Portrait number three finished

Pastels finished

Do I even know what a peachy mauve color is?  When I got the photos of this house, it was obvious that they had been taken at different seasons and in different light conditions.  In one set the house had a reddish/mauve tint, but in the other it was more pumpkin orange.  A rather large difference.  I asked for clarification and, along with some new photos, I got the word that the house could be described as a peachy mauve, with blue trim and peach spindles.  And could I make the foliage indicate the summer.

So, what did I do?  I went for the mauve first and then put peach colored pencil over the top after I sprayed on the fixative.  Evidently, I came close because everyone was happy when I delivered it.  It is a cute little house, isn’t it.  Like so many other times, I wish I could see inside.

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Number three inked

Inked

Happy Mother’s Day to all today. Incuding me!!  It’s pretty chilly today as the low was only in the forties overnight and the high should be in the fifties with rain.  The lake is actually just slightly steaming.  Last year it was in the upper eighties.  Quite the difference.  Mom will be spending the day here with us, while both of my kids are in Idaho.  Hooray for FaceTime.

The inking went very quickly once I made the final decision on the placement of the house and finished the pencil up with the altered size.  It’s a good thing the house shape itself was simple because I moved it quite a few times.  There is not much in the background in terms of trees, but the landscaping in front is nice and colorful.

Number three

Pencil drawing

It was almost like the Christmas gift drawing season for a bit.  Once again, one went out and the next one came in.  I kind of like working this way.  LOL  It took a bit of testing to figure out the best placement and size before I finished the pencil up, but was pretty straight forward after that.  My standard size at this price point is 14×9, but I couldn’t make it work.  The house was pinched in at the sides and had either too much sky or too much lawn.  Fortunately, the client said do what you need to and 10×13 worked out well.

As you can see, this is a cute retirement bungalow that I am drawing because the residents have moved away.  I got to choose the color medium with this one and I decided to use the pastels.  I am still a little more comfortable using them versus watercolors at this size.

Number 2 finally finished

Pastels finished

After several days of pastel and a bit of colored pencil, this one is finally finished .  Adding the white flowers is always a bit tricky as the fixative usually tends to fade it out, so the last thing is a bit of colored pencil over the top.  I played extensively with the greens of the foliage and the red and yellow flower colors.  Once again I am looking for a balance that was complicated by the barn in the background.  I didn’t want too much attention to be drawn away from the house, but the client was pretty firm that the barn was special too.  It turned out pretty well, I think.

Number 2 commission from inking

Inked

Number two commission is inked and boy did it take a while.  At 14″X9″ there is a lot of inking period, but this was complicated, too.  Getting the right black and white balance with the barn included was not easy.  I had to take more than the normal number of breaks to be able to judge the progress.  As usual, the art is better in person than in my photo.  The pastels are a breeze after the pencil layout and inking.

The last portrait is out and a new one is in.

Pencil drawing

On the day I mailed the last commission, I started another.  At 20″X14″, this is a large one.  I rarely do something this big.  When I point out to a potential client that the framed painting would be about 24″X18″, some reconsider.  A piece of art that big really needs its space. However, in this case, it will be hung over a king sized bed so it should be fine.

This a gift for a parent selling the  long time family home and it has an unusual addition.  The barn was added as a special memory even though it is not located exactly where it is placed.  We went through several renditions of the barn’s size and exact location before it finally ended up there, looking like that.  It was hard not to make it a second focal point and I will have to leave it a little bit softer so it doesn’t take too much attention away from the house.  After a day of inking, I am only about 20% or done.  Slow going.  There is a lot of landscaping in there and I am combining some photos, so I have to be careful with the perspective.

Commission finished

First layer of color

Finished

I finished this smaller commission and am pretty happy with it.  As an end unit of an apartment or condo building there were few special features to highlight and I had to guard against everything just looking cut off.  There was another door just to the left of the one shown, so I couldn’t even move it over to center it a bit more.

I was forced to maximize what I had. The shrubs and flowers helped, along with the concrete frog, but with the doorway off to the side, I had to make sure the colors were especially appealing. The green canopies sure helped.    I don’t know what I would have done without them to liven up the exterior.

Still, it is someone’s treasured home and I hope I did justice to it.