At Attention

At Attention
Acrylic on masonite, 6x6

One day, while at my daughter’s house, this big boy was sitting in an alcove by the window, looking intently at the birds landing on the railing outside.  The afternoon light reflected beautifully off his fur - and I knew I must paint him!  For this square format, I zoomed in on him, to catch that bright, warm light on his face, neck and leg.  I used this reference for a demo done in painting class today, showing how I approach the subject and block in the color.  In this case, I painted all the background first, leaving the areas for the cat (negatively painting him).  I find this a great way to get my subject exactly where I want him, with no drawing or lines, just masses of color.  Next, I lay in his values and colors, add a little detail work with the brush, then hit those highlights with the palette knife.  I make sure and bounce all those colors around the painting a bit before finishing, to ensure good color harmony.  This big cutie makes painting number 1126 in 1126 days :)