What a ride! Yes, I remain a finalist in the Shorty Awards, and I am trying to find a way to get to New York City on March 3 so that I can attend the ceremony. More about that later.
As fun and gratifying as it was to have my Twitter following support me so enthusiastically in the Shorties, I am glad to get back to the business of painting and creating things. I never stopped, but I am glad to have it as my primary focus again.
What have I been working on? Well…
I have recently completed two canine pet portraits, which I will detail in future posts here. I am working on another pet portrait of three West Highland Terriers (Westies) and I am about to begin a cat portrait as well.
And I have begun work on the ultimate grand pet portrait, the “Downtown Cats” mural. The mural depicts the most famous downtown cats in Canton, OH—my own Brewskie Butt, Who, Slick and Noah—and will eventually be mounted on the building currently occupied by HEAP in Downtown Canton, OH.
The mock up design that is seen above is what the mural will look like when it is finished.
Currently, it doesn’t look like much, but it has entailed quite bit of work. here are some photos of the beginning stages. Please excuse the photo quality, as the studio lighting is set for painting, not for photography.
Medium Density Overlay (MDO) board is a wood panel that is often used in the sign painting industry. It is recommended for use for outdoor murals. I purchased the boards at a local lumber and hardware store.
I am not particularly handy with power tools, but my friend Kevin Anderson of Anderson Creative is a wiz with them. He cut the boards for me into the shape of windows, simulating the windows on the building across from the place where the mural will be hung.
Each panel was primed with white gesso and then painted with a dark blue background. All of my paintings begin with a dark layer of color. I follow a process of layering subsequent layers of colors over a dark background, allowing the initial layers to define shapes as later colors are applied.
I masked off the window pane shape with painter’s tape and drew a sketch of the background design for my painting reference.
I then began blocking in the shapes of the cityscape design with paint.
At this stage there are 3-5 layers of color applied. many more layers will be applied before it is finished to create rich vibrant color and visual texture.
All of the materials used in this mural are those that are recommended for exterior use. The paint, board and gesso are all materials designed for exterior use and weather resistance. The final work will be coated with a weather and UV protecting sealant to ensure the longevity of the piece.
The “Downtown Cats” mural is obviously a very large project that will take a long time to complete. Completion and hanging of the piece is slated for July of this year. I will periodically update my progress on the piece as it develops in various stages.
Thanks for following along with me on this adventure!
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
Thought for the Day
“Everyone who got to where they are had to begin where they were.”
– Richard Paul Evans
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
What's on BZTAT's Easel? Pet Portrait of Lucy the Cat!
Artwork by BZTAT
Many of my commissioned pet portraits come from places far away from me, which is fun and exciting.
Local commissions, however, offer me the chance to actually meet the pets I am to paint. Lucy is a cat in Canton, and I was so thrilled to meet her! She is quite the snuggler, and I got to pet and scritch her ears to my heart’s content. I enjoyed meeting her person, as well.
Calico cats are a challenge to paint, as their markings always fall into interesting patterns that can be hard to abstract into simple shapes. Luckily, I have a calico of my own, Slick, so I am familiar with these challenges.
Lucy actually looks a lot like my Slick, so their images look similar. Lucy’s eyes are much more serious looking, and her markings fall into different shapes, but overall, the process of painting the two different cats was similar.
My first step was to paint the background black and then block in colors and shapes.
Using my usual layering technique, I refined the colors and shapes, building up color by painting many layers of varied colors on top of each other.
Each layer reveals some trace of the underneath layers.
I really liked how these initial phases were going, except for one thing. The shape of the head really was not Lucy’s shape.
Although I am not one to stick to strict details for an animal’s likeness, it is important to get the essentials correctly depicted to give the viewer an accurate reflection of the animal’s character. I made some adjustments.
The background of Lucy’s painting reflects the paneling on the wall of her home, since she is an indoor cat.
I really enjoyed meeting and painting Lucy! Here is a photo of her person as she picked the painting up from my studio. She seems pretty happy with it, dont’ you think?
If you are interested in a pet portrait of your animal, info about the process can be found here. Please email BZTAT to make an order or to get further information about getting a custom portrait of your pet.