Sarah's Painting Journal » WIP

Finished

Sarah Lynch — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:37:01 +0000

I finally delivered my pet portrait commission today but I was in such a hurry to get it out of the house before I changed my mind that I forgot to photograph the final version so I will have to go and visit it sometime to record it. They seemed to be pleased with it, so maybe I got it right after all. For the work-in-progress see here & here.

More WIP

Sarah Lynch — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:03:30 +0000

Further work on my commission

Here is my further progress on my pet portrait commission. I have tried to punch up the contrast a bit but I am still very unsure of the expressions. My source material is so scant and I barely know the annimals in question having only “met” them once. I guess I will let this dry for a bit and then finish it off.

Commissions – WIP

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:31:02 +0000

Cuddles & Minou

I have always avoided commissions (usually by quoting such an exorbitant price that I manage to scare the client away). I was once asked to do something “about this big” (gesture with hands to indicate a piece about 24″X36″) in “browns and blues to go over my daughters bed”. Her budget was around $200, I suggested she visit Buy high end framed art at Imagekind" target="_blank">imagekind and select something she liked. I have finally got a commission that I haven’t been able to avoid though. It is a portrait of two pets, the only “children” of a couple of friends of mine. I visited and tried to get some photographs but was unable to catch them together, I also have a couple of snapshots provided by the client, one is literally of their backs. I have put together a pastiche with Photoshop and am trying to paint something from that. I kinda feel like it is the commission from hell. I have never been a pet portraitist, the only animals I have painted being my own, ones I know intimately and don’t really need photos for.

Here is my progress so far. I will come back to it after the holiday and see if I can pull my ass out of the fire.

Cigar Box Pochade Hardware

Sarah Lynch — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:41:05 +0000

I spent some more time finishing off my pochade.
I replaced the hinges and clasp and made a brace from a couple of mending strips. I have an old camera tripod which is missing the block that is supposed to screw into the camera. So I made a mounting block out of three pieces of boxwood and glued and screwed them into the botom of the cigar box. I actually used it today for one of my Daily Paintings. I am still on the look out for some accessories. I need a suitable palette and a way of securing it in the box so that I can transport it without the paint getting all over everything. I would also like to find a good way to secure the panel while painting. Watch this space.

Pochade Clasp

Pochade Brace

Pochade Hinges

Pochade Mount

Mounted on a Tripod

Making the pochade

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:01:52 +0000

Well I made some progress today. Whether this will be worth the time I am putting into it remains to be seen. I must have spent two hours this morning seeking out the right hardware. Everything I have read insists that it is essential to replace the existing hardware with something sturdier, so I have found some small brass hinges, a new clasp and a pair of brass “mending strips” to use for a brace. I have also used some box wood from a fruit box (the sort of thing that mandarin oranges come in) to reinforce the back and front where the new hinges and clasps will be attached. The cigar box is made from very thin cedar and I want something for the screws to go into. I cut the reinforcing strips with a box cutter and am gluing them with carpenters glue. So far so good.

Cigar Box Hardware

Cigar Boxes

Sarah Lynch — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:55:59 +0000

I have been thinking for some time that I wanted to replace my antique pochade with something a little less precious. The one I have belonged to my grandfather and is at least 100 years old. I have looked at the commercially available ones and they are mostly too big, too expensive or too fancy. I have read a couple of blog-posts about making them out of cigar boxes and so I want to give it a try.
One of the advantages of working in a tourist town is that although there may be a shortage of many necessities, like a pharmacy or hardware store, we do have a cigar store and my American readers might be shocked to note that it sells Cuban cigars. They sell the fancier wooden boxes for five dollars but they give away the paper-covered ones. It is the wooden one with the recessed lid that I need for my project but I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of the others as well. They are so attractive and I am sure I can use them for something. On the bottom of the pile you can see my current box.

The next step is to replace the hardware with something a little more sturdy. I will try to post again as I progress.

Gala & Delicious WIP

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:29:00 +0000

For more information and to see the finished painting, see My Daily Painting Blog.

Fruit Trees under Snow WIP Week 2

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:26:55 +0000

Well I am beginning to think that this was a mistake, that just because it worked at 7X5 doesn’t prevent it from being a monumental waste of canvas at 20X16. I guess that is pretty usual at this stage but with my smaller paintings it happens after about 10 minutes, not a week. I will let this lot dry and see what I think about it next week.

Fruit Trees Under Snow WIP 1

Sarah Lynch — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:48:59 +0000

So I decided to choose this one for my January Monthly painting. I have painted it twice already, last January and earlier this month, and it has been a popular subject. It is 20″ X 16″ and I hope to retain some of the spontaneity of the original while using the advantages of allowing some drying time between sections.
Today I just painted background, snow-laden sky and snowy ground. I then etched in the skeletons of the trees to establish the composition. It may be a few days before I get back to this but I will post again as I progress.

The Theatre

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:25:26 +0000

This little watercolour was done about 7 years ago. I thought about it when I went out to paint this lunchtime. When I got to the spot I had chosen I realized that I had forgotten to fill up my water reservoir, so I had to resort to markers again.