Just Chillin'

Just Chillin"
pastel on black card stock
copyright
Jan Gibson

I haven't been doing much in the way of my own art recently but had to paint this little one. I was in the pet store where I buy dog food and a couple came in with two Papillons and this little 10-week old Chihuahua puppy. All of the dogs were soooo cute that I just wanted to eat them up! I got permission to photograph all the dogs and plan to paint each of them eventually.

This puppy really got to me though, and even being busier than a one-armed paper hanger, I did this quick painting. I wish I'd done it on something other than black stock though. I just couldn't cover the black paper well enough to suit me so I may re-paint this at another time.

The puppy's name is Tia and she was dressed in a tiny pink hoodie and held close to her owner for warmth. I had to take some artistic license as a hand covered most of her body in the photo so I wrapped her in a blanket instead of the little shirt she was actually wearing.

Although I really love all kinds of animals, especially dogs, I'm not usually so taken with one. This little girl was certainly the exception! Hope you all enjoy her too.

This 'n That

I know I've promised to post the pastel pencil of the chihuahua that I did but I've been reluctant to do it. It's the first pet I've done in that medium and I really don't like it much. The client was very happy with it for which I'm very grateful, but I think that just reinforces my belief that most people see what they want to when it comes to their pets!

Anyway, I'll post it because I said I would.

copyright Jan Gibson

I'm still working on the apple still-life and just can't seem to get it finished. I'm not really in a slump but am in what I call a "restless heebie jeebie" state. Usually, I really want to paint and try to paint but flit from one thing to another without being able to finish anything! This sort of thing usually precedes a change in my life that's not necessarily art related. It's sort of the "storm before the calm" although I guess it might be more accurate to say it's build-up to a storm of change.

Nope, that's not right either because the changes aren't usually turbulent or in any way bad. Does anyone out there know what I mean? Do you experience such times in your life?

Anyway, I'm piddling along with the still-life and have made some progress. If I ever finish it, I'll post it, I promise, then I'll probably never do another pastel painting again! lol

Painting Again

Since I have the internet tether set up and working and the Monster more or less finished, I've been trying to focus on painting again.

So far, I've finished the chihuahua pet portrait commission and am back working on the apple still-life. Both are in pastel pencils, a medium that I've not really used much at all and am not sure I like much. The chihuahua turned out ok - I haven't heard back from the person who commissioned it yet, but I think it looks like him. I'm just not especially thrilled with it but it was a learning experience.

On the other hand, I'm liking the way the apple still-life is coming along. I think the difference may be that the still-life has meaning for me and, while I really enjoy doing animal portraits, there's a different sort of attachment for the subject. Also, I think it's because the owners see a pet one way while the artist usually has only the reference photo(s) to go by. I remember one commission where the owner kept wanting me to go darker with the fur on her dog. The photo reference showed the animal as a very light silver gray but the dog was actually charcoal gray! Another owner had the opposite problem.

Animal portraits can be kind of stressful because of the owner's vision versus the reference photo(s). I wonder why they send photos that don't show the true colors or character of the animal even when asked for ref photos that are accurate. I think it's because they see their dog as it is even when viewing a photo that isn't totally correct.

Anyway, the stressful portrait is finished & I'll post a photo of it in the next few days. I'm hoping to finish the apples today or tomorrow and I'll post a photo of it too.

So --- hang around and watch this space!

December 19 - almost Christmas!

Well, Christmas is closer than it has been but the actual Christmas season has been underway for quite a while. We managed to decorate this year, something we really haven't done in years past and it looks nice. I should do it every year but -------

Anyway, I'm still plodding along with both the chihuahua painting and the apple still life. Fortunately, the dog wasn't necessarily to be a Christmas gift since it was commissioned long past the time I could guarantee Christmas delivery but I had honestly hoped to get it finished by now. There has been some intense pain in my right hand when gripping even something as light as a pencil or a paintbrush that has made painting impossible. I've been resting it and taking aspirin and it's slowly getting better. I didn't even write here in my blog although typing doesn't seem to bother me. Anyway, I refuse to let the ailments of the old (someone dared suggest that it might be arthritis!) invade my body and make art so difficult! I've waited way too long to be able to paint again so expect a finished chihuahua and apple still life very soon!

Back Again!

Well here I am two days in a row. Really not a lot to write about today but I did want to keep up with this blog and I also wanted to apologize about the size of the pastel still life I posted yesterday. I would repost it but I think I'll wait until I have a bit more progress on it just so you won't be too terribly bored!

The commission of the little chihuahua is going well but a bit too slowly for me. Since I don't have the exact colors needed, it's a guessing game and trial and error picking the right colors in the right order. I think once I've done a couple more paintings with these pencils, I'll have a better feel for the color combinations and things will go a lot more quickly - it's all part of the learning curve. I was hoping to finish it by tomorrow but I have to go out and don't know if it will get finished until later on in the week. Watch this blog for the completed portrait!