latest wip - bbgear

[cahenry]

Here's my latest cp piece. I hope to finish this in the next week or so. I don't have a real title yet - still thinking.
It's 14" x 20 1/4" on stonehenge (one of the off whites - I got a couple each of all the colors and I don't know which is which).
The digital picture is not square - but you get the idea.

[Arlene]

i'm looking forward to seeing this one develop cathy. :)

[cahenry]

I'll post an update by Monday, Arlene. I should have several layers on all of it in time for my CPSA Chapter meeting Monday evening. We've got a speaker with a presentation on critiquing work.

I am mostly working on wood right now because the rest is in a bat bag on the way to a game. He's got another, possibly two games tomorrow, too. I've been nabbing various items between games to work on detail.

[Bill C]

This is looking great cathy! I love the brown glove and ball! :D

One thing? We ask that attached images be no larger than 600 x 600 pixels. This one is larger and the whole image won't fit on my monitor! LOL
, hope you don't mind but I'm going to edit your post and reattach a smaller image.

[Gemma]

Oh Cathy,,, I just love this. I like the composition and the colors so far, I'm looking forward to see this progress.
Gemma

[Brenda]

I can't wait to see this one develop, Cathy. It is looking so very interesting!

[cahenry]

Here's an update. Still lots of layers and detail to go in the wood and bats and shoes but at least its all there.

http://65.18.154.219/catherinesrealm.com/gallery/albums/My-Artwork-Album/030705bbgear02.jpg

[Arlene]

It's looking really good. a couple of questions...

will you be darkening the wall behind the chair? right now it's a bit stark to my eye.

also i'm noticing the shoe on the chair looks like it's caught between the slats, but that's creating a very strong line going down and off the page. I think you might be better off having the show overlap the slat there instead of falling between the crack.

lastly watch that you're not outlining your chair...it may just be because right now you still have more layers to go.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress on this one.

[cahenry]

Actually, Arlene, the backdrop is a deck overlooking a grass area. The gear is setting on the top and seat of a picnic table.
The dark area below the gloves is the bracket from the table that holds the seat where the shoes and bats are propped.
The area through the deck rails is quite distant dirt and grass and I've only got one layer on that so far. It will be "out of focus" and fairly light to contrast with the darkness of the wood and baseball stuff.
(My DS wanted me to make it a baseball diamond - but that's not going to happen.)

I really appreciate the feedback. I'll need to strengthen those areas.
I'll be adding a lot more layers especially to the wood, bats, shoes, grass (basically all over).
Part of what I'm developing (I hope) is the sense of depth and contrast from light to dark - as well as the textures of the leather and metal and wood.

[Nancy]

I love the detailing in the gloves!!! Great job! Can't wait to see it finished! :D

[caulfield]

Very nice Cathy! I'm excited to hear you are going to have grass between the rails! I am amazed that this is from life AND you are allowing the boys to move your still-life! I would have a fit! :D

I'll be watching!

[cahenry]

Nicole, I'm working from reference photos, too - one in particular and life.
I wouldn't be able to maintain this set up long - with my son and dogs.
I took several photos of the overall composition.
I'm drawing from the individual items for detail but using the reference photos for lighting and shadows.
I've got an old imac that I use for a viewer next to my drawing board to look at the color reference photos from time to time to adjust color and I use black and white prints of the reference photo to help me establish values.

[Buttercup]

I LOVE this, just enough details and the colors are wonderful, I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[Jazz]

Cathy I always love your pieces because they are always visually strong with regards light and contrast.

My favourite part of this right now is the brown glove with the baseball -it looks fabulously worn and loved :) .

I am really looking forward to seeing this develop.


Huge hugs,


ALI

[cahenry]

Here's another update.
I want to thank you all, Arlene, Bill C, Gemma, Brenda, Nancy, Nicole, Buttercup, Ali for you comments and encouragement.
There's still some detail to work on in the wood - especially the foreground, and fooling with the background.
The speaker at our local CPSA chapter last night was Chery Baird, a local artist and teacher. She made lots of good suggestions on ways of applying colored pencil for the first part of her talk. The last half of her presentation was on how to assess your own work. It gave me lots to think about. One comment that I am going to apply right away is to make the colors brighter than I'm really comfortable with because they will be muted by framing (glass/Plexiglas). I have experienced this and it is true. Plus, when I think something is bright - it's still a long way from really bright.
Also, she pointed out that one should be drawn to a piece from a distance. It should look interesting from far away and draw you in to see the detail - and still be interesting.


http://65.18.154.219/catherinesrealm.com/gallery/albums/My-Artwork-Album/030805bbgear02.jpg

[CPSr4Me!]

Very impressive work, Cathy! Love the detailing! I'll be waiting for the next wip!

:bye1: Sandy

[Dee]

I love this....great subject matter and rendering. My grandsons would love this too. :)

[knelson315]

This is a great piece - I'm particularly attracted to it because I've raised 3 boys and we lived with little league for a decade (I don't miss the cleats!).

I do like the bright colors next to the neutrals - it has a real outdoorsy feel to it. Be sure to post the finished product for us to see.

[Arlene]

this is really coming together nicely cathy. one thing? can you downplay the knothole just a bit so the interest is on what's important and not the knot?

[cahenry]

Another update. I had a horrible cold for the past few days and I could hardly work on it between the sinus headache and dripping nose.
I agree on the knothole, Arlene.
I'm not satisfied yet with the grass or the wood. Some of the detail/cleanup elsewhere is close to finished.
Thanks for the encouragement, Sandy, Knelson315 and Dee.
I'm giving this to my son to keep as a record of his thirteen year-old baseball season. I am going to have a giclee print made of it. I won a free digital scan and print as a door prize when we had a speaker from a digital printing firm come talk to our CPSA chapter. I'm interested to see how it turns out.

http://65.18.154.219/catherinesrealm.com/gallery/albums/My-Artwork-Album/031405_bbgearsmall.jpg

[Dee]

It's getting better...I like how you toned down the 'knothole'. :D

[larsnip]

Great job on this! :clap: :clap: :clap:
I love the green reflection in the aluminum bat.
great stuff

Dave

[Jomitzi]

Wow!! Fantastic detail. I would love to be able to do something like this but I know I have a way to go yet. Still, I will watch a learn so thanks for posting.
Jo

[GWESQ]

Enjoying watching this come together, and invoking fond memories. Ref to Favorite Movies thread in the Cafe - I'm sure Greg & I are having the same reaction to this piece.
Baseball is a harbinger of Spring. So maybe there's your title: Harbinger of Spring. Or to steal from e.e. cummings: In Just Springtime. Or from John Fogarty "Put Me In Coach"

[cahenry]

Thanks Dee, Dave, Jo and Gwesq. My son liked the reference to spring so I think we'll call in Spring Fever.

It's almost done. Now I just keep doing little bits here and there, cleaning up edges between colors and adjusting shadows and the like as they pop out at me. I really do plan to take it on Monday to have slides made. So at some point here I will have to sign it and call it done.

http://65.18.154.219/catherinesrealm.com/gallery/albums/My-Artwork-Album/031805_springfeversmall.jpg

[Arlene]

Cathy it looks great. I would still darken up the wood on the table more. btw: you can even tweak after you get it photographed...that's what i did with dichotomy and will probably have to do with this one i'm doing.