Here’s the second work in progress on our lovely Tater Couple. This is sortof an underpainting, it’ll really only need the lightest lights when I finish them. So basically, what’s finished is almost in its final state.

I’ll be working on John & Ella’s portrait next week, so I’ve been prepping their portrait to get it ready to start. This one will be done in the same medium as Doc Shnurman’s portrait, but this time I’ll be using a different ground. I picked up Wallis Sanded pastel paper (the museum grade), which only comes in white. I mixed a flesh/peach tone using watercolors and acrylics and did a two layer wash over the sheet (stretching and all that jazz while it dried). The digital pic is over-saturated with red, it’s a little more pale in person than what you see here.

I did finally finish up that custom illustration (which just plain rocks, I think!), and over the last couple of 8-10 hour days sitting here in front of the computer on my tablet have resulted in my hand becoming “the claw”. I think I’ll see if I can find a more comfortable stylus for my tablet! I’ve been hitting the couch elevating my arm pretty early the last couple of days because of it. Still a little sore, but a day off from the tablet will cure it! I can’t show you the final graphic until it’s been incorporated into the design, though, so you’ll just have to be patient. 😉

Today I’ll be painting the Tater couple, and I’ll update my cam status when I get started!

It’s a TATER COUPLE!

This is another commission I’ve begun. What? What is that you say? NOT a pet portrait? What is going on?! Well. It’s all about potatoes, don’t you know. Even my pet portraits start out as spuds. Really. No, not really.

All I can say is that you know you have the funnest (I made that up) job in the planet when you get to paint Taterheads.

I love my life, I love my paint, and I love my Wacom tablet. Amen. Oh, yea, and my husband and kids, too. Amen.

I finished up Taba’s Mousie today, too! I’m feeling so productive, I even prevented a senseless murder tonight – grackle vs. sparrow. I won. Sparrow lives at least a little while longer. Man those grackles are aggressive. 🙁

I’ll scan Mousie tomorrow sometime and show ya again. Cause I like to repeat myself. A lot.

😆

I’m waiting on final approval on her, but here she is. I’ll post the final scan & details after the paint dries!

I’ve been painting all day today, and here’s Sissy’s progress. She’s almost complete! I’m going to try to add her final coat tonight, if not tomorrow morning.

I’ve just completed the underpainting on this custom cat portrait, and it’s going to make for a great base for the layers to come. I joke around with my friends about my underpaintings, always justifying the colors I choose for underpaintings by saying “well? if you shaved him that’s what he’d look like, right?”

I’ve got a lot done, but have a ton more to do. She’ll end up with another layer of darks, then at least 3 light layers of poofy floofy hair applied strand by strand. She’s a white cat. Trust me. (Her eyes etc. will be further refined & enhanced as well. Whiskers come last, well, right before I sign it.)

😉

Pending final blessings from his mom of course, but here he is. I’m very pleased with how he turned out. I’ll post the final scan & details after he’s dry.

I’ve been painting on and off all day today. I’ve got the underpainting done on this Mousie now. Taba, you need to choose a name for your mousie!

😉