Tag Archives: colored pencil

HORSE!!!

The Canadian Museum of Civilization has a wonderful exhibit on now about THE HORSE. Naturally we went as soon as were able. This exhibit opens with the tiny, dog-sized creature that eventually became the large, noble horse. As we stepped into further the hall, there was a wonderful diorama of three stages of the horse’s development. Did you know that they were once leaf browsers and had longer necks and short teeth? When they moved to a plains environment, their necks grew a little shorter and their teeth elongated to cope with the coarse grass. Short teeth would have worn out fast on the grasses they now ate. The whole “horse experience” was heightened by the sound of whinnies and hoofbeats all around you.
The Horse subject is so vast that it is only natural that not everything could possibly be covered. What was done, was presented with respect and a depth of knowledge, and although we were somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t more of the exhibit, we thoroughly enjoyed what there was. At the very end, like a breath of West wind, the wonderful band of Joe Fafard horses (metal sculpture) galloped across the end of the hall, colourfully lit so that the herd doubled in size against the backdrop. Great stuff!!

Naturally, I now feel the need to return to horses for a couple of paintings before I get back to my dog art. This little 5 x 7 coloured pencil Friesian is called EVENING STAR. I love to do the Baroque horses in a fantasy medieval setting. It is available matted, for $98.00, shipping and tax included. Inquiries may come to me at anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

©Copyright 2010 by Heather Andserson. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 9

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: PS Light Umber, Dark Umber

This working session marks the tenth day for this colored pencil painting. That represents about fifteen hours worth of work.

I have a nearly finished under painting to show for all of that work. The horse still needs to be darkened, but I’m approaching that very fine line between ‘dark enough’ to ‘too dark’. I usually stop a little short of ‘dark enough’ to avoid getting the under painting too dark.

Today’s work began with a Light Umber pencil and the anchored front leg. It was previously the only leg to still be untouched, so I wanted to bring it up to at least the same level as the opposite front leg.

While working in that area, I also worked up through the chest into the shoulders and neck and backward into the body and rump.

With so much area to cover, I chose to use the side of the pencil to apply color and a piece of tissue paper (no lotion, thank you!) to blend the color layer. I observed the highlight areas, but also intend to emphasize them by picking them out of the color once the body value is correct.

I also did a little more work with the head, namely the eyes. For this work, I switched to a Dark Umber pencil to darken the value. Then I photographed the painting and set it aside.

At that point, I was beginning to think of the under painting as finished. Then I saw the image published with this post and realized the horse does need to be a little darker to stand out from the background. So it looks like at least one and possibly two or three more sessions before I can consider the under painting finished.

Color Used: PS Light Umber

My goal for this session was to finish the umber layer. Consequently, I worked throughout the horse, which is the only part remaining to be finished.

Work began with the back legs and moved up into the rump, then the body. The three legs that still needed work were darkened, with highlights and shadows emphasized a little more than in previous work.

The more subtle gradients between light and dark in the rump, body, shoulder and neck were also worked on. I had to lift color to reshape the rump but the end result was much nicer and much closer to the reference photo.

The session ended with some work on the cast shadow.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 8

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: PS Light Umber

I engaged in ‘fix-up’ work today.

The front hoof had been bothering me for some time, so the first thing I did when I got to work on this was to review the hoof and pastern as drawn, compare it to an enlarged digital reference image, then make the necessary corrections.

The first step in that process was removing as much color as possible from that area. A little bit of sticky stuff warmed and worked in my hand, then shaped into a small tip and the job was done.

Then I redrew the hoof and pastern until it was correct. That required a couple of cycles of lift and apply, but I did get it more correct. I also did a little bit of ‘farrier’ work by reshaping and resizing the hoof, which I’d drawn much too large.

After that, I used the same color to begin shading up into the rest of that leg and into the chest. Just for a break, I also did a little additional shading in the body, attempting to bring those two areas into completion at a uniform rate.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Original Paintings on eBay

Eleven original colored pencil paintings are currently on auction at eBay. This is the first time in some time that so many small format and medium format original works have been offered through eBay.

The current listings represent almost the entire collection of non-ACEO horse paintings available directly from the studio.

I will also be listing original oil paintings old and new in the next day or two.

The paintings can be seen at this link or may be found by searching the key word HorsePainter (without a space between the words).

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 7

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: PS Light Umber

It’s been a little over a week since the last work was done on this painting. A number of things got in the way, not the least of which was a back injury this past Monday. It’s now Friday and this is the first artwork I’ve done for myself. I still haven’t stood at an easel mostly because standing is painful, but also because the twisting and movement required by the painting process have also been painful.

But today, this painting began whispering my name. After lunch, I yielded.

It was uncomfortable to sit at the computer with the drawing panel propped my lap, though, so I retreated to a more comfortable arrangement and worked from a printed photograph.

What that meant was that I didn’t have the access to the details that helped me figure out the head in the last previous session, so work was limited to values and general color layers.

I started with the head and the shadows on the neck under the head, but worked throughout the horse. I don’t think any area was completely missed today!

But most of the work involved laying in color with the broad side of my pencil to lay down a broad, even ‘wash’ of color. To smooth out the roughness, I then used a folded piece of tissue (the kind without lotion) to blend and smooth the area. That also allowed me to drag color out of the darker areas and into the surrounding areas. There’s nothing like a piece of tissue for creating those exquisitely subtle gradations. (One of these days, I’d like to try an entire under painting with the tissue application technique.)

Work happened in fits and starts today. I can only sit in one position or location for long without suffering the consequences. I’d just as soon not due muscle spasms again, thank you very much, so I got up and walked around a little bit every now again.

It didn’t seem like I put much time into the painting, but progress was made and I could see it when I finished for the day .

I did find some problems, namely with the muzzle and the lifted front hoof, but didn’t do anything with them. That work and the detailed work is going to have to wait until I feel better.

With this work session, I engaged in ‘fix-up’ work.

The front hoof had been bothering me for some time, so the first thing I did when I got to work on this was to review the hoof and pastern as drawn, compare it to an enlarged digital reference image, then make the necessary corrections.

The first step in that process was removing as much color as possible from that area. A little bit of sticky stuff warmed and worked in my hand, then shaped into a small tip and the job was done.

Then I redrew the hoof and pastern until it was correct. That required a couple of cycles of lift and apply, but I did get it more correct. I also did a little bit of ‘farrier’ work by reshaping and resizing the hoof, which I’d drawn much too large.

After that, I used the same color to begin shading up into the rest of that leg and into the chest. Just for a break, I also did a little additional shading in the body, attempting to bring those two areas into completion at a uniform rate.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

New ACEO Landscapes

The sale of six original ACEO landscapes in oil sparked a flurry of painting energy. In addition to finishing a new portrait, I began painting new ACEO landscapes in oils and colored pencil, beginning with two brand new oil paintings on Wednesday alone.

ACEOs found their way into spare time between work sessions on other projects, into class time and even into those times when I didn’t know what else to do.

With all the larger works and long-term projects on my agenda the last several months, it’s a delight to be working on things I can finish in a single painting session. I recall that feeling from 2007, when I averaged a little over one new ACEO painting per painting day and finished the year with 315 of them in 313 working days.

Returning interest in small works has prompted me to not only begin painting art trading cards again, but prepping cards for oils, colored pencil and some mixed media pieces.

As of the end of the day Saturday, I’d finished a total of seven new ACEOs: one horse-related image in colored pencil, one landscape in colored pencil and five landscapes in oil, including a subject I haven’t tackled before: the Flint Hills at night.

All of the new ACEOs will soon be available on a new gallery page elsewhere on this blog.

I’ve also been having more fun in the studio than I’ve had in a long time and that’s the best news of all!

And today, I’m busily prepping 90 lb Rising Stonehenge paper with multiple coats of gesso to see if it’s a good support for oils. More on that experiment as it progresses!

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

ACEO Landscapes 2008

Landscape Study #1 2008 Landscape Study #1 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #2 2008 Landscape Study #2 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #3 2008 Landscape Study #3 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #4 2008 Landscape Study #4 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #5 2008 Landscape Study #5 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #6 2008 Landscape Study #6 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #7 2008 Landscape Study #7 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #8 2008 Landscape Study #8 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #9 2008 Landscape Study #9 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #10 2008 Landscape Study #10 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #11 2008 Landscape Study #11 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #12 2008 Landscape Study #12 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #13 2008 Landscape Study #13 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #14 2008 Landscape Study #14 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #15 2008 Landscape Study #15 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #16 2008 Landscape Study #16 2008
Study for for portrait of October Skies

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #17 2008 Landscape Study #17 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #18 2008 Landscape Study #18 2008
Silence

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #19 2008 Landscape Study #19 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #20 2008 Landscape Study #20 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #21 2008 Landscape Study #21 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #22 2008 Landscape Study #22 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

SOLD

Landscape Study #23 2008 Landscape Study #23 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #24 2008 Landscape Study #24 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Unstretched Artfix Belgian Linen

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

Landscape Study #25 2008 Landscape Study #25 2008

3-1/2″ by 2-1/2″

Original oil on

Gessoed Archival Matboard

$25 Unframed

Contact the Artist
to purchase this painting.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 5

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: Dark Umber, Verithin

Beginning with the grounded hind leg, I started shading the horse, working from the top to the bottom of that leg, then working out the other hind leg and up into the body. I used the point of the pencil and very light pressure to establish the shadow areas, then to darken them. I wasn’t able to get the darkest values I need, but I’ll have to switch back to Prismacolor thick lead pencils for that. Those values will be placed after the entire horse has been finished at this stage.

For the broader areas like the rump, barrel and neck, I used the side of the pencil, making long, sweeping strokes or shorter strokes that follow the contours of the horse’s body, neck or whatever area I was working on. For the tail, mane and forelock, I used heavier pressure and the point of the pencil.

Here’s a look at the horse’s head and neck. Not much was done here, but this is the area that will most identify this unmarked horse, so it has to be right.

I began with the eye. The shape, angle and location are all vital to getting an accurate representation of the horse, so I forced myself to slow down and take a little more time with the eye before moving on to other parts of the head.

The horse still has a long way to go, but he is beginning to appear out of the composition. I worked for nearly an hour and a half in this session and finished up for the day with some easy work. I laid the t-square on the painting and shaded a single line at the bottom of each rail to establish a shadow. I used the edge of the pencil for this because I wanted a softer edge between the shadow and highlight on each plank and because I also wanted an edge that wasn’t ramrod straight an mechanical.

Color Used: Dark Umber, Verithin

I worked on the head again with Verithin Dark Umber, beginning with the muzzle. I used the pencil point for detail areas and the pencil side for broader applications.

I also worked a little Prismacolor Light Umber into those same areas to darken them up a little further. The forelock, mane and tail and the ears were also darkened and are now finished at least until the rest of the under painting is completed.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 4

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: PS Light Umber

I worked on the foliage and grass this afternoon, still using Light Umber, but focused more on smoothing the color layers and shaping the values than anything else. When I stopped work for the first session, it looked like this part of the background might be done. The fence still needs to be done and I haven’t done anything with the horse, but I can’t think of anything else to do with the foliage or grass that wouldn’t risk making those areas much darker than I want them.

The painting is on an easel near the telephone, so while I was talking with Mom on the telephone tonight, I worked on the drawing as it set on the easel. At first, I added color in horizontal strokes in an effort to even up the two sides. The left side is light and airy with lots of tree trunks and gradated values. The right side is dark, with few trees and more stark values.

That didn’t work, so I tried lifting color with the click eraser. That didn’t work, either, so after the call ended, I got out the sticky stuff and dabbled around with that. That lifted color very well if I kept it carefully kneaded. I was able to lift out some of the heavy darks just above the top rail in the background on the right and I liked that so well that I repeated the process on the left side. The result was very nice, so I think the first thing I’ll do tomorrow is lift additional color and see if I can create some tree trunks on the right with this method.

Later, I realized my background had gotten too dark, so I lifted color with sticky stuff (Handi-Tack, Blue-Tack, Poster Tack or whatever other brand names may apply.) To get a nicer, more even color layer, I rolled the sticky stuff into a roll the width of my palm (as though rolling out bread dough), then rolled it over the entire upper portion of the background. The result was very pleasing!

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 3

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: PS Light Umber

It was a perfect day to sit on the couch and ply colored pencils. The weather was gray and cool, down to the mid-fifties, after three or four days in the sixties. Just after noon, it began to rain and it rained slowly but steadily for most of the afternoon.

Work continues with the under painting. I’m still using only Light Umber in the Prismacolor line, but I have three or four pencils on the drawing table so I can have a couple with needle sharp points for detail work and one with a more blunt point for broad passages of shading. I like having multiples of the same color because I can sharpen them all the beginning of a session and thereby reduce the amount of time necessary for sharpening while painting.

The first thing I did was fix Lockkeeper’s ears. As suspected, the off side ear was too large, so I trimmed and reshaped it, then shaded the background around it to re-establish the proper shape and position.

Then I darkened the entire background, using primarily broad, vertical strokes applied with medium pressure and a slow, steady stroke. This is not easy! If I’m not careful, it’s all too easy to let strokes get quick and lazy, so every few minutes, I have to rein myself in and take back control.

In this session, which lasted about seventy minutes, I also checked the fence, which looked ‘bowed’. It wasn’t correct, so I started to fix it. Then I decided to get out a t-square and make the fence horizontal, instead of receding slightly. I set the t-square on the top edge of the fence, then used the side of a pencil to shade color up against the straight-edge, using the tool as a ‘bumper’ and establish the fence line without actually drawing a line.

After working all along the top edge, I moved the t-square and did the same thing with the bottom edge of the top rail. When that was finished, I moved it down again and shaded down to the top edge of the second rail.

For this last bit of work, I used lighter pressure and a looser stroke. This is the grassy verge between the paddock and the tree line, so it will be a light value than the heavily shadowed trees. I also wanted to create the look and feel of tall grass as quickly as possibly and a loose, vertical stroke serves that purpose very well.

Then, while I had the t-square out, I laid it against the bottom edge of the picture plane and shaded the grass at the bottom of the composition. When I finished with that, the painting had essentially been ‘framed’ by value, with the center portion and the horse still untouched. That’s where the lightest values will appear anything, so it was a good way to establish that pattern early.

At that point, it was time for a break and a cup of coffee!

Another session of nearly two hours this evening and I’d nearly finished the background. At least it looks close to completion at this stage.

I also roughed in the tail and the front hoof to bring those two areas forward out of the background. In addition, I used a dead pen to impress a few highlights into the tail and my signature into the lower left hand corner. Those touches will gradually appear as color builds throughout the painting process.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper in Colored Pencil, Part 2

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Color Used: PS Light Umber

Today, the first thing I did was layer color over the rest of the background. The entire painting should be built layer by layer as much as possible to avoid getting anything too dark too quickly.

So I used loose, vertical strokes to shade the rest of the background trees. Most of the strokes were applied with the side of the pencil rather than the point, but I did use the point to do the detail work around the horse, the fence and in smaller areas such as the opening between Lockkeeper’s neck and jaw.

I also outlined the ears, head, forelock and mane as I worked the background in those areas to preserve those areas and to begin establishing the horse’s presence in the painting. I also did a little shading in those areas, paying special attention to the horse’s eyes. That was the fun part with which I rewarded myself toward the end of the painting session.

After the entire background had been covered with one layer of color, I went back over it with a second layer. Again, I used light pressure and loose vertical strokes, but I worked over some of the areas I’d worked around last time and worked around some new areas to begin creating the sense of depth and of trees visible deeper within the stand.

Here is a detail of the head and the area around it. Even though there are very few ‘lines’ drawn, the edges are beginning to take shape.

This is the most meticulous work done to date, except for the drawing. I want soft edges where necessary, so that means proceeding carefully and thoughtfully as I continue building value in the background.

Some areas will need to be ‘lined’ in. The mane and forelock, for example. In those areas, I outline each detail area, then fill it in with equal value, but the goal is to create edges without drawing lines.

I see that the ears aren’t the same size in this image. That means the first thing I’ll have to do in the next session is determine whether the off side ear is too large (I think it is) or the near side ear is too small.

It was a short working day due to an evening commitment. About forty minutes were given to the painting. Even so, it was a good forty minutes and the painting made good progress. I am very pleased.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Lockkeeper In Colored Pencil, Part 1

Original Colored Pencil

Rising Stonehenge Paper, 90 lb. Natural, 16″ x 20″

Those who follow this blog are already familiar with this guy. He has been been the subject of multiple ACEO horse paintings and is currently the subject of an ongoing oil portrait.

His name is Lockkeeper and he’s one of four or five Michigan Standardbred stallions standing at Starwin Farms in Coleman, Michgan.

I met and photographed Lockkeeper way back in May, 2008. A great horse, he also proved a great subject for photographs and paintings alike. He made an appearance in two or three ACEO horse paintings and is now making another appearance in a traditional colored pencil painting.

The goals for this painting are multiple. Because it’s a colored pencil, I will be using it as a demonstration piece for my colored pencil class.

I chose the same image of Lockkeeper that is being used for the portrait so I can use this as a study for that painting.

It is the first traditional, non-small format artwork I’ve created in colored pencil in several years.

Finally, it will be one of the images to be considered for the 2010 Kansas Christian Home Christmas Bazaar this coming November.

There is, in other words, a lot of incentive to get this done!

The photograph I’m using was taken by photographer Mark Adair. Thanks, Mark, for your generous permission to use your work!

Color Used: PS Light Umber

The primary difference between this painting and the portrait – other than the medium – is my treatment of the background. A new background has been created for the oil painting. This time around, I’m using the background that appears in the reference photo.

Some changes were made. For example, I included the fence around the paddock in which Lockkeeper cavorts, but I eliminated the other fence beyond this one. The mesh of fences was too distracting and didn’t contribute to the sense of distance in the painting. Had the illusion of distance been created by that fence, I would have used it to break up the background a little bit more.

In the oil painting, all of Lockkeeper’s hooves appear. For this painting, I decided to deepen the paddock grass and conceal those two hooves on the ground. There isn’t a lot of movement in this image, so disguising those two feet in tall grass disguises those two ‘anchors’.

Even though a drawing already existed for the horse, I took two days to rework the drawing. On the first day, I used mechanical drawing methods to place the fence, then reduced the original drawing and taped it over the fence.

On the second day, I reviewed the drawing, moved the horse a little bit forward in the composition and refined problem areas like the face and feet.

On the third day, I selected the paper to be used (Rising Stonehenge 90 pound paper in Natural) and mounted it to a 20�24 panel with masking tape. I did that toward the end of a busy day, so rather than begin the transfer process immediately, I waited for the next day.

On the fourth day, the area of the painting was marked off on the drawing paper, I shaded the back of the drawing with Light Umber, then taped the drawing over the fresh paper and carefully transferred it onto the Stonehenge.

The finished drawing is shown above. I apologize for its condition, but I forgot to shoot the drawing until after I’d already shaded the back! The darker values you see is where the transfer shading was applied to the back of the paper. You will note that I didn’t shade the entire paper, just behind the actual drawing.

I should mention that the drawing is on tracing paper.

Color Used: PS Light Umber

The first mark on a fresh sheet of paper is always the most difficult, so I started with an area that could be easily fixed if I messed up. The fence!

Beginning behind the horse, I used Light Umber to shade faint values in the top rail. Color was applied in a horizontal pattern that mimics wood grain so that even though the values aren’t very dark, the area is already beginning to look like a wood rail fence.

To further define the fence without darkening it too quickly, I then worked in the background behind the fence. A couple of tree trunks were lightly sketched in to break up the area beyond and above the fence, then light value was applied with a sweeping, vertical hatch stroke in Light Umber with very light pressure. The goal was to create as light and broad a value layer as possible without paying much attention to detail. I worked around the tree trunks, which will be darkened after the foliage is dark enough for the trees to become visible through the forest.

Here is a detail image of the section I worked on. In this photo, you get a better look at the darks and lights in the foliage. These areas were created with hatching, cross hatching and brillo (circular) strokes applied at random.

I am more concerned with the pattern of light and dark and how it relates to the horse and fence at this stage, than with getting the lights and darks in exactly the same place on the painting as they appear in the photograph. I love detail but that level of detail would drive even me crazy! In this case, a reasonable facsimile is all that’s required. It’s the prop against which the actor (Lockkeeper) appears in the painting.

There is about an hour’s worth of work in this section and the only color I used was Light Umber. Light Umber will be one of only two colors I use for the under painting. The other color is Dark Umber and I will use that only in the darkest areas. Most likely in the horse.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

ACEOs on eBay

I want to take a break from writing to let you know I currently have a collection of art trading cards available on auction through eBay.

The collection includes four original ACEO horse paintings. Impulsion, shown here, is one of those.

The collection also includes many ACEO reproductions of larger horse paintings and includes such favorites as Grandfather’s First Love, Icelandic Prince, Running Free and Whoa!.

Also included are a few ACEO reproductions of landscape paintings.

The ACEOs can be seen at this link or may be found by searching the key word HorsePainter (without a space between the words).

If you would like an ACEO sized painting of your favorite horse or pony, contact me. ACEO and other portraits are available in oils and colored pencil. I am always looking for good subjects and interesting compositions.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Colored Pencil Class Schedule Extended

If you live in or near Newton, Kansas and are interested in doing colored pencil art or learning more about it, you are invited to attend my weekly colored pencil class.

Originally scheduled as an eight-week course, the class officially ended on Thursday, April 8.

Student requests have resulted in a four-week follow up class from May 13 to June 3, 2010.

After that, the class will become a regular, weekly event. We will meet every Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Christian Church building at the corner of First and Main Streets, in Newton, Kansas. The class is a guided independent study class, with students bringing their own projects to work on during the class. We also frequently look for life drawing subjects in and around the church building.

We will also do special projects upon occasion.

The fee is $20 per class per student, pay as you attend. Students are welcome to bring their favorite colored pencil supplies if they are already acquainted with the medium.

For those who are starting from scratch, a basic supply kit can be purchased from me. The supply kit includes sketch paper, a pad of Stonehenge paper (white), a set of Prismacolor pencils, and other tools of the trade. A supply list is also available for those who prefer to do their own shopping.

For more information on the class or the supply kit, email me.

©Copyright 2010 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Colored Pencil Class

On Thursday, February 18, I will be starting an eight week class on colored pencils.

The class will cover basic techniques, tips and tools. All student levels from beginner to advanced are welcome.

The class will be meeting every Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. at First Christian Church at the corner of First and Main Streets in Newton.

The cost is $20 per class per student pay as you go or $15 per class if you want to pay for the full eight weeks up front.

Pre-registration is recommended, but not required.

If you would like more information about this class or about future classes, email me.

©Copyright 2009 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

SOMETHING NEW – The Winter Path

With a new year starting, I feel both the need to do something new, as well as a need to do the same things in new ways. For several years now, I have worked with Coloured Pencil more than anything else. I love the vibrancy of Coloured Pencils and the detail that is possible, and it has been great fun exploring this great medium. But as many Coloured Pencil artists have found, it has taken a toll on my hands. I’ve started to have some serious hand pain while I’m working on a large piece, so it’s time to be gentle with myself for a while. This means limiting the Coloured Pencil work and returning (for the most part) to watercolours, something that will be a joy, as watercolour has always been the medium I love best.
Much as I love painting dogs, cats, and horses, (and always will), I am at a place where I need to refresh my mind, and that means painting something completely different every now and then. I dearly love the beautiful valley where I live, and everywhere I look, in every season, I see lovely things, sometimes large panoramas, and sometimes little things that could be easily missed if one is not looking for them. I find at this time, that I want to paint some of these things and places once in a while so I can share them with you.
THE WINTER PATH is a place near home that I see whenever we drive into the city. Half hidden, it is easy to miss this path as we zip past it in the car, but now I know to look for it, and I find beauty there in every season. This 5 x 7 watercolour is the first in what will be a “now and then” series called “The West Carleton Paintings”.

©Copyright 2009 by Heather Andserson. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

New ACEO Horse Paintings

There are four new ACEO horse paintings to announce: three oils and one colored pencil.

ACEO Horse Painting 2010-003 – Hock Study Lockkeeper is shown at the right and features a detail study of the flexed hock in the portrait of Lockkeeper. It is an original oil painting on gessoed mat board.

Also finished are ACEO Horse Painting 2010-004 – Hind Feet Study Lockkeeper and ACEO Horse Painting 2010-005 – Hind Feet Study. One of those is another detail study from the Lockkeeper portrait. The other is a more abstract painting of back hooves painted with a more muted palette than the detailed studies.

I am also very happy to share the first colored pencil ACEO of 2010. ACEO Horse Painting 2010-006 – Red Bay Appy Itching was finished yesterday and is the first of a series of three ACEOs featuring grazing appaloosas. All will be in colored pencil and may be purchased individually or as a set.

The remaining cards are not yet completed, but will be soon. Keep watch.

All of the 2010 Series ACEO Horse Paintings are available for review and purchase on the ACEO Horse Painting page in the galleries on this page.

Stayed tuned for additions to the 2010 ACEO Horse Paintings collection.

If you would like to see an ACEO sized painting of your favorite horse or pony, contact me. ACEO and other portraits are available in oils and colored pencil. I am always looking for good subjects and interesting compositions.

©Copyright 2009 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

ACEO Horse Paintings

One of my 2010 studio goals is to paint one equine themed ACEO painting per week for the year.

The process began last week with the assembly and preparation of supports for ACEO horse paintings. That included coating a half dozen mat board cards with at least three layers of gesso on all surfaces.

It also included cropping a failed colored pencil painting into several ACEO sized cards for future ACEO horse paintings in colored pencil.

The process advanced today with the development of seven possible compositions. Four of them were also transferred to gessoed cards and the drawings were subsequently ‘fixed’ with Raw Umber and a 10/0 sable brush. As soon as that work is dry, painting can begin.

Three of those cards cropped from the failed painting also are ready for continued work. They require only time on my part for work to continue.

All new ACEOs will be posted on this blog as they are completed. New paintings will also be added to a  gallery page dedicated to ACEO Horse Paintings showcases current paintings.

For those who not familiar with this unique art format, an ACEO is a trading card sized piece of artwork. They can be either originals or reproductions. The only stipulation is that the artwork must be 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches in size. No exceptions!

ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals. ACEOs are bought, sold and traded on such open format sites such as eBay and Art By Us, and by specialty web sites such as ACEOs – Art Cards for Sale or Trade.

While some artists specialize in ACEOs and miniature artwork, others like me include ACEO and miniature artwork as only one part of their artistic portfolio.

ACEO sized custom portraits are available from Carrie L. Lewis – Horse Painter. Portraits are available in either colored pencil or oil on a variety of surfaces including Rising Stonehenge paper and archival mat board for colored pencils and prepped mat board or canvas for oils.

ACEO paintings are a fun and interesting way for me to try out new subjects, techniques and materials, do a little experimenting or just have fun.

They are also a great way to begin your collection of original artwork from a variety of artists and featuring a variety of subjects, styles and mediums.

©Copyright 2009 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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