saturated than the shadowed snow in the far background. 

 

The image above is the top section of the painting.

 

 

 

Not finished yet. New painting

 If you have been following my lion painting, not done yet.

I've been tweaking the grass by adding extra blades and highlights. Even though my paintings are generally alla prima, sometimes the layers need to dry for effective highlights or glazing.

 

Waiting for paint to dry is honestly not as exciting as you might think.

 

 

 

In the meantime, I have started a new painting. This will be a complicated one and I hope you enjoy watching me "build" a mountain. 

 

I start at the top of the mountain of this large vertical piece. 

 

 

 

Subtle difference in color help make the illusion of receding peaks. I'll wait until I'm further along to add the snow and glaciers. Having the foundational bones of the mountains painted first helps me better see the relationship of each layer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ugly Grass

 

When it comes to painting water I usually have an ugly stage. It doesn't look wet, I might doubt my color decisions, and I can't wait to get to more detailed reflections. In the end with blending, it will look wet.

 

Here's a good example of ugly grass. I could have put in a base color and then added the feeling of blades of grass. Instead I started with the darkest colors of the grass in long grass-like strokes. To avoid a mud-looking grass section, I'm going to give this area a chance to dry some before I add all the lighter grass and highlights.

 

 

 

 

 

More grasses

 At this stage most of the mane is painted and I'll save the whiskers for near the end of painting.

 

Rather than get all fussy with the grasses "behind" the lion, I am blocking in the feeling of grass. Once they are in place I'll blend and adjust.

 

 

 

 

 

Lion Further Along

 

The whiskers and lightest parts of the mane and ear aren't painted yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Cat

 

There is still a lot of painting to go but at this point the piece is feeling like the story I want to tell.

 

 

 

 

The Cat

 

 

When working on my focal animal I almost always start with the eyes first. Per square inch they take the longest because if they aren't "right" the whole painting can be lost. Who wants a cross-eyed or scared king of the jungle hanging on their wall? In this piece I want the eyes to portray strength and determination.

 

 

 I'm painting section by section, blending as I go, then circling back to tweak the colors. Since this part of his face is in shadow I'm incorporating some blues and purples.

My preferred brushes are flat angle brushes which can give me anything from thin lines to broad strokes.