"Not So Fast" - painted in the studio August 2007
1.) I shot the background that I'm using in this painting several years ago when I was gathering reference for "Sierra Valley". The cowboy and calves come from a shot taken of my good friend Dennis McCroskey. Not only am I going to change the hue and lighting quite a bit from either reference shot, I'm also going to start this one a little differently than I usually do. I begin by drawing in a two-value sketch of my scene with browns and greens. Once dry, I'll tone my canvas more like I usually do and then begin the painting from there.
2.) The next day, I go ahead and tone my canvas like I usually do. This time, however, since there's such a yellowish low Sun feel, I tone the canvas with a more yellow wash rather than the burnt orange color I typically like. I immediately then begin to paint in the sky.
3.) Once I finish laying-in the sky, I go back and refine the edges of the trees and add detail where necessary keeping things somewhat flat and distant by carefully controlling my values.
4.) Today, I spend the majority of my time on the middle ground and the fence. Admitedly, this shot doesn's show much of the texture and subtle variation that I've worked into it. At any rate, I'm just about to begin the "fun stuff".
5.) I spend a little time on the cowboy and the horse, I want to make sure my drawing is done well and that neither the cowboy nor the horse look funny...I have a little tweaking to do still, but I'm out of time for today.
6.) I feel as though the fence posts jutting up behind the horse were just a little distracting, so I paint them over to the left and then get to work on the calves...now things are starting to take shape a little. More to come...if you aren't signed-up, you should sign-up for my painting progress newsletter, this is where you'll get updates to these A2Z posts...go to the painting a day link and you can sign-up there.
7.) So now everything is starting to come together, I block-in the remaining calves and start to fuss a little with my values...I just have the foreground and a little detailing to do and it will be done...
8.) I'm just about finished...I have to paint in the rope around the little bolting calve's neck and do a little work to the rope he has coiled there and I'll be calling it done. There was something bothering me about the sky, so I glazed it a little in the upper right corner to bring things in a little. I think it's better now...click here to see the finished piece!
<<<...Back
© Mike Callahan. All Rights Reserved.