Painting In Progress - "Morning Light - Moose"

I have always wanted to paint a moose.....so here it is!

"Morning Light - Moose"

Normally I know how I want the painting to look like in my mind....I said normally.

Although when I started to sketch my moose painting, I could not make up my mind if I want him in water or on land.

After a multitude of sketches on paper and a week later, I decided to just start applying paint and see what happens. Rarely to I start a painting like this, although I do like the way it turned out and as you can see, my moose wading in water came to life.

Now that I have decided to place the moose in water, it need more to balance the painting. So I decided to add marsh grass and reflections. Now was the time to start blocking in the first layer of fur to the moose.

Working on layers of fur and then added the reflection of the moose in the water.

Hope you like it and your comments or questions are always welcome.

Photographing Artwork Yourself vs. Professional Photographer

Have you ever taken a photo of your artwork and found that the colors did not match the painting? Was it sharp and crystal clear or slightly blurry? Do you see the edges of your artwork where it is slightly distorted? Do you see a glare or hotspots? Well I have when photographing my own artwork. I discovered years ago that photographing my own artwork was not the way to go for me.

When I looked into what I needed to photograph my own artwork, I found there was more to it than just point and shoot. Now I have never stated that I was a photographer, so understanding this process was a little overwhelming for me. And to be honest, understanding the camera seemed “Greek” to me. Now if I took the time and took a photography course or read hundreds of pages in understanding the camera and settings, then maybe I could get it.

But for those who do want to photograph their own artwork, here are a few tips I have learned:

• Use the best camera equipment that you can afford
• Use a stable and solid tripod
• To minimize blurriness, use a self timer
• Avoid putting your artwork in direct sunlight- overcast sky or indirect natural light works the best
• Set the white balance on your camera correctly
• Do not use the flash on your camera
• Make sure your artwork is photographed directly and not under glass

These are just a few things to consider and I advise you to research more about your camera settings, lighting, etc. before deciding to photograph your artwork.

Here are a few examples of my own work taking the photos myself vs. using a professional photographer.

My Photo

My photo seemed very dark in color, especially the blacks, which was not true to the painting. Even though my photo is focused, clear and was taken on a flat surface, the edges are still distorted. 

Professionally Photographed

The photo taken by professional photographer is exactly how the original painting appears.

Here is another example:

My Photo

Professionally Photographed

Again, my photo does not show the true colors of the painting as well as the professional photo does.

I spoke to my photographer and he gave me some really important tips as to why it is best to have your artwork professionally photographed that I wanted to share with you. I use Harrington PAF to photograph all of my artwork.

Why should you let a professional photograph your art?

"As a photographer who has devoted a lot of time to photographing art over the past several years I feel there are many reasons.

Here are some that top my list:

1. Equipment and Experience

When photographing art it's important to have a proper lighting set up. Understanding light and knowing how to set up for art will produce an image that is evenly lit without glare or hotspots.

2. Focus

It is very important to know how to photograph a piece of art that's in focus from the bottom to the top and corner-to-corner.

3. Color

Accurately reproducing the diverse colors in artwork can be one of the most challenging aspects of art photography.

4. Glare

Many times artwork has a shine. It might be a clear cote, varnish or a certain medium. It is important to know how to eliminate this to produce an accurate final image.

5. Aspect ratio

Getting the final size of the image to match the ratio of the painting size is a must. Having clean edges and accurate sizing requires a more in depth understanding of the process. There is much more to it than just pointing and shooting.

These are a few of the things I have worked through over the years. If you want clear accurate images of your art, it's best to let a photographer with experience in the field of photographing art.” Dan Harrington

Because I offer Giclee prints of all my artwork, I personally find that using a professional is best for me. Also, since I enter many art shows, it is very important that I use the best photo of my artwork possible.

These are just my personal feelings and preferences and I commend those that can accomplish photographing your own art with high quality. Maybe someday I will take a course in photography and learn these skills, but for now I would rather paint and let my photographer do what he does best!

Do you photograph your own art? If so, please feel free to leave any comments or questions.

Painting In Progress | "Solitude - Snowy Owl" - completed

Working with oils wet on wet, the snowy owl was quite a challenge since each feather had dark to light with shading colors. I found it easier to paint each feather individually ---- sooooo many feathers. But as challenging as it was I enjoyed painting them as it was bringing my snowy owl to life.

"Solitude - Snowy Owl"

Close up view of snowy owl:

In my next blog post, I want to discuss photographing your artwork yourself vs. a professional photographer, so please check back soon. Please, feel free to leave any comments or questions!

Painting In Progress | "Solitude - Snowy Owl"

When I began this painting, I knew I wanted the background to be a snowy open field and I was going to place the owl on a rock, surrounded by dried grass. However, after I applied the sky colors and snowy field, I changed my mind on the surroundings, as I really liked the simple look for the background. At this point, I decided to add a broken fence post in place of the dried grass and rock.

I rarely title a painting before the painting is done, because that can be one of my biggest challenges. Because of the painting's simplicity of one single fence post and one owl I chose "Solitude - Snowy Owl" as the title.

In my next post I will show the completed painting, so check back soon! As always comments and questions are welcome!

Painting In Progress | "Solitude - Snowy Owl"

My wildlife photographer friends seem to be on the look out for snowy owls that come down from Canada into the northern parts of New York. Since I have never painted a snowy owl, I thought it was time. Now I have never seen a snowy owl in the wild, but I did have some reference photos I took at the zoo. This was the photo I decided to use for this painting.

When looking at the photo, I was a little confused by the colors. I had always thought that snowy owls were black flecked, although my photo shows the markings being brown. So to the web I went to research more about snowy owls. I like to research the animals I paint to better understand their characteristics and habitats.

Through my research, I found that the flecks and bars can be brown to dark or brownish/black - Defenders Of Wildlife. According to All About Birds, some snowy owls may even have black and brown bars together.

So now that I have a better understanding of snowy owls and their habitats, character and color, I am ready to sketch out my owl.

Since this painting is going to be primarily snowy background and the owl is the whitest bird, I am not doing a background wash. This leaves the pure white of the gesso primed masonite board for me to use for the background.

Check back soon for more of my painting in progress, "Solitude - Snowy Owl". Please feel free to leave any comments or questions, as they are always welcome!

Painting In Progress | Black Wolf - Complete

Since I now have the final coat of fur and highlights done, I am really happy with the painting and ready to sign. Titles for a painting are sometimes as challenging as actually painting it, but I had a few ideas in mind and suggestions from others and decided to go with:

"Within The Shadows"

Now that my painting is completed I will take it to a professional photographer to photograph and print proof. Even though I do have a digital camera, I cannot say that my skills in photography are in any way professional. I also, want to offer Giclee prints of my paintings so a professional photographer who works with artwork is the best route for me to take.

Your comments or questions are always welcome!

Painting In Progress | Black Wolf (continued)

Now that I have the wolf and background blocked in, I am ready to have fun in painting the fur. Yes, for me it is fun because it is like bringing my subject to life.

The 2nd. coat of fur and more detail to the eyes and nose.

Here I added a 3rd coat of fur with a few highlights and painted in the foreground pine tree branches and leaves. I decided at this point to add more leaves in the mid-ground in contrasting fall colors to add more depth to my painting.

Now I am ready to paint the final coat of fur and highlights where I feel it is needed. I also notice that the right eye needs to be adjusted to correspond with the left eye. In my next post I will show you the completed painting, so check back soon!

Any comments or questions you may have are welcome!