Grumpy Cat

So, I've been trying to get better at painting animals.  I love cats, so it made sense that I would paint a few of them.  I've tried to paint animals in the past and have always been disappointed in how I painted fur.  At that time I was trying hard to make photorealistic paintings.   It was all ok, but thats not really how I want to paint.  I want to give the impression of a thing.  When you look at one of my paintings I want you to get the emotion and feeling that I put into it out of it.  If the painting looks exactly like the object it was taken, great, if it doesn't so be it.

So, here I am painting this cat, and wanting to convey to you a bit of grumpiness from this cat without explicitly painting a perfect cat.  I think you get a bit of that from this cat.

Want to see how I painted it?  Check out the video below.  Want me to paint something for you?  Curios how someone would paint something.  I'd love to take a crack at whatever you can dream up.  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email. Thanks for the quick read, and enjoy the video.

Kittens and Cats

Today  I give you two felines for your viewing pleasure.  I'm trying to figure out fur, but it's proving a bit difficult  I know it has a certain texture, but getting it just right is tough.  I want to paint a million little lines, but in addition to taking forever to do, that really isn't the style I want to paint in.  I want to be a bit looser than a literal interpretation of a cat.  An getting too loose just makes the cat look like a blob.  Im working on it and will get there soon, but it might take me a little bit.


For those of you who want to see how I painted these two, I'm attaching two videos below.

Quick weekend sketches

Some quick weekend sketching fun.  Ill be honest ins saying most of what I did was pick through garage sales, and watch the kids, but I did find a little time to  paint.  Not much mind you, but a little.  This first picture is of a stone statue that sits on my front porch.  I'm trying to paint more quickly and more intuitively, rather than trying to exactly replicate what I see.  So here it the cat in all its glory, just sitting there staring at traffic as it goes past.

This picture is one I'd previously drawn. It was just sitting there in my sketch pad begging for me to do something with ti.  So here it is.

Finally, the thing everyone wants.  A picture of an old cat tree.  LOL.  Well, I know one member of the family that couldn't get by without it.  (mostly because the dog can't climb.)

A light hearted posting today.  Enjoy, and thank you.

Sleeper

I've been working on this for a while.  I've had it drawn for well over a month.  I was determined to finish it today as I've got others I need to need to get too.  I'm happy with it, but looking at the scan, it looks like he doesn't have any whiskers.  They are definitely there in the painting.  That might be one think I have to go back and darken up before it's delivered to it intended recipient.

Here is the inspiration picture.  I know its not an exact match, but I think its a pretty good resemblance.

Well, even if it isn't perfect I had fun painting it.  Hope you all enjoy it.

Cyrano de Bergecat

I don't really know why I think this little guy has such a big nose, but I do.  I ran out of time painting this one, and so its a little unfinished.  But I still thought it was good enough to put up here.

I look at this picture and it looks like his nose is really bit.  I don't really think that it is, but to mee it looks like it.  For what he is, I think he came out pretty good.  This is another one that I am gonna use as practice.  I think that a few more and I'll be fairly proficient with cats.

Enjoy

Cat 3

SOLD!

Ok, so I am back on animals full time now.  Here is a nice calico cat I've been working on.  With the background colors, it kind of looks like some kind of Oriental painting or something.  I'm really facing a dilema.  How much fur, or detail do I put into these paintings.  It seems as if I put in none, it's way too little, but if I put in what I think there ought to be it's way too much.  Maybe I'll just have to stick with whiskers   I don't really know what to do about it, but I am determined to figure it out.  I guess you all are going to have to get use to seeing some animals for a while I work it out.    Enjoy

Test Sketching

Ok, so I've moved past truck.  What do you think the next thing I would paint is?  Well, it's kitties.  Here are two that I have quickly done.  They are just quick sketches to give me a little indication of how I might paint them.  I never really know where to start with each painting so these sketches are valuable in helping me figure it out.  I think these came out kinda cute.  Be sure to look for bigger better ones next week.

I was a bit unsure of how to paint fur with watercolors.  I originally thought I might not need that much detail, but as it turns out, I don.  But it looks like there is so much going on in the tail that if I were to paint the fur on the entire cat, it might be too much.  My solution, detail on the closest part, much less detail on everything else.  It kind of worked.

This cat is sleeping in a blanket.  I tried a bit of the same technique:  more detail on the head, less as you go back.   Again I'm not sure I really got all of it, but it's a start.  At least in this one the blanket looks like it has some folds to it.

Some More Sketches

Some of the sketching that I have been doing.  In order to paint better, I have to be able to draw better. I'm trying very hard to learn to draw what I see in the proper proportions.  Im kind of learning that you have to do a little drawing all over the paper and let them all come together rather than start in one area and move across the paper.    Some day i'll get it.  Until then you all have to suffer through my paintings and drawings.







This is gracie.

I like the couch in this picture.   I don't really care for the credenza.  The proportions on it don't quite seem right.  the blinds are down in the windows, which is why you can't see through them.

I sat on the front patio and did this.  You can see the step leading up to the patio.  A couple of little bushes and some sage.