After a regrettably long hiatus, I am back with a new cat head painting! And for the New Year!
Circumstances in life prevented me from getting into my studio to paint for the past several months. I tried to compensate for that by doing some drawings at home. (More on that later.) But now I am back, and am working on some new paintings! This little cat head is the first to be completed. I especially was trying to capture the fluffiness of this kitty with soft brush strokes and lost edges. Also, warm and cool temperatures were used to show depth (I hope).
With this painting I also attempted to go looser! It was fun!
Words cannot express how much I missed painting, and how WONDERFUL it felt to be back to it!
But, I did do some fun pencil work, and below is my latest piece. It probably needs some more tweaking. It’s simple graphite pencil (0.05mm mechanical pencil, HB lead) on smooth paper.
I’m a BIIIIIG fan of crosshatching. When I started to draw portraits as a teenager, I used to blend my pencil strokes, because I didn’t know how else to get smooth or consistent-looking shading. But, as soon as I figured out how to avoid blending or smearing, I never went back to it.
I love crosshatching. I feel it gives me more control and is neater and cleaner. I can go really tight (this portrait is what I’d call “semi-tight”), loose, or super-tight. (I hope to do an example of that soon.)
Well, I think that’s it for now, but now that I’ve had an opportunity for more studio time, I hope to update this blog far more frequently!
The cat eyes are intriguing! Nice to see posts from you. I hope all is well. Happy New Year! Fingers cross d, but not holding my breath, the Clagues will start up this winter with their portrait sessions again. It would be nice to see you again.
Peggy
Thanks, Peggy! Happy New Year to you as well! 🙂 I truly hope that the Clagues start their portrait sessions again; I miss it so!