I'm Cute - A Work in Progress

Today I taught an art class on painting a Holstein cow at The Point in in Young's Point, Ontario.

I had the outline drawing of the image already drawn out on a template for the class and all they had to do was transfer it onto their stretched canvas.















Once that was done I had them paint in the sky using a mix of ultramarine blue and titanium white.

Next I had them do the muzzle and nostrils of the cow using various mixes of ultramarine blue, titanium white and Grumbacher (naphthol) red before we took a break for supper.















When we returned they started with the black areas on the cow using Mars black as the base and the highlights were various mixtures of the black with titanium white added.

Titanium white was painted into the white parts of the cow as the base and the shadow colour in the white areas was the same colour mixtures that were used in the black areas for the highlights.















I needed to help most of my students with painting the eyes.

For the most part they could get the brown part of the eye painted in with burnt sienna, but then had problems with the placement of the black pupil and the white highlight.

I will post this painting at a later date once more of the cow has been completed.

I'm Cute - Drawing

Today I wanted to do the drawing of the cow for the art class I will be teaching  at The Point on 23 August 2017.

The transfer will be a plain outline drawing, without markings which will allow each student to paint in the markings they want on the cow.















Since the class is made up of beginners I wanted to be sure that there would be large areas of one colour to keep it easy for them to complete the painting in the three hours of the class.

Now I just need to make a few photocopies for the class and everything is ready.

Poster for the Crazy Cow Class at The Point

I just had the poster made for the class I am teaching at The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ontario on 23 August 2017.

If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Janice Costa at The Point.

Shady Place 1

It is unbelievably hot for the first week in September with the temperature reaching 91F (32.8C) and with the humidity making it feel like 106F (41.1C).

I spent the morning on the front porch and did this drawing of the main trunk of the big willow tree on the front lawn.















The tree just by itself was too stark, so I added a couple of cows around the base of the tree settling in for an afternoon in a shady place chewing their cud.

I may add another couple of cows, but I will leave that choice for another day.

Cows 6-8 - Three Works in Progress

Yesterday we were fortunate that we had the thunderstorms in the afternoon and afterward the day turned bright and sunny with a nice breeze even with the temperatures hovering around 84F (29C) and the humidity making it feel like 102F (39C) so last night Ron and I had a wonderful time in Peterborough at Del Crary Park for the Canada Day celebration.















Cow 6

We were entertained by Motor City Music, a nine piece Motown Tribute Band that played many of the most popular dance hits of the Motown era and did them extremely well. Needless to say we were up and dancing most of the night and afterward enjoyed the fireworks display sponsored by the area's Rotary Clubs.














Cow 7

Today I wanted to post these sketches from the weekend when I took in my paintings to Art on Kent for the Annual All Members' Show which will open on 05 July 2014 from 1-3pm.

While I was sitting the Gallery I worked on the drawings for another three cow paintings before taking my paintings home from the Exchange show with Gallery in the Attic.















Cow 8

I will post each painting at a later date as more work on them is completed.

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

Paint Out at Lang Pioneer Village

Today we had out paint out and show set up at the MacKelvie Gallery at Lang Pioneer Village.

I chose to take two of my cow paintings (see postings on 11 and 13 May 2014) to hang in the Gallery and this is where they are being displayed.













I spent the rest of the morning going through the Village taking reference photographs and sketching things that I would like to paint at a later date.

It was nice seeing a lot of the volunteers in period costume wandering through the village and working in some of the buildings.

I will post my sketches and paintings at a later date as I complete them.

Cows 3-5 - Three Works in Progress

Since Cow 4 was almost finished (see postings on 02 and 12 May 2014) I thought I had better carry on with them since I only have two more days before the art show on the weekend.

I went back into the painting using black, white and grey to add shadows onto the cow's face and body.

Next using burnt sienna and black I painted in the eyes and added the long eye lashes to give the cow a little expression.

Lastly I did the muzzle of the cow using various mixtures of burnt sienna, white, alizarin crimson and Hansa yellow.















I changed the name of Cow 4 to Whatever.

I then started in on Cow 3 roughly applying the markings with black and white and started to put in a little bit of the shading onto the cow's face and then set it aside to dry.















Cow 3

Next I worked on Cow 5 and once again started in with just black, white and grey and applied markings to the face and body before setting it aside to dry.















Cow 5

I will post these paintings as I complete each cow at a later date.

Cows 3-5 - Three Works in Progress

Today I was back working on the cow paintings. I would like to have these finished for the upcoming 26th Annual Among Friends Show at St. Matthews Church in Buckhorn, Ontario next weekend.















Cow 5

I completed the drawing of Cow 5 that I had started earlier this month (see posting on 02 May 2014) and made a number of changes.















Cow 3

I decided that I was going to work on these three pieces in the same manner I worked on the two that I completed. (see yesterday's posting).

First I painted in a simple sky on Cow 3 using French ultramarine blue, white and a touch of burnt sienna and set it aside to dry.















Cow 4

Next I worked on Cow 4 and after painting in the sky decided to give it a little more interesting background and with Hansa yellow, and French ultramarine blue I put a pasture behind the cow.

With the last cow, since the image takes up so much of the canvas I once again did a simple background sky.















Cow 5

I decided that I wanted to work up Cow 4 since it was different than the other two cow paintings.

Using just black and white I painted in the markings on the cow and indicated some of the hair detail as well as some of the shadows.















Cow 4

I will post each painting at a later date as the cows are completed.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at the artwork. I hope you will return often.

Cows 1 and 2

I worked on some of the drawings of cows that I put on canvas earlier this month (see posting on 02 May 2014).
















Cow 1

I started with putting the background in on the first painting of a cow. Then I set it aside to dry and worked on the next painting and put in a slightly different background, this one with clouds.















Cow 2

Now it was time to paint the first cow. I used a limited palette of white, black, for most of the cow's body and burnt sienna for the eyes. For the nose I used mixtures of alizarin crimson, Hansa yellow and burnt sienna.

Lastly the fence rail was painted in using mixtures of all the colours to create an interesting weathered look on the wood.
















I changed the name of Cow 1 to Holy Cow! which  is available for $95.00. SOLD

Using the same colours as for the first cow painting I completed the next cow. I also changed its name from Cow 2 to You're Joking?















I would like to thank Ms. Adrienne West of Bethany, Ontario on her purchase of You're Joking? as a gift for her mother on Mother's Day.

Cows 1-4 - Four Works on Progress

Cow 1

Today I had a very pleasant surprize. I received a phone call from a lady who was at the Canvas Confidential show yesterday and saw my painting called "What?" (see postings on 06 April 2014).















Cow 2

Her mother fell in love with the expression on the cow's face and was unable to get it; so now I have been commissioned to do another painting of a cow similar to the one at that Show.















Cow 3

Here are the sketches for some new paintings and I will post each of these paintings at a later date as more work is completed on the cows.















Cow 4

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

What?

This is a painting I stated with Gail Hawkins a couple of months ago (see posting on 25 February 14).

I enjoyed working on this piece and I think I may do a few more pictures of cattle in the future.














This is the third of three paintings that will be donated to the Canvas Confidential fund raiser for The Lindsay Gallery.

What? - A Work in Progress

Today I spent the morning with the Buckhorn Tuesday Painting Group watching a demonstration on how to do pussy willows. I will have to try doing one at a later date.














In the afternoon I went to KAGS for the last day of the workshop with Gail Hawkins which was on abstract animals painted in two complement colours.

I drew the head of a cow in charcoal and have fixed the image.

I will post this painting at a later date once it has been completed.