Work began on the dog commission earlier in the week by drawing them out on to the canvas which took ages as they have to be perfectly accurate and one of the reasons commissions take longer to do. After going through hundreds of photos I'd taken of them over two sessions with the customer she narrowed the choice down to a couple which she felt captured the spirit of the dog's characters. They were sat on grass in the chosen photos but that wasn't going to be included in the painting so I ended up sifting through all the photos again where they were sat on concrete to find eight suitable replacement feet. I drew them on, stood back from the canvas and thought they all looked too small so I redrew them.
The cat has only attempted chair possession once (see last post) and seems quite content in the polystyrene box so I can sit down to work as this stage is still quite crucial in it's accuracy. Cows are not this much hassle!
In this next stage I've blocked in the basic colours in acrylic and again this took ages as it has to be correct and will form the basis for the final oil painting. The rough shadow area is also mapped out. I decided to increase the density of the shadow area as when I stood back to look at what I'd done it became very obvious that certain areas were very apparent! The d's b's...the very undercarriage so to speak were playing too important a part and would have to be..muted!
I have been somewhat delayed in the process of getting on with this with various interruptions, one of which was having to take my mum's cat to the vet. She has fostered what might be described as a "challenging" cat - the sort that were it a child you'd always be in the headmaster's office at the school counting the days between expulsion and/or an Asbo. I shouldn't be surprised if he spent his time hanging round street corners, drinking White Lightning and scoring Bob Martin tabs (if they still exist). The first and last vet visit was to repair the latest gang warfare wounds and as I imagine it was like a scene from A&E on a Friday night when they treat the violent offenders. So now they won't examine him without putting him in the cat crush and sedating him so the process of the vet visit is a lengthy one or at least waiting to collect him is and so I was away from the studio. However, after falling over when emerging from the cat carrier and falling out of the back door in a woozy attempt at escape he is, I have heard on the mend and I would have resumed the painting today if I hadn't had another interruption where I'd been invited back to my old college to be photographed for next years prospectus but I digress...
