Cat painting

Ok guys I will be brave and show a wip I am using the cat photo from the reference library, the photo was taken by Janet, awesome photo Janet you are a wonderful photographer . Its on a 12 x 12 canvas

Nice job so far. I was looking at that RIL picture also because it is such a neat close up. I wonder if it is Janet's cat. I meant to ask her. You might just have a commissioned painting there.

Judy

Love those big, green eyes!

I recognize that cat! It's my cat Gizmo. He's looking wonderful Dawn! You're doing an amazing job of capturing his attitude and likeness.

The attitude is probably because this picture was after taking about a 100 pictures of him. Most of them were of him swatting at the camera. I'm glad you liked the photo.

I can't wait to see your next update.

Hi Dawn
I've just compared the photo with your WIP. Looking good good good. I like to see how a painting is developed. Looking forward to your next upload.
Can't help thinking, would it be a good a good idea to have a section 'development of a painting' when we can include, size, support, paints, colours on the palette, together wwith any other points which may be of interest and assistance to others????

Jack

Good job so far Dawn, love the concept of a square canvas close-up! Really interesting to see how your brushstrokes evolve from one version to the next.

I have to say I am having a lot of fun with this one. I love close ups , sections if you will and I love square canvases. This is actually the biggest oil I have done and its really a challenge, I keep wanting to paint like I would with the acrylics I have to re learn and re think. I am heading down to the studio in a bit and will work on this painting.

I got even braver and posted this on my blog lets hope I don’t totally screw it up, LOL. I also have another wip on there, why not lets just go for it, but its in acrylic so I didn’t want to show it here if anyone is interested just go to my art blog.

Hope I have more to share later and I love the name Gizmo would make a great tittle for the painting!

Wow! Gizmo is really developing. Beautiful work!

Dawn,

Gizmo is looking great. The close up gives you an opportunity to really develop the brush strokes. He's definitely coming alive.
Judy

kopo wrote:

Can't help thinking, would it be a good a good idea to have a section 'development of a painting' when we can include, size, support, paints, colours on the palette, together with any other points which may be of interest and assistance to others????

Jack

We encourage people to include all that information when they post to WIP, but we haven't really pushed it. Maybe we should put a suggestion about that in the introduction to WIP.

Judy

Jack,
Thank you for your suggestion. I have put a sticky at the top of the WIP Forum asking for that information if the person wants to include it.

judy

Dawn, looking great! I'm really enjoying seeing the progress.

Thanks guys this is really kind of fun. I will list my pallet colors tomorrow, these paints are so new that I don’t know what the colors are, I bought a starter set and have bought three additional colors but its dark and cold outside and I am being lazy, I don’t want to walk out to the studio !!

Anyway here is today’s image I worked on the entire painting but spent a lot of time on the eyes, just cant seem to get them. I stop when I start to lift color or make mud and that was happening here.

The color in the eyes is beautiful. Actually the whole thing is beautiful. Nice work.
Judy

HI DAWN
I think you're just about there. How you going to put the whiskers in. I'd have a bash at scratching back to the canvas. And then there is that wicked glint to put in the right eye. When I first saw the photo I thought this is a cat with it's eye on a mouse, although I doubt if the photo would have been taken with one eye on the cat, one on the mouse, and standing on a chair

Jack

I think his eyes are looking fantastic! You're doing a superb job on the whole painting.

Jack, I think he was trying to look for a way to escape the annoying camera and lady holding it.

Oh you guys are great for the ego, LOL thanks so much.

Its just killing me not to put the highlights in the eyes but I try to wait till the very end it kind of finishes the painting and makes the whole thing pop. I tend to over work if I am not careful and I really did with the hairs, way to many, so I stopped and will simplify some next time I paint. The whiskers are like the highlight I am waiting, I need to be sure about the background so the whiskers are over it and not cut into it. I will get that once the eyes are done, the background will be the same as the eyes, I think.

Close ups are hard there is so much detail what to paint what not to paint ?.

Oh my goodness Dawn it looks so much like Gizmo. Just gorgeous! The colors are super!

I love the eyes!

Ok well I am kind of done, I know I could just keep on going but I need to finish it. I still have to put the whiskers on but want to wait till its dry, actually not sure how I am going to do them I could really botch the whole thing with just a few strokes, LOL . I was also going to tone down the blue around the eyes but I really like them just the way they are. And I could pick it apart but that happens with every painting, at this point I just step back and wait to see if anything glares at me. I would love to hear from you guys if you can see anything that should be changed This was different for me I have only done a few cats before so it was fun. I may take more pictures of the barn cats and paint a few more. Any cc would be very welcome thanks

Wow! Amazing work Dawn! Everything looks perfect to me. Thank you for sharing your progress.

Beautifuk, Dawn. The eyes are perfect.a few whiskers and it done. I wouldn't change a thing.

Judy

I love the blue/green of the eyes against the orangey fur. The fur is very well done (and not over-done), as is the nose. Don't go picking at it! If it's dry when you do the whiskers, you'll be able to wipe off and do over if needed.

I just realized how that sounds! I didn't mean to warn you off nose-picking!

Very Nice!