"Regard" - WIP 2

I know it has been a LONG time since I have posted, but I am going to try to make a better effort to keep in touch with my few blog-readers and fans. And so, here are a couple WIP shots of "Regard". Although it's taking much longer than originally planned, it is still going really well, and it is coming together nicely. I'm excited to have it finished, and see it framed next to "Focus". They will make quite the pair.

"Regard" - WIP 1

Tonight was my first night working on "Regard", and I am starting with the background. Surprisingly, I am finding that settling into the motions of the blurry-tree-background is quite natural, even though it's been months and months (maybe a year even...) since I last worked on this part of the background on "Focus". I'm using the same colors as I did in "Focus" as well, hoping to have the pieces turn out as a nice matching pair. I can already tell that it won't be a problem at all. There are quite a few differences between this picture and "Focus", but I am looking forward to the new challenges. I know it's not much to look at right now, but here are the initial stages:

This image shows... well... nothing really! You can see the frisket which I've applied to the section of the picture that has the snow, rocks, and cougar. This is due to the error of NOT doing this for "Focus" - resulting in the area being smudged quite excessively, which made it next to impossible to create white snow. This time I'm prepared, and using my air-brushing frisket I think I managed to cover everything important. When I'm done the background this plastic will peel off and let me work on nice clean paper.

I've zoomed in for the in-progress photos, as I figured it was pointless to view it as a tiny little inch on your screen. This is the top left corner of the image, above the ridge of snow and rocks. This stage is first layers of color, pre-burnishing.

This is one tiny section completed! Burnished and detailed, although the detail part of it is somewhat lacking, seeing as it's a blurry background. I'll post more soon, I assure you. I'd like to work on this piece almost exclusively for as long as I can.

"Regard" - The Beginning

Well, it's officially the start of the next "big" project. I realize I haven't finished the zebra muzzle yet, but my goal is to work on each piece alternating - so as to not get burnt out working too hard on either of them. It would be nice if I could continue producing miniatures while I work on "Regard" as well. This, for those of you who didn't already know, is the companion piece to "Focus", commissioned by the same owners who already have "Focus" hanging in their home. The overall size will be 15" x 21", the same size as "Focus". Ideally, they will be the same tones as well, permitting them to be framed identically and displayed as a pair. Here is the reference photo I will be working from, courtesy of Grambo Photography. Their photography is amazing, and without them I would certainly not be at the same point in my career.


This photo is incredibly inspiring, and I'm excited to be finished. Yup - you heard it correctly, I'm excited to be FINISHED. But that's months away... I officially started, tonight, by prepping the hot-press paper I use, getting the poster frame ready to protect it during the progress, taping off edges, and all of that. It's tedious, but the anticipation is like adrenaline. So here I sit, across the room from a giant sheet of blank, white paper... just staring back at me. It's daunting. Almost crippling, really, and I know those first pencil strokes are going to feel like minor heart palpitations. Yet at the same time, it will feel great to "get the show on the road" so-to-speak. It's been a long time in the making, and will likely be a long journey to the finish line, but I'm glad to have you few dedicated readers along for the ride!