Commissions are not a Scary Thing

I've been working with a client on some paintings she's commissioned me to create.  The one featured below in today's post is their back yard.

The process of ordering a commission is easy.  You and I have a talk about your likes, dislikes and wants...our conversation takes a life of its own, and I leave the conversation with a great idea of what I'm to paint.  After we pin down what size you want, I give you a firm price and we agree on a delivery date.  

Sometimes you give me the photo(s) you want me to work from, and other times (as was the case for this one), I can come to you and photograph what I need.  I show you a sketch and, after you bless it, I become a recluse in my studio for the next few weeks!  I show you periodic glimpses of where I'm at, and we both get excited for the finale!  Here are just 3 of about 10 or so work-in-progress shots I took for my client.

The coolness of the garden and the light pattern on the walkway were important for me to showcase.

Most everything, except the hydrangeas, has been brought up to speed at this point.

And here we have the finished piece.
Their neighbor's cat, Stono, likes to sit on the fence between their houses.
He found his way subtly into my painting!

www.helenKbeacham.com

Come paint with me! 

In 2016, we're going to Venice again.

Check out my classes HERE.

Spray, don't brush (sometimes).

So...I'm working on some watercolor commissions at the moment.  After hitting My Upstairs Studio again this morning, I realized that the bottom left side of my painting was falling a bit flat.  I needed to darken it.  (to give you a frame of reference...the painting is 36"h x 24"w...the section I needed to fix is about 18"h.)  I didn't really want to go in there with a brush and disturb the lovely stuff I'd already laid down.  So, I decided to spray on some color.  Tell me...have you used this technique lately?  It's scary, isn't it!?

Work-in-Progress:  The hydrangeas are still covered with Masking Fluid so that I can freely paint around them.  I wanted the shadow on the path to be a bit more prominent.  I loved the light & shadow in this garden and definitely want to play that up.

This is a close up of that area (before I touched it up).

I covered the right hand side with paper towels...and I actually added a few more torn up pieces (not shown) into the walk itself so I could protect those light areas.

I took a small spray bottle, added different pigments straight from their tubes into the bottle, added a small amount of water, shook it up and tested the spray on a separate piece of paper.  I added some more of another color and sprayed again.  Eureka!  Just what I wanted!  For those of you wondering, I included Ultramarine Blue, a dark purple and some dark green.  I finally also added some Cerulean Blue.  My hope is always that these pigments will granulate once they hit the substrate.

The result.  I'm happy with it.  See how the light shows up so much better.  You cannot have light without darks.

I have much left to do...I"m getting excited to show you all the final piece once it's done!

www.helenKbeacham.com

Come paint with me! 

In 2016, we're going to Venice again.

Sept 2015 classes have been added to my website!

Check them out HERE.

Horsing Around

Here's a small section of a 24" x 36" commission I'm working on. This represents about one-tenth of the whole painting.

p.s.  this section of the horse (& mule behind him) is definitely NOT FINISHED. Miles to go.  I'm loving the granulation though.

Now, back into the studio I go!

A sneak peek at my latest commissioned piece.

www.helenKbeacham.com

Come paint with me! 

In 2016, we're going to Venice again.

Sept 2015 classes have been added to my website!

Check them out HERE.