Blocking in a commission

First stage portrait commission
drawing the shapes and
blocking them in in colour
acrylic on canvas
18 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

Here is the first stage in a commission
portrait. Well of course not the first stage,
because it's a photo portrait, so I have to
pick the image that says the most to me, blow it
up as an 8 x 10 " xerox, stare at it for hours,
then draw a fairly thorough rough drawing
onto my canvas. I wouldn't usually include
lettering on clothing, but I like how the
lettering says Mom Happy Trails, which
seems a cheery message. At the moment the
painting is mostly at the underpainting stage.

I like the pose of the brothers. My challenge
right now is just to keep the happiness I see
emerging, and my feeling of excitement about
the work. I love how the little brother is nestled
against his older brother. They are beautiful boys, and
I'm excited about the project, the pose, and
the expression.

Note: It looks like there's a typo on the shirt in
Trails -- I'll have to double check the spelling
on the reference. Too funny. I laughed this
morning looking at it. And no I didn't have
anything to drink except coffee.

More to follow.

Have a loving-your-work day.