Well friends, we are solidly into November as I write this, and it's starting to become that time of year again...
I've just wrapped up this house portrait commission for a client, and have several others underway to begin and finish.
Here's a few in progress photos as I remembered to take them. Overall, this illustration took 4 days to finish. Unexpected interruptions to the kiddo's nap schedule threw a bit of wrench in my schedule, what with surprise (but much needed!) structural repairs to the apartment, a long awaited day trip with a friend, relatives visiting, a birthday party (guess whose kiddo turned two!), more visits with family, sheer exhaustion... well, I think you may get the picture. It was a pretty busy weekend all around.
The initial drawing! I used a ruler and calculator to make certain it was to scale- a bit time consuming, but I would rather have it right the first time!
Filling in all the background areas with some light washes.
Adding in more detail- each of these bricks were painted individually, and then washes were applied over them later in the painting to make it look a bit more believable.
The home is not located in Louisiana, but something in the reference photo made me think of hazy, atmospheric, swampy, deep south sorta vibe. I added some gouache in the foreground for a bit of the foliage in the trees and a teeny bit in the shrubs. Personally, I liked the way it turned out, and that's a technique I'm keeping for future use. I also emphasized some glowing light from inside the house and the front- that was a fun, last minute detail I'm happy I put in.
This is my favorite photo of the whole bunch! Each window pane was painted individually, so there was no white gouache used in that part- just the trees and bushes in front of the house.
In terms of areas that need improvement, I still see my struggle with 180 and 90 degree angles. Depicting those straight angles- that is a skill that must be practiced some more. If anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them!
Anyways, it is my sincere hope that this portrait is received with delight and cherished for many years to come- I really hope that in this painting I have captured something of home.
Doesn't that look like a cozy home?
Well guys, I hope you enjoyed looking at a few of these in progress photos. There is still time to order custom art for Christmas in the shop, if anyone is interested as- just click on the shop link on the website and shoot me a message.
Best,
Katy Becker