I actually got to paint yesterday! WooHoo! It’s been a few weeks, and Callie, Annie & Momo have been patiently waiting on my easel for me to return. Fortunately, there have been a few delays with other projects – and unfortunately, there are delays with my projects. I am not a big fan of holding patterns in any situation – especially those that effect how I manage my own schedule.

It’s causing me to become what I don’t want to be – someone who holds up other people. :bricks:

Like the old saying goes, back to the drawing board. You know, in my studio, where I work on my paintings. You can see Annie’s underpainting and the progress I’ve made so far on Callie, Annie & Momo’s portraits here. I’ll be finishing up the other two over the next couple of days.

My 4×4 paintings are probably my most popular, because they’re the most affordable and they’re actually pretty cool in a group on a wall, like my Eye Ate It series – or in this case, just the three kitties. I put together some custom portrait packages in my Shop to make things easy, so if you’re interested in nabbing up a 4×4 custom portrait painting for Christmas, I can take just a few more orders and get them done before the holiday.

I’ll post the next completed painting when it’s finished – and also the scans when all three are done and dry – so stay tuned for those details!

I finished up the underpaintings for Callie, Annie & Momo’s second portraits, you can follow progress here. These are pretty loose and are meant to cover the canvas and give me the deepest color to build their layers of fur upon.

I’ve completed a few more sketches for a few more paintings! You might be familiar with these three, Callie, Annie and Momo belong to Debbie. She’s keeping me in business with all this wonderful work she’s sending my way, first I painted these three in one portrait as a monochromatic oil painting – then she requested me through EWebscapes when she was ready for her new blog design, and now I get to paint these totally cool close up macros of her babies in full color!

I just adore the photos she chose for these portraits. All of them are 4″ x 4″ wrapped canvases, I’ll paint a solid color border on all three and then tackle layer upon layer of fur, in oils.

Aaah – the smell of oils will be strong in my studio over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be as giddy as a girl in pigtails riding a new pink banana seat bike. Ching-ching!

Callie, Annie & Momo
9? x 12? Oil Painting
3/4″ Profile Gallery Wrapped Canvas
© 2007 Leanne Wildermuth
All Rights Reserved

Here’s the final scan of these beautiful cats done in a sepia oil monochromatic. The color is really warm and rich, like milk chocolate in the sunlight. I’m late posting it – usually I post the scan before I mail the piece – this one is probably already halfway home. I’zza little excited for their mama to get the painting.

I just completed the lovely composition captured by Debbie of her three cats. This painting is 9×12 on gallery wrapped canvas, it’s a sepia toned monochromatic.

I did fade out the lace curtain in the background a bit, I thought too much detail would detract from the cats – the subtle lace in the foreground and impression of lace on that back curtain feels just right to me.

The digital pic of this painting isn’t entirely accurate, of course – the final scan is always so much more accurate to color, clarity and detail. I’ll capture a scan once it’s dry.

view painting progress

The underpainting is complete now, I’ll detail the curtains, window trim and of course the cats will all get another layer of fur before they’re finished.

I completed Callie’s underpainting today. My palette consists of titanium white, burnt umber, raw umber, indigo, flesh and naples yellow light. These colors will give this monochromatic portrait a nice warm sepia tone.

Sometimes I wonder if my readers know how vast my artistic occupation is. From doodles to photography, birdwatching, landscaping, blog designing and back to painting again, I think my interests are either overwhelming or I have too many boring ones to fully entertain my readership. To me, it all feeds the creative side of my brain, so I won’t hesitate to jump from this to that to the other thing. Maybe it’s creative AADD? (ADD of the adult variety?) Whatever the case may be, I think there are a select variety of people who understand it and hang in there on my big ol’ trampoline of a blog.

Back to my sketch, Meet Callie, Annie & Momo. They’re a 9×12 trio of kitties – what a photographic capture, huh? Mom did a great job, and now I get the pleasure of turning it into a sepia toned monochromatic oil painting that she can cherish. I’ll be working on these purrrfect posers the beginning of the week, so stay tuned for another progress shot (or two)!

Kiki is done. Daylight is gone and this is the best pic I can get of her tonight to show you – but man. I have to say, when I finished this one I shed a single tear. As it was running down my cheek I wondered if it was just from sheer exhaustion, pride, or pain shooting down my hand. Probably all three – and a little regret, as well, since I couldn’t bring her home with me the day I met her. Dang she’s pretty.

(view the work in progress here.)

I’ll show you a better pic tomorrow.

Updated with more accurate daylight pic (you may need to refresh your browser a couple of times to see it), and also – here’s a closeup of her face.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnext!