Vignettes

Every picture does not have to be a full blown painting.  Sometimes a simple little drawing is a nice change from complicated compositions, colour schemes and well thought out story lines.  At times, just a centre of interest on a blank background can be enough to make a very satisfying picture.

"Downey Duo" Acrylic on Paper  3.5" X 6"  

These little paintings might be done as colour sketches for a painting idea or maybe to try out a different style or technique.  Other times they may be 'just for fun'!

"Little Filly" India Ink on board 6" X 6"

I used to do a lot of pen and ink drawings as commercial illustrations.  It is a lot of fun and I think it would be nice to do them more often.  This little sketch was done as a study of a new foal that one of our mares delivered some years ago.  It can be challenging to try to create the illusion of light and shade, tone and texture using only a simple black line on a white background but the results can be very rewarding and fresh.

Creating small, simple pictures like this is a great exercise that doesn't have to take a long time to complete.  It is a great way to capture an impression or likeness of something or someone when time is short or ideas are coming fast and furious!  For an art lover on a tight budget, it could represent an opportunity to own a piece of original art, sometimes for less than the cost of a print.

Mikey

"Mikey" is one of the horses that are boarded at our farm. I painted Mikey for his owner in a small format, just 6.25 inches by 9.25 inches. When I do these small portraits I usually work in acrylic, as I did here. I did the painting on acid free art board and I worked in several layers of wash, particularly on the coat, then increased the level of opacity as I added detail to the horse's features and bridle. By painting the background in a heavy impasto in a very loose manner, I created an illusion of greater realism in my subject. The black bridle seems to pop out in contrast to the rich red coat of the horse, while the contrasting blues and greens of the background makes the subject dominate the painting. Carefully placing the highlight in the eye makes the whole thing come to life. As always, prints are available or I can be commissioned to paint your horse or pet.

Painting Progression-Horse Portrait in Acrylic-Step 5

The final stage of this painting should pull everything together.  I apply a final glaze of acrylic color over the dark areas of the horse with a mixture of burnt umber and ultramarine blue.  I do not want to obliterate the warm sheen of umber on the highlight areas of the horse's coat, so I use a generous amount of mat medium in my glaze to keep it semi-transparent.  I finish in the darkest details with black, then adjust a few subtle areas such as the pink of the muzzle and the blaze on the nose before adding the final touches of extreme highlights over all of the reflective areas on the horse and tack.  I add some clean light blue in the background, next to the horse's face to increase the contrast in this area.  This will draw maximum attention to the face of the subject.  The last thing to do is add my signature and the painting is complete.

Painting Progression-Horse Portrait in Acrylic-Step 4

At this point I darken the local color of  the subject, adding detail.   I continue to add more intensity and  depth to the dark areas and shadows.  I also paint in the lightest areas and add detail to the bridle and reins.

Painting Progression-Horse Portrait in Acrylic-Step 3

Now I paint in the light areas, basically blocking them in, thus creating a third tonal range.  This is how I systematically establish the darker shadows, the local mid-range colors and finally the light colors and highlights, which tend to be closest to the light source. 

Painting Progression-Horse Portrait in Acrylic-Step 2

In the first stage of the painting, I blocked in the basic mid-tones.  Now I add darks to begin establishing more depth to the picture.  I am controlling separation of the background from my subject by painting darks in the background nearest to the lighter areas in the foreground, and visa-versa.  

Painting Progression-Horse Portrait in Acrylic-Step 1

This is the first stage of a small painting that I completed recently.  I have blocked in washes of colour in a loose fashion initially.  I have used warm tones on the subject and a cooler blue in the background.