Another Bovine

It was very disheartening not to be able to paint that last cow I was working on. Even though it wasn't going that well, I hate to be bested by an inanimate object! So, I figured I'd practice but this time in gouache.

I'm not sure if this will be the final version - I'm questioning my background choice and also want to put the brand of my sister's and BIL's ranch on the ear tag as a kind of fun thing for them. Now that I've posted it, I can also see a few things that need adjusting and if anyone else sees anything, please let me know. C&C always welcome and since I'm still relearning how to paint, it's more welcome than ever!



Oh, this is a 6 x 6 inch square canvas panel - I'm beginning to really like the square format.

Love that face!!!

Maybe a  small increase in highlight in her/his right especially. You did a great job on the nose. It is hard to do when looking almost straight on.

I agree that the background might need to be adjusted. It feels like she/he is standing in front of a massive fire saying "I hope they're not planning on roasting me  next." LOL

Can you tell I'm a city girl...."she/he"

Hi Jan,

I always believe in "the first glance". That tells volumes to an average viewer. I think this is an awesome painting in first glance and the only thing that felt a little unsettling is the intense background (as Judy mentioned). I would dull the intensity of the background a little…

Faisal

I do think I caught that haughty wariness of a calf but felt exactly like you, Judy, in that the background looked like a fire! Will adjust the highlights in the face too.

BTW, there's really no way to tell whether a calf/cow/bull is male or female just by looking at it's face so don't feel like a city girl!

Faisal, I'm thinking that I'll repaint the background all together and have been putting different ones behind him/her in my graphics software to see what could work. Have tried barn wood, different blues and greens, etc but nothing has really hit me yet. But it will come eventually. I think backgrounds are the bane of most artists!

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels "the bane of most artists." That is why I started doing landscapes. It is much easier. Hope you find something that works, because the face is such a great expressive accomplishment and it would be a shame to paint it over.
Judy

I think backgrounds are the number one thing most artists complain about! One of these days, I'll try to paint a landscape just to escape having to paint a background!

In the meantime, I've reworked the black Angus calf and hope it looks better. I changed the background and also worked more on the calf itself - I hope it's for the better but, again, if you see anything, please feel free to tell me.



I can see that the viewer's right eye needs a bit more work and that line that appears to run down his jaw to his chest doesn't really look like that but may soften it a bit. If there's anything else, please let me know.

It still didn't feel right so here is the final version because I really need to quit working on it!

I like both revision of the background. It is funny though. You know how we had talked about warm/cool combinations. I think I like the blue background better because it balances out the warm colors of the calf and brings him forward from the background. The gold background seems to make the entire painting feel flat.

BTW. I've added some green into the lightening painting as you suggested and I'll try to post it shortly to see if you think it made a difference.

Judy

That's so funny. I liked the blue but really like the gold better in person and I think it's because there's a lot of blue in the calf that doesn't come out in the photo. I thought the blue background actually competed with the calf as it was kind of bright. One thing I did was use a darker gold color in the corners of the painting and that really helps the flat feeling you talk about. (I thought it looked flat in the photo too.)

Can't wait to see your lightning painting with the green - the most important thing: Do you think it helped?

Hi Jan,

I like the yellow background better. Maybe you could try dulling the intensity of the yellow to more like grey yellow... just a suggestion. It looks good to me as it is.

I love Bessie... I would love her even more on my burger... Sorry don't want to sound cruel...


Faisal

Thanks for stopping in, Faisal. I do think the goldish background does look better and is not as bright as it may look. The underlying blue color tends to dull it a bit even though the photo doesn't show it.

As for hamburger - isn't Black Angus beef supposed to be the best? lol Of course, I wouldn't know as I'm a vegetarian!

Either way... I think it is at a very good stage... anything you do is just tweaking... and totally subjective...

As I age, I am leaning more towards vegetarian myself, and actually enjoy curried vegetables over meat

Take Care

Faisal