After I was happy with the drawing, I began painting my darks first and then added some mid-tones. At this point I'm still feeling it out, with nothing too tight. I'm really enjoying the loose, casual feel of it so far and hope I don't tie it up with too much detail. It feels really good.

It's smaller than what I've been doing, only 16x20, so the price will be less too...if anyone is interested in owning this piece.

I was asked to show at a local Foundation Quarter Horse show this weekend--Memorial Day. What a wonderful  venue with electricity, concrete floors, real flushing bathrooms and a cafe! I only have one question...where are the customers?

It could show profits down the road with commissions, a gallery connection, and a new student, but instant gratification is also nice. Since it was slow, I decided to start a painting...something simple and on the smaller side. The few people that mosied by seemed to really enjoy watching and I was actually enjoying it too.

So here is what I did yesterday. I don't think I have ever shared my drawing process before so here is how I actually start a painting. Using burnt sienna, I rough in my drawing with a gesture drawing. I really love this part! It's fun; it's lively, and it's the heart of the painting. Get this wrong and it can be a pain to fix, if it even can be fixed.

Well, did you find the composition problem? It was the fence post growing out of the calf's head. As you can see I took care of that issue by moving the post. I tightened up details and finished the dirt and dust. My cowboys face was too red, so I fixed that. Now the painting is finished and you can view it in new releases.

I'm loving this session--things are really coming together now. You can see on the right side I have added a dark bush to pop the horse's face which I have lightened. I've changed some values along his chest as well. The color and value of the dirt in the arena has basically been determined.

My methods are a little different from most artists who do a value sketch before they even start painting. That's good, but I could never get the hang of that. I like to do backgrounds last and make adjustments to values as I go. My training was in fashion illustration where we always worked in black and white, adding values behind the figure last to create just the right pop. 

Now, here's a test. There is something drastically wrong with my composition. Tell me what you think it is.

It might not be obvious but a lot has happened in this session! Most of it is detail. I worked on the rope, my least favorite thing--it takes some time to get it just right. Then I started toying with my background. This is the stage when I really begin thinking of values that will pop my subject. They aren't really working yet, so I am contemplating changing that I will make in session 5. Values are even more critical than color and for you non-artists following my blog, value is all about contrast...darks vs. lights.

    This is the slowest part, the saddle and other tack takes so long. I worked on the wrangler's face, jeans and chaps as well. It's really coming along. I started the rope, but it has to be my least favorite thing to paint... so precise and tedious. I expect it will take another three or four sessions to complete this painting.
    The chaps were especially fun; I'm pleased with the way they have turned out. I still have to put in the horse's tail that will cut across the calf's body. The calf's rump will be somewhat obscured by dust.
    As you can see, I haven't done anything in the background or foreground. This may take me awhile because I'm planning on putting a holding pen full of cows in behind him with a rail fence. If it seems like it's getting too busy, I will probably blur everything the way a camera lense does.There will be a hill and sky in the far background. The foreground will just be dirt arena and shadows.
    I am leaving for Pendleton, Oregon on Thursday for an exhibit opening. It is called "In the Company of Cowgirls" and it's showing off 18 of the best female western artists in the state. I am so happy to counted in their ranks. The exhibit is in conjunction with the Cattle Baron's Weekend and should be well attended.
    In this economy, I can only hope.