This black bear is about half way to being done. Maybe a little more. There are areas - like his eyes - that will get quite a bit more attention. I'll do those with a tiny brush, which then seems to always translate it to large blocks of time. This is 9" x 12" and is a study for a larger painting. When I work on larger canvases, I like to do a study of the subject first. It always surprises me the things I see when I actually start to paint. For some reason, I don't notice some things at all until I pick up the brush. Doing a study first will give me a good opportunity to really "see" my subject as well as let me work out compositional issues.
Speaking of composition - I used Adobe Photoshop to try different backgrounds with this bear. And all the comps I created were done in a horizontal format. But when I sat down with my board and my pencil, to sketch it in, I turned the board vertical and decided I liked it that way.
Also, when I was working out the composition, I found that a tight crop on the bear's face with a square format was very exciting. I really do like painting "up close and in your face" portraits. Time to add a square canvas to my art supply list!
I'll get this bear finished up before next Tuesday, so be sure to stop by next week and see the finished painting.
susan
http://susangarriques.com
susan@susangarriques.com
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