illustration: fall bouquet

7.02.2009

i thought you might find it interesting to see the drawing -and then the final art at the end of the day.

Here is the basic final; its needs a lot of finesse -clarity of line and precise edges. the vase in particular needs attention. i chose a milked down ultramarine for the background which reflects the way the sky tends to deepen in color in fall. then i shifted the ultramarine a bit in the hue slider to a purer pyrole blue.

with almost all my illustrations, i will put the image in photoshop and look at areas in extreme magnification to see what needs further attention and to try on new colors. i really like this khaki background. its unexpected. but if i go with this color, im going to need to bump up the intensity of the yellow spider mum. it should go to a browner yellow at the tips. that would look good.

i also like this warm buttery background. maybe a bit warmer still -but not more yellow. i was thinking about adding some faded textural layers on top of the flat color; possibly linear insects barely perceptible. but, im finished for the day. time to go let Easter have some free range time. Trout is already at Chickory with V -so its just me and the hens tonight.

27 comments:

  1. wow!

    awesome
    draftmanship

    will check in again later

    have fun

    ¤ ¤ ¤

    /t.

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  2. Yes! Very cool. I'll check back later. Is this an assignment?

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  4. Great idea.
    Your rabid fans are...well...rabid in anticipation

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  5. Definitely will be checking back for the color wow! Interesting you are painting FALL in the heat of Summer... does it actually make you feel cooler?

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  6. you making some money with this? I hope so, because it looks good even at this point. I'll be back.......

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  7. Can't wait...I love it when folks share their methods of working...and with a note on your chicken woes....I used to save the chickens that fell of the Tyson truck and everyone made so much fun of me but I felt I was doing some good by these chickens...I'm not a vegetarian but I feel all animals, even little chick-a-dees need a little kindness...and your kindness shows...your chickens have been given little worlds of happiness...so rest assured your chickens have known joy...

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  8. You ROCK girlfriend! I can't wait to see the rest!

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  9. Very nice. The Autumn flowers have inspired to write an original poem. One of my many talents!

    Weave for the mighty chestnut
    A tributary crown
    Of autumn flowers, the brightest then
    When autumn leaves are brown
    Hang up his bridle on the wall,
    His saddle on the tree,
    Till time shall bring some racing king
    Worthy to wear as he.

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  10. wow .. nice illustration! ..
    so that is how you start.
    kewl ..
    can't wait for the finished version..

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  11. /t: thanks! i love to draw. and i dont do it nearly enough from life. i shall have to rectify that.

    moi: yes. for a certain catalog that sells books.

    gnome: dont bite! ;-)

    fishy: actually its a bit late -usually christmas art is done in july. and i like that!

    boxer: lets hope so. - yep. the last steady client i have. pitiful, isnt it?

    hilary: ive been behind those tractor trailers of chickens. so sad. given the chance, theyd all be very distinctive individuals. thanks so much. i added a lot of commentary on the process for you.

    dani: thank you!

    Troll: wow! is it too late for me to add a tiny racehorse motif to the vase? that would be perfect.

    foamy: its how i start these kinds of things. with painting i tend to not draw so much detail just general shapes.

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  12. beauty!

    all of those
    backgrounds work,
    but i like the blue and
    very pale yellow ones the most

    excellente, my friend

    ¤ ¤ ¤

    /t.

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  13. I agree with all your comments about the flora with the backgrounds. To my eye, the urn looks the most distinctive on the blue and yellow backgrounds.

    Very nice.

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  14. I like the creamy background AND the khaki. Interesting to see how much it changes with the adjustment to the background color.

    Just you and the chicks? Partee!

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  15. The warm buttery background I love the best. Can't wait to see the finished product.

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  17. Uh-oh.

    How to fathom this? I agrees wif' A--an' thas' a weird happenin'- Once per eon.

    Will await the final version, but one wee thang is that whar' the urn's bowl comes into the stem, that first ring is uneven--dips to the left, so mah eye/ brain keeps tryin' to fix it.

    Best part is the signature whimsy!

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  18. I love that you let us into the process. As always, love it.

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  19. /t: thank you. i think the pale yellow is good too.

    boxer: it is interesting, isnt it? it was a different world before photoshop. if i didnt like the colors i had to start over. chicks are 3 days old! running around exploring their world. so cute. 3 black and 2 brown.

    ardliar: i understand. do check back though. i still have the fill work which is the free form plant stuff that will spill over the urn, the shadows under the bottom at hat gives it dimension and the petals that have fallen to define space and some background noise....maybe it will work, maybe not. thanks for playin'.

    faery: hey you! good to see ya. thanks for knowing its not finished. grherhahaa

    aunty: grherhaha youre not to worry! like i said the urn needs lots of refining...however i found out today i really have until next monday (the 13th) so i might do an entirely different image! but no matter what i will finish this piece and post it for you to see.

    shamu: thank you! i thought it might be fun to show all the stages these things go through. theres still a ways to go but you wont see it until next week because im leaving my scanner and cant show any progressions while im at chickory.

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  20. Ardlair is still an ass, I see.

    awesome.

    Extra time will be interesting to see.

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  21. They are all so beautiful it is difficult to choose, you are so talented I love the detail you have put into the vase.

    I think I would have to choose the khaki or buttery yellow backgrounds. I like the little specs of pollen? in the last one they are more visible and that spider flower is gorgeous.

    I am trying to work on something floral myself at the moment...
    trying...

    Have fun with the hens, cant wait to see them. xoxoxo

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  22. I like the blue best. The rest of the backgrounds seemed to mute the colors more than I personally like. Also in the lower right where the yellow flower and twig are I couldn't find the same factor of depth as I did in the other portions of the piece. It may be my eye but I felt there wasn't the same interaction between these two objects as there was in the others.

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  23. is this a commissioned piece?
    i like the soft buttery background best i think ..

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  24. boxer: thanks,grrrrrrrrl. well now that i know i have an extra week i dont have to be careful! so i can have some fun with it..like counteracting the formal of it with improvising. whats up for the fourth?

    dianne: thank you. you are painting a floral? i cant wait to see. i put a chick up for you today!

    walking man; hmmmmm those were near the end of the day maybe i slacked off a bit. grherhahaha

    foam: yes - its for a catalog cover. it was time for a floral in the rotation. its a very female centric clientele. but i might do a different cover now that i have time. we'll see -i want to do something to this painting with photoshop layering of line art. stay tuned.

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  25. I like the background you called "buttery" best. A red chestnut colt with 3 white socks WEARING the flowers might be better than a base and would fit the poem better.

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  26. I like the khaki background best, but I'm not sure that'd be the right choice for a catalog cover.

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