This is such a wonderful scene, referenced directly from a photo. The cowboy was originally facing the other way, which is not the best composition so I made him going into the scene instead of out of the scene. I still love the light colored cow so much. Black cows are challenging, but that little blond cow takes away all the emphasis on black. This painting is 22X28, so pretty large. If anyone is interested, it is $2,772. I offer lots of payment options and would love to arrange a private viewing.                                           
                                                               Faye Taylor - Western Artist

I love the pinkish cow against all the black ones. I gave the cows some form, but not a lot of detail. The background needs to recede a lot more than in does now, so I will take care of that in the next session. There is still a lot of dried grasses and willows that need to go in too.
                                                               Faye Taylor - Western Artist

It's not often I get this much of my canvas covered in one session, but I couldn't stop. This is a large canvas 22x28. My biggest challenge, I think, will be keeping the cows in the foreground from becoming the focal point, while still creating depth. I may pull a photographic trick and blur them some. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This is from a photo reference that was not my own, which is rare for me. I never paint from photos taken by professional photographers, but sometimes with permission I use photos taken by private parties. This was a photo taken by the rancher's wife on a cold, winter day with snow on the ground. The photo was low resolution, so details are blurry, but that's all I really need. The background is a distant mountain area with big sky. It has the feel of being at the top of the world looking out over a vast panorama.
                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

All done, but I'm not sure I like the hat. Any suggestions? I think the left side needs to come down more. Other than that I really like this final painting in my cowgirl series.
                                                           Faye Taylor - Western Artist

It's coming alive. I've got some tightening up of details to do, but the figure is basically done. I might give the poor girl some ears, though. Details!
                                                            Faye Taylor - Western Artist

Originally my subject had long, loose hair, but I decided to tie it back. I don't think I have her collar just right, yet in the drawing, but I'll get it later. Again, I love the "S" curve in this pose and her fringe is going to be awesome too!
                                                           Faye Taylor - Western Artist

She's all done. I like the fence posts in the background which helps stop the eye from going off the page. Her elbow is an arrow that points off the page, so that fence is important to the composition.
                                                             Faye Taylor - Western Artist

As you might notice, I had some trouble with the sleeve that I faked in but I'm getting it. I love the expression on her face.

Whew! This one is pretty brightly colored. I think some might have to do with the gold background, and of course that will change. I can't wait to cover up her mustache! Everything still needs work, but it's on its way. This model is the same girl as "Pretty Tough." I've changed hair and hat, and made her full chaps instead of chinks, and the shirt is different. I also added a scarf.
                                                           Faye Taylor - Western Artist

My drawing looks funny with the shadow line across her face, doesn't it? My fashion illustrator background has really come in  handy with this one. I wanted you to see the photo I am referencing for this piece, so you can see that I changed her arm and decided to leave out the reins. The reason for this is that my next painting in the series is the same girl from the backside of this same pose, but I don't want it to look too much like it. Also, I like to work from same size images. It's much faster for drawing if I don't have to worry about enlarging from a small photo.
                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

As you noticed, I changed the name to "Tough Enough" because I put a pink shirt on her. I like the way it turned out, but looking forward to the next one.
                                                         Faye Taylor - Western Artist

The basic figure is done, except for some fine tuning. I have to lay in the background before doing the rope and fringe. I like the pale pink shirt with the pale blue jeans. I'm not happy with the lower legs yet and plan to make some changes, but need it to dry a little first.
                                                             Faye Taylor - Western Artist

Well, it's time to give the girls their due. This cowgirl was actually wearing full length chaps, but I'm changing them to shorter chinks so I get more fringe movement. Again, I'm looking for a title. I am doing a series of three and my model is the same for each, but I'm thinking of doing a blond, brunette and redhead and changing the clothing. I could simply call them "The Blond," "The Brunette," "The Redhead." What do you think?
                                                           Faye Taylor - Western Artist

Here is the finished work. In spite of the tediousness of detail in tack and fringe, the outcome was well worth it to me. You might have noticed that I paint a lot of faces turned away or in shadow. And if I do paint a face, it's usually stereotypical. There's a couple of reasons for this, which you may have guessed already. One reason is that if I paint a recognizable person, I need to have a model release or they can sue me for painting them without permission. However, the main reason is that viewers need to connect with the art, so I like them to be able to say, "That looks like Joe when he was young," or "That reminds me of my brother."

It's all about connecting with the viewer--the more they connect, the more likely they will find a place in their home for it.
                                                                Faye Taylor - Western Artist