Season Plates

Four plates together

This weekend I worked on laying out the last three illustrations for The Four Season plates. I love the way they all came out. I'm letting my eyes rest a bit before I start adding paint. Once I start adding paint things really start to change. I should scan each one properly in case I mess up something in the painting stage (like I did with Clytie's hands a few weeks ago). Once I paint over the drawing I'm lost for a spell.

Winter

Summer

Spring

"Fall"

Pencil drawing of "Fall"

A quick technical sketch has turned into a 4 part project. I've decided to name this piece "Fall" and am going ahead with three more pieces that will illustrate the three other seasons. I didn't expect this sketch to inspire three more but sometimes that does happen. The recent portrait sketches I did have now found a home. Spring will be a woman and child and winter and summer will be represented by male figures. I'll probably start "Winter" tonight while "Fall" is drying. The bottom left portion is very mangled with the corn stalks and color but it will make sense once everything dries and things are allowed to pop.

Watercolor and acrylic layering

Adding oil paints for details

Sketches and notes for the
other three seasons.

S*N*O*W!

Beautiful designs from the sky

The big news yesterday was....it SNOWED!!! It was our first snowfall. Not enough to really make a snowman or sled about the yard, but it was big fluffy snow that had design! I love when that happens. It's truly magical to catch a glimpse of a snowflake in its perfect design state. I took the new Exilim out side and the video camera to capture my son enjoying the falling flakes. We have been hearing about so many states getting snowed in, but havent had an opportunity to enjoy a bit of the white stuff ourselves this year.

With the cold snow blowing about, the warm studio was so inviting. I made a lovely pot of jasmine tea and added a bit more dust to about three different horses. I work on several at a time because the fixatives I am currently using take quite a while to dry. So, while one is drying another is getting dusted. This way no time is being lost in the studio.

Here are some of the pieces Im currently pastelling. The first two are commissions and the foal is for my personal collection so they won't be sales items. Never-the-less, I'm very happy with the way these pieces are developing.

Pregnant Arab mare

Eberl Drafter getting dusted

A special gift from a good friend

I'm excited to add the hairing details on the pregnant Arabian mare. I'm actually sorry I didn't take progress shots of her. I believe she would have made a great painting tutorial.