Monday 17 October 2016

'Brotherly Love' WIP

Onward and upwards. Every now and then we have strokes-of-luck: take for example the day that Topgun (Logan) decided to give his baby brother, Billie (Koby), a quick hug. Their mum caught the moment on the camera of her mobile-phone (cellphone); nothing posed ... pure spontaneity.The scene therefore is totally natural. 

For the first three or four months of his life, Billie didn't exist in Topgun's eyes: he ignored him. Soon, however, his warm nature showed through and if Billie cried, Topgun would stroke the baby's hair and sing quietly to him. For his part, Billie loves the heck out of Topgun, and it shows!




The only change I have made to the reference photo is Topgun's hair, which was still wet from the shower and plastered to his face.

The canvas is 30" x 20". Although the background looks white it is Titanium White with a touch of Terre Verte (a dark green). I use acrylic paint for this as it dries quickly; the portrait will be in oils using a Zorn Palette.

Why Billie? Well when my granddaughter told me she was going to have a little boy and call him Koby, I misheard and thought she said Cody. My mind automatically makes associations (which often surprise me) and came up with Buffalo Bill (William Cody). Only a short step to ..... Billie.

.... and the boat-building? Having spent a month sandpapering the hull to get rid of the surplus glue and Epoxy resin filler, I am ready to move on to the next stage. Not straight away though, as we will be off to Toulouse in France next week to visit #2 son for a few days.


3 comments:

  1. Love the painting of those 2 angels, what a lovely pair! And I can hardly believe how much progress you have Vaerie made on the boat - respect!

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  2. What a sweet picture! Boat looks great too!

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  3. What a challenge this one is going to be - and I have supreme confidence in your ability to handle Billie and Topgun together. I am looking forward to seeing the finish! And your boat (is it a canoe?) is a work of art in itself. You are talented in so many ways, John!

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