This painting wasn't quite done enough to show yesterday - even as an "in progress", so I decided to postpone my Tuesday post till Wednesday. The canvas still doesn't have paint over the entire surface yet, but I think there is enough definition now so that it at least is beginning to look like a bear.
The canvas is 12" x 12". After applying several coats of white gesso, I put down a coat of "unbleached titanium" acrylic color. It is a very nice pale tan color - almost a pale Naples Yellow. And a very pleasing color to tone a canvas with.
I sketched the eyes and the nose with a pencil directly on the canvas. When I was satisfied with their positioning, I sprayed the canvas with a workable fixative. This will keep the pencil from bleeding into the oil paint.
The painting began with the darkest blacks. I used a mix of Van Dyke Brown and Winsor Newton's "Winsor Blue - Red Shade". This makes a beautiful blueish black which is just what I wanted for this bear. For the lighter areas, I've mixed a bit of Titanium White in with the "black". For this blocking in procedure, I don't use too many colors, choosing instead to add more color when I get into the final details. The part of the canvas that is light tan hasn't had any oil paint on it yet.
Thanks for stopping by - I've got an art exhibit opening to announce and will do that here tomorrow - so be sure to check back then.
susan
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