I created a few painting studies that I wanted to share with you.
The Lion painting study was designed, then applied to illustration board and then painted in gouache. I took a photo of a lion (I can’t remember where I got the image. I go to the zoo a lot so I can’t remember if it’s mine or someone else’s, I apologize). Overall, I wanted a strong subject and I love wild animals so I chose a lion, I then wanted to incorporate a strong, yet simple design element. I put the band across the eye to represent the lions eye for the hunt. Matted for a finish. The colors are of course much stronger in life.
On of my favorite oil paintings due to the complexity of hands. This image is a little from a photo, a little from life. I used the photo to get the difficult angle and articulation of the hand. Notice how the fingers squeeze together showing how tightly clenched this hand is. Of course, drawing from a photo always lacks a lot of the luster that you get from life so for the colors I used my own hand as a reference. I then emphasized all the color in the piece. I have a lot of yellows and greens in my skin like many Italians do so I took those colors and pushed them even further. I love the yellows running across the thumb and down the arm.
You can never do enough painting studies. My medium of choice for painting is oils. I did a few of these studies and I’ll admit, they took me much longer than expected but when you are in a painting like I get, time isn’t a factor. I will paint until the dawn of a new day without realizing it. The only reason I ever stop for sleep is the fact that I notice possible mistakes coming on. I rest and I start again as soon as I possibly can.
