Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Animal Wednesday - maybe not a career...but a sideline.


I made this 8x8 cow painting for my friends shop - she sold my little crow painting and we thought we'd try a cow and see how it goes.

I got a picture of a cow and used it as a model for a painting...with paint. It was awful! I mean that shape of the cow was good but the painting was dreadful, I just don't know how to push paint around.

As an additional model, I used a painting that Lo did of Samson, cause I love the way she did his highlights in blue paint for a black dog - this is an important point to this story - you'll see why later. Really, Lo's painting makes adding those highlights seem so EASY - and it's not. And Ms Lo can really push that paint around as evidenced by the Samson painting below.





Anyway the cow almost got thrown in the recycle bin. But then I decided to rescue it with pastels. I pasted tissue paper over the painting so that the painting showed thru but was muted, and then I went to town with the pastels. Somehow I can control them better, and I like the overall effect.

Here's the funny part. When I brought it upstairs to show to DH, he liked it and then said "it reminds me of Samson".

!!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

14 comments:

kj said...

Honestly, I think your cow is terrific. Your talent is so understated and your modesty is unwarranted. You put tissue paper over it and went from there? WOW!

I've watched lo do her magic painting a raven. I could have watched for hours and days. Both of you are super duper great.

kj said...

P.s. the cow's eyes and nose say so much

XXoxo
kj

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

Well I think its good. I love the eyes. Will you put it in the shop? Go for it. I find acrylic paint VERY hard to push around. Which is why I always revert back to oils.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

How ever you got there the cow is really nice. I have never used pastels. They look rich as a cow. HAW.

sukipoet said...

Love reading about your process and thoughts and inspiration for your cow. you know, from years of doing craft fairs, i know not to judge what i make. i may have something i think is not so good, or maybe just okay and then a customer comes along and loves it and says i have so much talent etc. ( this was in the past, not now)

i think your cow is moooo cho nico.

Annie said...

I love your cow. I also love to push pastel around with paint.
Congrats on the sale.
xoxo

Lynn Cohen said...

What a cute story! You channelled one animal through another!
And yours is so well done. I'm impressed by your "pastel pushing"!
I bet this one sells too!

I love Ms Em painting up there too. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could earn a living selling our art?! Keep putting it out there...

Teri said...

I just love Ms Em no matter what she is doing. You need to make a book of her.

That cow is just wonderful. The end result was worth all the work.

HAW

Robin said...

I echo Teri....whatever she does, it's fabulous! She NEEDS to be in a book!

I think the *Samson-channeled Cow* is adorable! I am always impressed by your work....and I think you will sell this one too!

I adore Lo's painting of Samson...(YOU know how I feel about Labs...) She is one talented lady....and has a real feel for painting Furry and Feathery creatures!

HAW!!!!!

Love,

♥ Robin ♥

Geraldine said...

I love your cow drawing too!

I thought it would be nice to share this at Animal Wednesday:

http://www.takeahappybreak.com/2012/01/mr-cheddar-unwraps-his-prize.html

our dear Mr. Cheddar won a big gift basket recently, he's unwrapping it at that post!

Not sure if you are still taking new members but thought I'd stop by anyways, via Teri's blog.

Hugs to everyone, G

marianne said...

I love the cow and I can see why it reminded your husband of samson.
Lo is master in highlights and animal eyes. Felix told her once : it looks so easy, but it is not. And he was so right at the time.
Your cow is great dear! Love it.
HAW!

Amanda Summer said...

it's so weird how people react to art, especially their own. i really liked that cow portrait the moment i saw it!! it's got personality plus i love the angle of the face.

do not throw it away!!!!

Katiejane said...

This is a very nice cow. I especially like the Kleenex coming out of its head! :-)
Really, you did a wonderful job of this and I love the corrections you made. Art is so flexible and a mistake is never a mistake unless the artist deems it so.

AtelierBrigitte said...

It is lovely! And I totally like the illustration where someone else is painting the cow.