11-06-06: Summer in Elk Country

Since my last entry I've done only minor adjustments to this work.  There are tiny hairs, a little detail work that needs more concentration than I can manage right now.  Absolute completion is on hold.

10-30-06: Summer in Elk Country

I applied the hairs using a #1 round synthetic sable and my scriptliner brush.  The hair colors ranged from a very light yellow to a very light blue for shaded hairs.  The problem was that the consistency of the paint was too watery and the hairs were therefore too wide. After they were dry, I muted them with a wet tissue.

10-29-06: Summer in Elk Country

I worked on the elk again.  It's getting closer, but needs final definition.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get the consistency of the paint just right so I can apply the look of tiny hairs.

10-28-06: Summer in Elk Country

This session and a couple of others I worked in defining the elk.  I tried various sizes and types of brushes, using whichever one seemed to work best at the time.  It's hard for me to get the right colors of tan and the right consistency of paint for his coat.  It seems like it's going to take me a while to get it right.  Today painting was a little more therapeutic than it has been since Mom fell.  I'm working on letting go of the outcome with Mom.  This also helps the painting.

10-14-06: Summer in Elk Country

I underpainted the elk using my script brush for part of the antlers, and a number 4 and 2 flat sable for the body.  For the antlers I used ultramarine blue and raw umber.  For the body I used those two colors, plus a little burnt sienna and indian yellow.

10-12-06: Summer in Elk Country

I sketched in a standing elk using a white charcoal pencil.

10-11-06: Summer in Elk Country

Repainted the grass and the flowers behind the elk.

10-10-06: Summer in Elk Country

I just didn't like the elk, so I wiped them out by painting over them with variations of green.

10-09-06: Summer in Elk Country

I did more tinkering with the faces and heads, and a blending of colors on the bodies.  This seems to be a slow process; I'm not sure how to achieve what I want.  Now, I wish I had just painted the head of one of the elk.  Larger is easier to do.  Oh well, I could be having all this difficulty because I'm still stressed about Mom.

10-05-06 and 10-07-06: Summer in Elk Country

Both days I worked on defining the elks' head, faces and bodies, mixing various combinations of browns, golds and white, plus the dark for definition.  I used #1 round sable, #4 flat sable and the script liner brushes.

10-01-06: Summer in Elk Country

Using burnt umber, Payne's grey, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and white I painted both elk, reshaping, reworking, highlighting, wiping out highlights etc.  For brushes I used #2 and #4 flat sable and my favorite script liner.  The elk now look a little less like dogs.

9-28-06: Summer in Elk Country

With ultramarine blue, hooker's green, a touch of Payne's grey and white I painted highlights and ripples in the stream.  Using burnt umber, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, white and a touch of Indian yellow, I added layers to the elk.  For the proper effects I used bristle brushes, flat sable - both natural and synthetic - and my favorite script liner brush.  I also worked on the boulder using Payne's grey and a little burnt sienna.

9-25-06 thru 9-27-06: Summer in Elk Country

I painted in highlights for grass, further defined the bull elk's antlers and both elks' faces - just a little.  I added brush to the lower left corner and reduced the size of the boulder in the right corner.  The last thing I did was add a stream.  Since I had roughed in the paint for the boulder, now I had ridges.  I had to make some of the water a little choppy to cover the roughness.  I also blocked in a few small rocks in the stream.

9-23-06: Summer in Elk Country

I underpainted the elk, using a combination of burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna, Payne's Grey and small amounts of white applied with flat sable brushes.

9-22-06: Summer in Elk Country

Today I worked on the grass.  I also underpainted a large rock and searched Phil's photos for a picture of a second elk to add to the painting.

9-21-06: Summer in Elk Country

I added highlights to the background trees, some highlights on the distant grass, added more layers to the aspens and some leaves.  I underpainted some rocks, and realized I need to paint more than one elk to give the painting balance and interest.

9-19-06: Summer in Elk Country

I underpainted a meadow scene in an aspen grove and started working on the aspen bark.