In my studio - lion painting Rufus
Lion painting for sale
I was at the studio this morning tidying up after the weekend’s festivities, and I thought Id take a couple of photographs and a video of my original painting of a lion, called ‘Rufus’. I love this piece, the colours always put me in a good mood, and his serious expression makes me smile.
Rufus is looking for a special home and is available to purchase here where you can see lots more photographs of this lovely fella.
New sheep paintings.
Im working on 8 sheep paintings. I think its 8, they won’t keep still for me to count them - makes a change from flock wallpaper, doesn’t it?
I love sheep, and they make a beautiful subject for my oil paintings. Im hoping to work on some pieces with rare breed sheep in the future, I just have to find some of these lovely animals on my travels!
If you are interested in commissioning an original painting of sheep, whether a specialist rare breed or otherwise, do get in touch. Here is my page all about ordering a bespoke painting from me. These custom paintings make a really special gift for a big birthday or special occasion.
How to paint a black dog
'Flopdown' soft pastel painting 30 x 40cm
Tip 1) Get someone to hold onto him really tight while you do it.
I'm kidding, but the question of how to paint a black dog is one that is often asked. They are tricky to photograph and paint. It can be hard to actually see them in the picture. The best pictures of black dogs make good use of lighting to highlight the form and expression.
I painted this short demo video to share with you. It shows one way to paint a black dog against a dark background, using oil paints. The surface I am painting on is primed fine linen on board 20x30cm
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Mixing the colours
I dont use a tube of black paint for the colour of the dog and/or background. I do have some useful darks such as Asphaltum, Chromatic Black and Perylene Black, but I usually mix a dark colour from a combination such as Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna, or Magenta and Viridian. I always think a mixed colourful dark looks lively and interesting, as opposed to using too much black squeezed from a tube.
Once my darkest colour is mixed, i put it at one end of my glass palette, and I mix gradients of it in a range of values to use in my painting. I might mix two or three dark shades and then draw them out in this way. I mix white with a really tiny bit of the main colour for my lightest shade, so that it doesn't look too harsh/chalky.
Bear in mind that a photo reference will often bleach out the lightest light colour to appear lighter than you want it. The shadows usually appear darker than in reality. Shadows on photos can also seem flat and one dimensional. Use varied hues in shadows to bring them to life.
