In the future this page will feature some more Step by Step paintings with descriptive copy and illustrations to help anyone wishing to join in on the fun. Also, there will be new works in progress by Shull presented here. Announcements will be made.
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Painting "Mother's Watch is Keeping"
Step by Step in Acrylics.
Step One -
I always like to have an accurate pencil drawing
to work with. It resolves a lot of problems that tend
to crop up later on in the painting
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Step Two
After laying in a neutral grey wash consisting of Yellow Ochre,
Burnt Umber and a touch of Paynes Grey, I painted the spots
in a solid flat color of Burnt Sienna mixed with Burnt Umber.
The reason for this is I'm working with Acrylics so I can easily
glaze my highlights and shadows right over these flat spots
to create the dimensional effect that I want to achieve in the
finished rendering.
This couldn't be accomplished as fast working in oils.
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Step 3.
As you can see by the light and dark washes of colors over the giraffes, I am creating shadows, highlights and form with the littlest of ease. The dark wash consists of Mars Black, Burnt Umber and lots of Matt Medium. The light wash consists of Titanium White, a touch of Yellow Ochre and lots of Matt Medium.
Sprinkled throughout the painting are accents of hard lines to keep the original drawing from disappearing. These accents are a mixture of Mars Black and Burnt Umber. For the time being, the grass is roughed in with a flat mix of Green Oxide and Yellow Ochre as a base.
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Step 4 -
If anyone wants to know where I got the idea for the title, I got it
from a line in one of my favorite Christmas carols "What child is this?"
At this stage of the painting some if not a lot of details are added. Also, I airbrushed a subtle background or wisp of Olive green to add some atmosphere. With friskets I also sillouetted the mother giraffe so I could airbrush some green over her hind legs to set them back into the misty green background.
As for the mother giraffe's face, I have added details to her features so the little guy can recognize his mother.
The grass in the foreground has also been worked on so all I have to do for the next stage is to add some blades of grass and then blend into the background. In Step 5, I will be adding final details to the figures and generally refining the painting.
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Step 5 - The Finished Painting
After reviewing the colors in the background, I decided to lighten it up a bit, especially after a very good friend of mine mentioned to me that she thought I had a painting here where anyone could enjoy it...even children. So, for those mothers that are looking for a print to hang up in their child's bedroom, here it is.
Also, I decided to put a frame on it for viewing purposes.
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