I loved this reference photo from Morguefile because it offered a chance to work on simplification of background, offered a great contrast to get the effect of light, and the 2 hints of red on the dormer and in the light to compliment the strong greens. Continuing to work on my knife technique. After using brushes for a few days, I have to admit one of the great thing about using a palette knife is the clean up.

Thumper

"Thumper" 10x10 inch palette knife oil painting on canvas.  I got this reference photo from either Morguefule or paintmyphoto. I forgot to record which.  I usually paint on gesso board but tried and failed with this guy, so I was able to use the canvas and blend the paint on the canvas, which seems easier to do with a knife on canvas than with a brush.  I would probably have liked to simplify the background further, but his feet are not shown on the reference photo, so I had to add enough grass so it looked natural.

 

 

"Work Ethic" 8x8 palette knife oil painting on gesso board. Source of reference was Morguefile.

I simplified the trees and left just enough out to give the sky a peek, and of course cropped the photo. I also changed the value in the dad's pants. I would have liked to maybe simplified the grass more in retrospect but I am still happy with the way it turned out.

Old habits die hard. I have to keep fighting my brain about what to paint. The father and son are the subject, not the entire scene so I have to do better at giving them the detail and emphasis and not the surroundings. Will move on and learn.

Big Horned Stud

Another animal painting. This handsome guy's reference photo was downloaded from morguefile.  He didn't really look at home with a forest behind him. I figured a few suggested rocks and mountains in the background would make him happier. This painting was done again exclusively with a palette knife, except my initials in the bottom right.  I decided to premix colors on this, mostly so I could compare shades before I applied them. There are many different ways to apply paint to the canvas or board with a knife. On this one, titled "Big Horned Stud", I really wanted to convey the light from the reference photo. In addition to having a heavy contrast between lights and darks, broken color also helps this, and dedicated strokes that are left untouched once applied is a great way to achieve this. Painting on a gesso board lends itself well to this type of knife painting, and at least for me, it is difficulty to blend colors effectively. It is much easier to blend on canvas. Thanks for reading.