In Progress
86 Main Street / The Black House
Inspiration / Photos
This piece is intended as a birthday gift for the owner's wife. They are working hard to restore this iconic home on Main Street in South Glastonbury right next to Draghi's Farm Stand. I received a number of photos from the owner. I have three canine stars for this one!
Marley, Atlas and Richie Beans! So cute!
oops, I got Marley and Richie mixed up!
Sketches
Not only do I love the house but the property behind will give me an opportunity to play with layers of colors on the sloping hillsides of rock ledge. We have a similar landscape in our own backyard!
I always draw my pets on a separate sheet of paper so I don't get distracted by trying to keep in scale and can concentrate solely on their character. Here we have three completely different personalities and sizes! My idea was to take the chaos and put it in order: one, two, three pups in a row! A sight I am sure no one has ever seen in real life.
Once I get the dogs the way I like them, I scan the house sketch and the dogs and blend them together in Photoshop. I can move the dogs around to find the best spot and then scale them to the appropriate size.
Tracing
Using a light tablet, I transferred the drawing onto the watercolor paper and tape the edges to keep them clean.
For this piece, I used Arches 300lb paper.
Washes
My first washes are painted in for the sky and lawn. My intention is the paint the trees over the sky to give it a wispy, light feeling.
More Washes....
At this point, I wasn't sure I liked the sky showing through the trees. Will it be distracting? Will the colors be as bright as I imagine?
I will wait until I work on them more before I decide. I know I will have to start over if I don't like them.
Trees
Three layers later and I love the trees! They are exactly what I wanted! Fun, colorful and cheerful. September is oozing from them!
This house is destined to be a favorite!
Lots of progress today! The front façade is almost done and the dogs have their first coat. Looking good!
Puppies!
Worked on the hillside today and love the way it is coming out.
It's done! This one has earned a spot on the front page of my website.
.....I see a red house and I want to paint it black.....No colors anymore I want them to turn black. haha.