End of Year

This year seemed to fly by and I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. Although I do feel that I'm learning and getting better with each piece, I had grand plans for how fast I'd be able to paint and was hopelessly inadequate in that area. I hope to be able to organize my time and techniques more effectively in the new year and get more works out there.

I am down to the last of my blank resins and am pretty sure I can get them all done in 2011. So far I've had really good experiences with commissions, so I do plan on continuing with them, though it will probably be spring before I can take any more on.

I have to admit that this wasn't a great year for me money-wise, and trying to deal with money issues and survive as an artist has been a real challenge for me.  I am hopeful that I will be able to turn the corner soon and be a little more successful in this area.

The main thing I want to focus on in 2011 is to simply relax and enjoy myself more, and not get so caught up in worrying about things that I have no control over. I think I should be able to do that ;-)

I hope everyone else has a healthy and prosperous new year!

Holiday Update

I'm going to be in and out of the studio the next week so this will probably be the last post before Christmas. I have been really productive and am really far along on Alvaro, Mercurio and the reiner, but I don't want to show them until I've got more details on them. So here are a few things that I've just started or are still in early stages:

Sushi is on her third layer of oils, I think. She's going to have some light dappling on her shoulder/back area, and then a surprise! You'll see...

Mini Nahar has another layer of oils. I think I already said that he'll be a straight bay, I'll probably give him a sock or two and some kind of facial marking.

I've softened the dapples a bit on Mercurio at this point. I just love this sculpture.

Here's another Taboo that I just started. He looks so terrible right now! He's going to be a red roan overo (maybe some sabino) I've been looking at a lot of reference pictures lately so I can't remember.
I've also done some research for a Nevada and the Stormwatch that I will be starting (probably next year). I'm finally getting down to the bottom of my resin list! That means that hopefully by the middle or end of next year I can start concentrating on more current resins as they become available. I definitely don't like having a big herd of unpainteds on my shelf.
That's it for this time, I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season!

A Naples Yellow Comparison

Naples yellow is one of those great "horse-y" colors, but I have found that it really varies from one manufacturer to another. Each company seems to use different mixtures of pigments to make their color, and it can range from a bright yellow to a subtle neutral. I've been cycling through tubes to see what manufacturer I like best, so here's a few that I've tried lately.

I like Rembrandt paints in general because they are very smooth and relatively cheap (plus their tube is 40ml vs 37ml for most standard tubes). However, some of their colors tend to be garish, and also they tend to use more oil so I have started steering away from them a little bit.

The first color on the left is Rembrandt Naples Yellow Light. As you can see, the tube is almost full because I didn't like this color. It's too light for my taste, and it almost has a greenish cast to it. The color to the right of it is Naples Yellow Deep. This one is better, and I have used it on models, but it's still too yellow and falls into the garish category for me. It can always be modulated by another color, but I'd rather not take the extra time when one color will do.

Next is Sennelier Naples Yellow Deep. I really like this color and use it all the time. It's a nice neutral yellow, and the consistency is buttery without too much oil. I don't use a lot of Sennelier colors because I had a really bad experience with a stringy tube of paint from them once, but this is one color that I will definitely buy again.

Finally, there is Winsor & Newton Naples Yellow. This is slightly more yellow than the Sennelier, but it's still a very nice color. The problem I have with it is that it has lead carbonate in it. I didn't realize this when I ordered it online. I don't like using paint with lead in it, not because of the toxicity so much, but because the lead makes the paint heavy and difficult to brush out. It's a weird feeling and doesn't work well with the lighter synthetic brushes, it needs a good stiff brush to work best.

There are still a few other brands left that I'd like to try, but I need to use up the Sennelier first. It lasts a long time!

Weekly Update

Sushi has a simple airbrushed basecoat and a thin layer of oils on her now.

I worked some on the dapples on Mercurio. He still looks a little polka-dotted and regimented at this point.

 

I got a chance to work a bit on this Mini Nahar. He's going to be a straight bay. It was really relaxing to just put some paint on and blend it, and not have to worry so much about hair growth, patterns, size of dapples, etc.

I'm still debating what color to paint my Stormwatch. I'm leaning towards roan right now. When I look at him, I see pinto, but I don't know. I could do a roan pinto, but I'm just not sure. So indecisive!
That's it for this week :-)