Custom Kitty Portrait, Step By Step

As part of my "Bouquet From The Cat" Kickstarter Project, I am offering custom portraits of your very own kitty dearest (or that of a loved one).  Here is how I create them,  step-by-step.


First I take a look at a photo of the subject (or you may provide a really good description of the subject). You can see that Tamayo, a dear departed "nephew" of mine, was an especially handsome subject. If you look at his eyes you will see why he was an extra-special feline...

Then the recipient chooses the type of bouquet (tulips, roses, carnations, sunflowers, etc).  Here we're going with the mixed bouquet and this is the black-and-white line drawing that will be used. Using my computer, I add the kitty dearest's name (the copyright watermark will not appear on the original):

 Next, the recipient chooses the background colors, and I fill them in on my computer.  I print this part out onto watercolor paper using high quality inks:

With watercolor paints, I re-create Tamayo's distinctive markings:

The recipient also gets to pick out the color of the vase...

 ...and the flowers!

 Most important is capturing Tamayo's sweet pink bunny-nose and ears, plus those extra-special "odd eyes":

Finally,  I use my waterproof black pen to make an extra embelishment around his name and sign the artwork.

 Ta-da! It's ready for framing!

____________________________________

We still have a little over 2 weeks to go on my Kickstarter project, and here are two ways that you can help me reach my goal and ensure that the project gets funded:

1. By making a pledge if you haven't already (you'll get to choose "Bouquet" cat art rewards like notecards, prints or custom cat portraits like Tamayo's!).
and... 

2. By spreading the word and sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc...Here is the link to share: http://kck.st/1bnprOr

Thanks again for supporting my creative endeavors... 

It means a lot to me!

Buttonwillow In Profile... A Watercolor Tutorial

[first- a word from our sponsor: All photos, text and art are copyright 2012 by Susan Faye.  Please feel free to share the link to this tutorial, but do not reproduce it in any form without written permission from  me.  Thanks!]

To Buttonwillow's delight, I recently completed a watercolor portrait of my little darling in profile.  By popular demand, here are step-by-step photos and descriptions of the process.

First-- the reference photo that I started with... Notice how her pretty eye is almost smack dab in the middle of the composition-- that will be the focal point of the painting.

 
Next I've taken a piece of 140 lb. cold press Arches watercolor paper, and lightly sketched in the basic outlines in pencil. I've also used masking fluid to block off and protect areas that I want to stay absolutely white, such as the whiskers and the glint in her eye (the masking fluid dries into a rubbery and water-resistant solid, and then can be rubbed off at a later point).  The masking fluid is tinted blue, so that you can see exactly where you've put it on the white paper.

Next, I did an underpainting of warm colors.  This is a fun and fairly random "slopping on" of wet and runny colors.  This will give a warm glow to the transparent colors I choose to put on top of it (plus, because I use "non-staining" colors for my underpainting,  lifting "mistakes" that might be painted on top of it becomes that much easier!)

I do not own a tube of black or gray paint.  That's because it is so easy to achieve much more interesting blacks and grays by layering two or more complimentary colors on the paper.  A classic mix is a dark blue, such as ultramarine or prussian blue and burnt sienna (you can use any two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel). So that's what I've done here.  The paint tubes say blue and brown, but your brain says "BLACK"!

See how the masking fluid is protecting the white of those delicate

 whiskers, eyebrows, and ear floof?

Now for that focal point: the eye!  I am going to take extra care to make it shine. First I put on a very wet wash of yellow. (Remember, those blue spots are the water-resistant masking, which will eventually revert back to white areas)...

 Next, I drop in some blue paint, right into the wet yellow-- mostly toward the top of the eye.  It's going to mix and swirl and make a mottled green. I want it to stay lighter at the bottom where the light is bouncing into her eyeball (look at the reference photo and you'll see what I mean).

I also drop in just a hint red while everything is still wet, to tone down the lime-green effect of mixing the yellow and blue...

While all of that dries, I paint her  cute little pink nose and add some warm color to the inside of her ear.

Most watercolor reds don't dilute down to a very satisfactory or vibrant pink.  So I use "quinacridone red" which is a very vibrant, transparent deep-rose-pink-red color that dilutes down to a soft pink very nicely. 

I also use a very diluted gray mix and work on her mouth line, her chin, and all that glorious floof below her cheek. layering the pale gray to make soft shadows.



 As watercolor paint dries, it always fades a bit.  So now I am going to dab in some more yellow and blue toward the top of the eyeball to deepen that color a bit;  then I paint in the dark pupil with my mixture of dark blue and burnt sienna which = black...

Now for the fun part.  With an art eraser, I gently rub off the rubbery blue masking.  Wow! Those whites are still so white! They are too white (and pretty harsh) aren't they?  Let's soften them up a bit.

 Using my gray/black mix and a fine-tip brush, I narrow down each whisker and hair. Also, I "tone down" some of the whiskers with a pale gray wash-- this will make them recede a bit and make the whiter whiskers look like they are in front, adding dimension.

AFTER

BEFORE

I also tone down the glint in her eye slightly.  It is actually the reflection of a window, and that window has some tone variation in it.  It's little details like this in a focal point that will add authenticity.  See what a difference it makes?  You can also see the before and after of the eyebrow hairs...

BEFORE

AFTER

Then comes a prolonged period of tinkering, dabbing,  adjusting, and obsessing. until at some point you put on the brakes, probably because the cat is demanding dinner. With any luck,  you haven't over-worked the entire painting...

Thank goodness for hungry cats. It looks like its done!

 Any questions?  

Drop me a line in the comments section, and I'll do my best to answer them!

 

What Should I Paint Next? (Plus another Work In Progress)

The Art Harvest Studio Tour is looming ever-closer so I am painting, painting, painting!  At any given time I like to have several paintings in progress so that I can let one "rest" while I work on another one or two.  

I need your help! 

What should I paint next?  

A plow-horse team, A bumblebee on a dahlia, a cottontail bunny or my streptocarpus flowers?  Please vote in the comments section of this post.

In the mean time, here is what I am working on now.  Last week I put it to a vote here and on my facebook page and Buttonwillow won hands down.  Here is the reference photo: 

 
First I've sketched in her pretty face and used masking fluid to block off areas that I want to stay absolutely white, such as the whiskers and the glint in her eye (it will be rubbed off later on ).  

Next, I did an underpainting of warm colors.  This will give a warm glow to the transparent colors I choose to put on top of it (plus it makes lifting "mistakes" that much easier!)

 I do not own a tube of black paint.  It's easy to achieve much more interesting blacks and grays by layering two or more colors on the paper.  A classic mix is a dark blue, such as ultramarine or Prussian blue and burnt sienna. So that's what I've done here.  The paint tubes say blue and brown, but your brain says "BLACK"!

The eye is the focal point here, so I am going to take extra care to make it shine.  I'll work on that later today and show you the results soon.

While things are drying, help me decide what to start on next... Thanks for your help! 

Tutorial: How To Make a Desktop Diorama

Today I'm going to show how I create my fanciful desktop dioramas, like those pictured here.

A diorama is a "three-dimensional miniature or life-size scene in which figures, stuffed wildlife, or other objects are arranged in a naturalistic setting against a painted background".
For this project you will need to find a small box with a "window" in the lid. I found these stainless steel spice boxes online. Make sure that it is deep enough for several layers of images.

This little box is 3 inches square and 2 inches deep.

You could also use a wooden shadow box like this one that I found at a local craft store.

You can draw and paint your own motifs, use pictures from books or magazines, use rubber stamp art, or clip art from your files. I'm using one of my own illustrations for this project.

I've taken motifs from the illustration and reduced them in size on my computer so that they will fit into a 3" square space. Then I printed them on white card stock.

If you are using art that is on lightweight paper, such as images from a book or magazine, use a good paper glue and glue them onto card stock or other sturdy, heavyweight paper. I'm going to use that flower patch square that's in the right hand corner for the background, so I made sure it is at least 3" square to cover the back of the box.

Next I place the box on top of the background art and trace around it with pencil.

Then I cut it out just inside of the lines. I cover the back of it with a thin film of glue (I have used both Aleene's Tacky Glue and E6000 Craft Glue and either one works fine) and then place it inside on the back wall of the box, pressing it firmly to make sure it lays flat.

IMPORTANT STEP: Each piece (except for the background square) is going to need a little 1/4" tab at the bottom for gluing. I always draw it in with a pencil so that I don't forget it when I'm cutting out the pieces.

Next I cut out the other pieces that I plan to use. I use small, sharp scissors that make it easy to maneuver around tiny details.

I fold back each tab and crease it really well, then fold it back out half-way so that it is at a 90 degree angle from the front.

I put a nice glob of glue on the bottom of the tab of the first element, a flower, and place it about two-thirds of the way into the box. I tamp it down with my finger to make sure it is firm against the bottom.

I add the wheelbarrow about one-third of the way from the front...

And I add the watering can at the very front of the box.

Next, I round off the edges of the tab on the piece that will decorate the top so that it will have a nice finished look to it.

I place the lid on the box...

...and then glue the top piece right behind the lid and center it. This is where a ruler comes in handy.

And voila! A little 3-D miniature world to enjoy!

I hope this gets those creative juices going and that you'll have fun creating your own diorama with images you might find in a vintage children's book, using rubber stamps, or better yet, using your own drawings!

Not feeling crafty today? You can choose from an assortment of dioramas already made up and ready to adorn your desktop -they are available in my Etsy shop: Susan Faye Originals.

Thanks for visiting!

My All-Time Favorite Top Secret Watercolor Technique

Impress your friends and family and give your watercolors the WOW factor with my All-Time Favorite Watercolor Technique. To create intricately mottled textures in your backgrounds, foliage, and landscapes as pictured below, you need go no further than your kitchen for the top secret ingredient.

It's SALT!
Here's how I created the foliage texture in my latest painting. Give it a try... it's fun!

First I dampen my watercolor paper (Arches 140 lb. Cold Press). Then I start plopping down washes of watery, but color-dense watercolor paint. You will need lots of rich color--remember, watercolor paint fades a bit as it dries...I start out with yellow and a bit of rose.

Next I plop in some thalo blue and let it mix and run and bleed into the yellow to make varying shades of green. Letting colors mix right on the paper will make the greens much more interesting than if you mix one flat color on your palette. It's important to work fairly fast so that the area you are working on stays damp.

Once I have lots and lots of deep colors on the paper and I've let them all run together in interesting ways, I take common table salt and sprinkle it here and there. You can experiment with sea salt and other types of salt--larger grains will produce different effects. Also experiment with the amount-- sometimes less is more.

Now it's time to sit back and relax. Don't touch anything; just let the salt work its wonders. Here's a close-up.

Here it is after 5 minutes. You can see the salt chemically reacting with the paint and creating white "stars" and concentrated speckles of paint:

Here it is after 10 minutes. Fun, eh?

Now wait until it is completely dry and brush off any remaining salt crystals before resuming painting. (You do not want to get salt on your paint brushes or transfer the salt back to your palette-- it will make all of your paint come out blotchy!)

I used this technique to create the background in my latest watercolor illustration. The painting is almost complete and I'll share it when it's done. In the mean time, here is a peek at one corner that I've finished...

Now go forth and have some watercolor fun!