Miniature "Zebra Muzzle" - FINISHED!

And here it is! Completely finished. Obviously, I'm a bit behind my goal of one miniature every two weeks... and I do plan on rectifying that situation, just not any time soon! I've been consumed with a number of other tasks, mostly related to creating the website and program for the NOAO Show coming up in April. On top of that, I am panicking to get the last few things done for the RFA show this weekend. And, last but not least, I've been SO VERY SICK for over a week now! But of course, that's enough of all that. This zebra muzzle was a lot of fun, and it's the first image I've done that didn't incorporate an eye in the scene. It was a unique challenge, and I'm happy with the result. I had a lot of fun completing this one!

Miniature "Zebra Muzzle" - WIP 4

Well I know it's been a while, but I've finally put pencil to paper again on the zebra muzzle. Of course, it's because I have a deadline - the piece is registered to be entered in the RFA show this weekend! And now, it's complete, and ready to be scanned to be turned into prints, which will hopefully get done just in time to put it in a frame for the art show. Here's the various steps, in order, since the last post. I'm not going to write much about each one - they speak for themselves. The next post will have the finished image.

Miniature "Zebra Muzzle" - WIP 3

So, another four hours has passed while working on the zebra, and I must say that although I knew that doing a short-haired animal like this would be time consuming, it's even more labor intensive than I thought it would be. It's fun, even though it's a lot of time. I find that long hairs are easier, as you can use longer and faster pencil strokes to fill an area in. I'm still enjoying this project, and each day that passes I'm even more excited to see it finished. And not just to "get it over with" - I'm actually excited to see the results. The following five pictures are the in-progress scans from tonight's work.






I'm actually really enjoying the challenge of doing the wrinkles in the soft skin on the zebra's muzzle. I'll admit there are parts that I'm not looking forward to, but ultimately it all has to be done eventually, but there's no point in putting it off just because it seems challenging, right?

Miniature "Zebra Muzzle" - WIP 2

I've put in another 3 hours or so on this piece, starting with the side of the face, underside of the jaw. I have to admit that I really didn't know where to start on this muzzle... usually a project has an obvious "start-point" that I can work from, but this one I really had to think about before deciding to start where I did. Also, I typically like working in small sections, completely finishing each section before moving on, as you've seen in my previous works. However, I'm approaching a point on this piece where the rest of the muzzle is mostly a smooth continuous shade, meaning working in tiny quilt-like sections isn't ideal. The next bit of progress will likely be a larger piece done all at once, which I tend to find overwhelming! However, I must say that I'm happy with how this piece is going, and it's a fun project to work on.

This is the start, and already it's noticeable how crisp and detailed the foreground is compared to the background.

This step shows some of the first layer work, before burnishing.

This image and the following one are completed sections of the face, in the order I worked on them.

I think the detailed stripes and skin look a little out of place without the rest of the image, but I really think it's starting to come together.

Miniature "Zebra Muzzle" - WIP 1

Here are the first few in-progress photos from the "Zebra Muzzle" miniature. They show the progress from the first five minutes right up until about 4:30AM, approximately 5 hours after I started. The background is now complete, and I'm ready to start working on the actual muzzle. I'm excited for how this background will look once the crisp details of the foreground are there for contrast. The backgrounds tend to look pretty boring and blurry without anything for that depth of field. I'm already having a lot of fun with this project!
The photo above shows the picture with only black so far, in rough strokes for the first layer.

Added to the black above is some color, which will get burnished by the grey in the next stages.

This and all the following images show the burnishing of the background. This involves using a grey pencil (in this case french and warm grey both in 20%) and pushing incredibly hard onto the paper, working in tiny circular motions to blend the previous layers of color together. As necessary I add some more dark or light into the burnishing as I go.



And now on to the best part - the detailed foreground!

The next miniature is...

A unique one, to say the least! This may be a first... a miniature artwork that does not actually have an eye anywhere on it. This newest miniature, just started tonight, is a zebra muzzle. The photo was taken by me at the Calgary Zoo, and this zebra was an excellent subject. I have so many great photos of this zebra, including the photo that inspired "Eye to Eye Pt. 2". When I was looking through my photos for a new miniature to work on, this one of the zebra's soft fuzzy muzzle and light-catching whiskers caught my eye. And, it gives me another chance to work on the very blurred background so I am well prepared to tackle my next huge cougar project, "Regard". Here is my reference photo:

Miniature "Moses" - FINISHED!

Here's the finished product! "Eye of Moses the Serval" - colored pencils, 5" x 5". It took approximately 20 hours to complete.

I am quite liking this size to work with... it's proving to be popular with the public as well, which is always nice. They are small enough that they don't take months to finish - meaning if I am working on one that I end up not liking, I'm not in it for the long haul! This is also the first time I've used my new all-in-one scanner/printer for uploading pictures. I'm not sure if it's better than the camera, but it certainly means less Photoshop work to make them all look the same for the blog. Perhaps if I tweak some of the settings, the scans would come through a little better. I'm happy with how this piece turned out, and I don't really think the scan does it justice. Now to plan the next miniature, and the start of "Regard", the companion cougar project to "Focus".

Miniature "Moses" - WIP 4

Well - I know it's been a while, but I've got new pictures for the "Moses" miniature. It's finished! This post will have the work in progress pictures, and the next post will have the final picture. Here are the scans in order, since the last post.





All of this progress happened from about midnight to about 3:30AM this morning (now). So, obviously, I'm drifting back towards a night schedule... which I'll talk about more in a separate post. See the next post for the finished "Moses" miniature!

Miniature "Moses" - WIP 3

Here's an update on the Miniature 5" x 5" piece of "Moses" the serval cat. It's taken me a little longer than planned, simply because of the holiday season, but I'm working on it here and there when I have a few minutes. I'm enjoying this piece, and am excited to see it finished. These pictures follow from the place I left off in the last post, even though they were each done on different days.
This first picture (above) is the base layer of the cheek, just before burnishing, which is in the following image:

This image (above) shows adding some detail to the face and cheek.
This image (above) shows more detail in the face, and the start of the neck. In the reference photo, the neck is a little blurry - almost a little out of focus, and I intend to replicate that. There is less hair texture in the neck area, as it's not a main focus point for the picture.

And I just realized that I haven't kept up with my "What's in the DVD player?" segment... I've been through a good number of shows already since I last mentioned I was watching "The Simpsons" DVDs, and right now I am watching the third season of "Futurama". I got the first season of "King of the Hill" on DVD for Christmas, and I think that will be next in line.

Miniature "Moses" - WIP 2

Here are some more in-progress photos from "Moses" the Serval. Keep in mind that this piece is 5" x 5". I like working in this scale, as it's still big enough to do lots of detail, but it's small enough to potentially finish a piece in a few days. I'm enjoying working on this one, and I think it's going well. My apologies though for the lack of quality for the photos... if anyone has advice for how to photograph artwork while in-progress, please let me know! Essentially what I am doing now is keeping a tripod up and pointed at a wall which has marks where to put the picture... and at each stage I put the picture up, shoot a photo, and then go back to work. The problem is, these won't be taken in natural light, and trying to edit them in Photoshop to all look the same (levels, color, etc) is a nightmare. Overall, it's taking me WAY too much time to do the photos, edit them, and then post them here, and I don't want it to take away from my actual work!
This first picture is the nose, which is very different on a serval - compared to most cats which have noses resembling house cat anatomy, servals have a large and smooth nose, very rounded and almost dog-like.
One of my favorite parts of this picture is where the hair swirls and changes direction on his muzzle. I will likely add even more detail to that part, as it's crucial to the realism of the hair.
More progress...
Even though the eye is penciled in (outlined in black) I will leave it for last. I love to do the eye, and saving it for last keeps my interest in the picture, and it really allows the picture to "come alive" at that stage.
More progress... I should be finished this piece soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing it finished!

Miniature "Moses" - WIP 1

This is the starting stages of the Miniature serval cat, "Moses" from a few posts back. I decided to go with some foliage for the background, as I figured the original reference photo of his cage wasn't all that flattering! The photos that follow are the first steps: 1) Transferring the sketch to the final copy, 2) Base layer on the background, and 3) Burnishing and Detailing of the background. This piece will henceforth be titled "Eye of Moses the Serval".

The next miniature is...

"Moses" the Serval! This is the reference photo I'll be using for my next miniature piece. This is my own photo, taken at the Guzoo in Three Hills, AB. "Moses" is an adult Serval - one of the smallest "big" cats, the one that has gigantic ears! This cat loved having his photo taken, and reminded me of a model. He actually posed for his pictures, slowly showing each side, then looking at the camera, then looking away, then getting up and sitting on a log... it was so much fun! This piece will be done in colored pencils, 5" x 5" - and I'll take some photos along the way to show the progress!

Eye of the Tiger Cub II - Miniature

The third piece in my series of five by five miniatures is "Eye of the Tiger Cub II", a colored pencil piece based on a cute little tiger cub at the Guzoo in Three Hills, AB. I had the wonderful opportunity to play with this little guy and photograph him, and am now able to work from my own reference photos for these pieces. This was a different style for me, as I have never done a close-crop of an eye that showed a whole ear but no muzzle or nose. It's not as cute or as eye-catching as the ones that have muzzle, nose, and whiskers, but I'm still happy with how it turned out!

"Eye of the Tiger Cub II"
Medium: Colored Pencils
Dimensions: 5" x 5"

Eye of Zion the Lion Cub - Miniature

This is the second in my new series of miniature pieces. These pieces will all be five inches by five inches, done in colored pencils. Zion is a lion cub who was born at the Guzoo in Three Hills, AB, in early 2006. In May of 2006, I visited the Guzoo and had the unique opportunity to play with Zion and take pictures of him. I had so much fun with him, and he was such a photogenic little guy! This miniature artwork is the first one inspired by Zion, and there will likely be more of them in the future! The piece was enjoyable to work on, and I'm looking forward to doing more pieces this size.

"Eye of Zion the Lion Cub"
Medium: Colored Pencils
Dimensions: 5" x 5"

Snow Leopard's Eye - Miniature

While preparing for the "Reflections of Nature" show in Saskatoon (put on by the Saskatchewan Wildlife Art Association), I had a unique opportunity to create a miniature artwork to enter in the competition. I had been invited to teach a workshop at the show to demonstrate my colored pencil technique, and in order to prepare for the class, I needed photos of my work at each step along the way - a teaching aid for the workshop. The solution was to create a miniature piece of artwork and photograph it at each little step. The result? A Best in Show winner!
"Snow Leopard's Eye" is a colored pencil piece, five inches by five inches. To view the workshop tutorial that was produced using this artwork step-by-step, visit my Colored Pencil Tutorial at my personal website. The tutorial has over 30 images taken from various stages of this artwork, including a detailed how-to on the eye!