Newest Painting, Full Picture

Presenting the newest addition to my family of paintings.  At 14 1/2x36” it comprises royal colors that bespeak our cat’s regal position.  In this collage we’re flanked on either side with closeups of the colors and textures within the painting itself.  It was great fun painting on a hardwood panel as opposed to canvas, and as a result it easily withstood the many layers I threw at it.  Pretty much loving this one,and it even matches my naturally red hair. :)

Well, this one’s not for sale, but I’m wondering if you could picture YOUR animal so beautifully portrayed.  If so, let me know!

Puppy (Painting) for Sale

I think YOU need a dog! This excitable pup needs a new home. I painted him with big loose strokes to give the feel of non-stop puppy movement, and he won’t even shed on your jeans. I use the best paints on highest quality gallery wrapped canvas, sealed with layers of UV protectant varnish. You can find him on my website 

colorcatstudios101.etsy.com and will also find deep descriptions and many other pictures.

Well, I can’t say it’s hot off the press; I guess I’ll say it’s hot off the easel.

I always like to have someone in our family take a picture with me holding my painting. This way you can get a good feel for its size.

A little closeup of my slobber boy so you can closely see the strokes and how I layered the colors.

Red Panda Painting

In order for people to understand what size canvas I’m working on, I like to have a shot taken with me holding it. Here it is! Now you can tell what size it is (24x36) and see that I wear super goofy hairstyles when I work at home.  NPR, you have your ‘driveway moments, and so do I.

Also note my lovely long green hair growing out of that head planter.  Pretty fantastic, huh? When I planted those two little plants, they were six inch sticking-up hair. :)

Red Panda Painting Commission

This adorable little fellow is coming out to meet the world tonight, barely dry.  Someone hired me to paint a red panda and wanted me to include some teal, which was really easy since they’re complimentary colors. I think he is ADORABLE. When she came to see him she said, ‘He’s even cuter in person!’ That’s what they always say; it looks bigger, brighter and ‘realer’ than photos ever could. I do commissions of pretty much any subject requested. Check out  my website, colorcatstudios101.etsy.com, and if you like my style, tell me what you’d like me to paint for YOU!

This fine fellow is 24x36”.

Finished Bloodhound Painting, Really!

This is a painting of a very old bloodhound I just finished. His name is Blue and I think he’s pretty stinking adorable. I’m not sure I’d want him slobbering on my carpet, but I would definitely want him hanging on my wall!  There are some very slight differences between my previous post and this one - can you find them?  The changes I made are minute... ;)

Do you have pets you’d like me to paint?  Let me know!

Puppy for Sale!

Puppy PAINTING for sale, that is! I just posted this fine furry fellow for sale on my website.  He is full of fun and ready for a new home.  Trust me, he will be easier than a real dog! 

Have I ever told you I paint on heavy, gallery-wrapped canvas with the highest quality fade-resistant paints? I also finish my paintings with a UV varnish. If they decide to get dusty on you, all you have to do is wipe a damp cloth over them. Also, this guy badly needs a name.  Any suggestions? I’m thinking about ‘Not Quite Rabid.’

Here are a few closeups.  Love the colors and textures in this painting so much!

Here I am holding it so you can get a perspective of size.  It’s 24x36”, and I’ve got it wired for immediate hanging.

I painted him in big, bold strokes to give the feeling of imminent movement, as you should feel with a dog like this! Oh, my goodness, I love him!

 

Check out this link for details.

colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

Collie Painting Finished

Yay!! I just finished a commission and they love it!  Here’s a little sneak peek at a small portion of the painting; it’s of three gorgeous collies.  It was such a pleasure to paint these beautiful animals - I fell in love with them as I worked.  And now, it’s varnishing time.  Looks like the weather’s going to be sunny and good for that this week. Happy! And yes, I do commissions.  Just ask.  My email is colorcatstudios@gmail.com.

Lion Postcards, Posters and Magnets

I took my Dad to the doctor expecting to go in as well.  When the doctor slammed the door in my face I paged through magazines looking for a good picture to draw. I happened upon an old, grizzled lion and had a good old time drawing him. Later I thought, “I could paint a lion...” Since that time I’ve painted lions and tigers and bears, oh my! ... and so much more. This painting has long been sold, but I have postcards, posters and magnets! Check my website. 

colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

Theater Sets Artist

Here is some more of the work I did for Porter High School’s fantastic production of Peter Pan. What a great show!  This was their poster; I thought it looked great.

They asked me to make their fireplace look like marble and paint a landscape over it. Generally in the beginning I will ask them to paint the object with a color of medium value, neither light nor dark.  That way I can add the texturing, dimension, etc. with colors and values on both ends of the spectrum.  The lowlights (shadows) and highlights (nice warm lights) are what make the sets pop.

When I first looked at the fireplace it was a base of off white with a clean red brick veneer.  My first project was to dirty up the brick so it looked more like brick and not just the flat surface.  Several layers of blacks, greys, some green and blue splatter to pull it together with the walls, and believe it or not, I rubbed a little yellow up on the mantle.  Most of these things can't really be seen, but they are felt.  Although you couldn't really see the yellow per se, you could feel the radiating warmth when the light hit it.

Below, some of my paints.  This is my go-to toolbox when I work offsite.Oh yeah, I love my Yeti. It has upped the quality of my life.  Funny how little things can do that, huh?  I didn't mean to wear my good Born boots that I painted; usually I wear sturdy Skechers shoes which I have dedicated to paint.  They're good for climbing.  But these LOOK so good, and I was planning on seeing the show!  Just remember, if you like them, I can paint YOUR shoes, jeans, shirt or purse like this.  Message me.  I charge fifty bucks and you will literally have people chase you asking where you got them.

And yes, just like anybody else and a whole lot of artists, I googled ship to find exactly what I wanted.  Didn't work.  I finally hit upon galleon and hit gold.  This is the little printout I taped up so I could actually see what a ship looked like!  A lot of times I just keep the needed pics on my phone but that has its drawbacks.  Theaters are dark caves.  You have to use your phone flashlight a lot so you don't die.  AND, they're often notoriously bad for reception.  Better to have a hard copy so you can get it done.

In my previous post you will see that I did silhouettes of the characters; they build and hung frames for me to work inside.  There was no frame above the fireplace so I had to paint it in.  (Straight lines are my big weakness - can I get an amen?)  I tried using a long paint stick to get the frame lines straight, but it was too painted.  Imagine that.  Finally I just eyeballed it and went for the long strokes.

This close you can see that it's a little wonky, but trust me, you can't see that from the audience.  If you really want to know the BIG SECRET, everything in theater looks a little wonky closeup.  Costumes, makeup, sets, props... doesn't matter.  What matters is the audience.

They nailed down the bouquet, of course, which also matters huge as this entire sets piece was wheeled in and out innumerable times.  The mantle was also built sturdily because Peter Pan flew up and stood upon it.
I had about 20 minutes to paint the entire ship, and as it was, they were already practicing flying before a show!  I had literally just removed the paint cans when Peter flew up there and almost got paint on her butt!   Yikes!

Because I had to do this quickly, I used big brushes; a 1/2" flat brush is my absolute smallest for sets, and I almost never even take one.  The background of the sky is almost all simply the wall color (hey, it matches!) with the addition of some grey-green clouds.  The final touches of those little yellow dots warmed up the entire feel of the piece, and the red flags added the much-needed flash of color.  I didn't have a brush small enough for the flags so did it with a finger dipped in paint.

Here are the brushes I used.... well, not quite... the three middle ones were the ones I used.  The two outsiders were used on a project at home.  If I HAD had that nice little flat brush on the left, I wouldn't have had to sully my fingers!  Sometime I'll show you my fingernails.  It's a pretty hopeless cause.  But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Once again, whatever it is you need painted, big or small, call me!  My number is 281-734-3362 and my website is colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

One last word on brushes; I think the big center one is a two inch flat.  It's been a favorite for years because I can hit hard with it and it always remains flat.  Good paint retention too.  The two rounded ones on each side of it are filberts, sometimes called cats' tongues (wonder why).  They don't show brushstrokes as much as a straight-edged brush.  The smallest guy is a 1/2" flat, a size which is one of my personal favorites, Bubba.  Lastly, the brush on the other side, the lowest brush, is a course acrylic or oil brush with completely stiff hairs like boar's hair or something.  It doesn't hold a lot of paint, but the stiffness works under a lot of conditions.  It's one of those brushes that takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

You may note that some of them look a little sudsy?  They are.  Coming soon, a lesson on brush care.