Dec 14 - Covering the Canvas, Horse Commission

Now the canvas is 98 percent covered, and the basic idea of the landscape is in place (except for all those white board fences!). The trees have their identities, and I have managed edge control to keep your eye where it needs to go--on the horse first, and then throughout the rest of the landscape.

The source material for this commission consists of two photographs--one of the horse, which doesn't include some portions of his hooves, and one of the distant trees and pastures of the farm. Combining resources is always fun, because it allows an artist (me) to be more creative with the design for a better end result.

Now that the canvas is mostly covered, and the major color choices have been made, I can begin to add related colors to make those areas more visually interesting, and then focus on the details of the horse. Many artists might choose to finish the horse first, but in my book, that makes for really heavy head-work to complete the rest of the canvas. One must then always compare and justify the painting in the background and make a concerted effort to keep it less than the focal point. I find it much easier to make the background interesting, and then heighten the excitement in the focal point (horse) with details and sharper edges.

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