Here’s a sketch of another custom portrait painting I’ll be working on soon, in oils. It’s 4×6, a nice little size (the same as Ashley, actually), and the pose is just perfect – I just love this composition.
I’m still working on the other two large paintings (the GTO and that cute little Scottish Terrier), and will post more progress shots on them soon! Those should both be done by the end of this week.
I also shopped for two little princesses yesterday so they could be prettiful for their piano recital lastnight. I’d post pics, but all I have are videos, and they’re lopsided. Anyone know how to rotate a video? (Anyone else want to whomp me in the head the next time I try to capture video lopsided?) You’ll have to trust me when I say my children are brilliant piano players, and you’ll have to believe me when I add that not one piano student played better than my girls.
I was totally impressed by all the students, really. It was amazing to hear them all at different stages of learning how to tickle those ivories. I am also excited to see how the instructor impacts my daughters over the course of the year.
If you like eggnog (even if you don’t), and you’ve never had these cookies, make them. You’ll love them – trust me! They’re my personal favorites – and I promise to get a nicer photo of them this year. 🙂
1 c. butter softened to room temp.
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg/cinnamon or 1/4 tsp each
1 c. eggnog!
1 tsp. baking soda
4 c. flour
Beat butter & sugar until it’s creamy.
Add spices, Eggnog & baking soda to butter & sugar, blend well.
Add flour 2 cups at a time, mix (with mixer) until combined.
Spoon onto nonstick cookie sheet, dip a cup in sugar (holiday colored sugar, sugar/cinnamon, sugar/nutmeg, your call), smoosh the dough a little – don’t flatten them.
Bake at 375 for right around 11 minutes, when you can see the bottom edges are golden brown.
(Previously posted December 14, 2004 and November 15, 2005.)
For those of you who guessed red, of course she’s red! Sweet rides are always red, aren’t they? I must just be one of those. Except my dream car is a ’66 Mustang – midnight blue with cream pony leather interior. (So if you ever run into one of those for sale, I have to know!)
This is just a partial underpainting. I wanted to lay the red down first because the bulk of detail work will be on the body of the car. Once this layer is try, I’ll finish up the interior, then move to the rims and bumper/grill area, tires, then the underpainting will be complete.
This is (part of) our Christmas tree, in all it’s multi-colored glory. I’ll probably take more ornament photographs this year, as well. I really had fun with that last year, and (I think) everyone else enjoyed it, too.
A little insight: I don’t see black his coat at all. What may appear to you to be black or gray, isn’t. I don’t use even a tiny amount of black oil paint in any of my pet paintings, and haven’t in years. The most natural darks aren’t really black at all in natural light with natural shadows. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day (who is colorblind, go figure), and had a hard time convincing her that clouds aren’t really white, and snow is blue. Now I’ve put her whole color wheel out of whack.
I learned this from Johannes Vermeer. He never painted with black (aka mars black) at all. I believe this is why my pet portraits are always so vivid and lifelike. There’s very little white, and absolutely no black.
Have a look around you today, and really look at the colors of what you’re seeing. I think you’ll be surprised at what you see.
Today is the day for The Perfect Post Awards. I had to partake this month, because I read this entry by the One And Only MommaK about Thanksgiving, and it really touched my Holiday Heartstrings.
“Thankful. I knew what it meant. I’m sure you did too. We knew that we should be damn grateful for having a huge turkey dinner with Aunt Sally, Cousin Mike and Nana in attendance. We rolled our eyes as we were forced to go around the table and each say what we were thankful for but we knew its importance. Many had to wipe their eyes and noses so a box of kleenex was kept close at hand. We were delighted to have a four day holiday from school and that the smell of the first snow was in the air. We were thankful. Oh yes, we were.”
She really gives good blog, if you know what I’m sayin’, so please take a minute and enjoy her entire post, “No Thank You?” and thank her, for me.
Custom Cat Portrait : Ashley
4? x 6? Oil Painting
Canvas Panel
© 2006 Leanne Wildermuth
All Rights Reserved
