The BISON is Here!

Just wanted to introduce my new bison painting. It is 36 x 48 inches on gallery wrapped canvas. The price is $1500. Prints will be available soon. Come by and see it in my display window soon. I've also included snap shots of the work in process.

Painting a Portrait

I recently had the honor to do a portrait of the late Schree Brogdon and baby Lily. The end result, I felt, was touching and delicate.

In the following photos you can see my step by step approach to rendering the subjects in acrylic on canvas. The finish size was 16x20 inches.

In the first photos you can see I have made a detailed pencil drawing on the canvas. This is sealed with fixative to prevent smearing. Next the background is carefully worked in around the figures, and a sienna tone is added to the figures allowing the sketch to show through.

Outline areas are then reinforced with paint before adding a medium flesh tone. Each tone of flesh is added separately, since wet blending is prohibitive in acrylic. I add darker shadows then work my way up to the lightest values.

Lastly, details and highlights are added to finish the subjects. This includes teeth, eyes, hair, and jewelry. The same procedure is followed for the baby separately, because of the slight difference in skin tone on the newborn.

I enjoyed doing this portrait and hope it is loved by the family for years to come. If you would like a portrait of one of your family members, you can reach me at 501-278-5547 on week days or at www.pollardstudio.com.

The Final Result

This is the final entry in my TARDIS building project. Here the final coat of paint and distressing has been added for that ancient look.

The top lantern has been installed. It was made from a garden path light I found at Lowes. I made some slight alterations and painted the finish to match the rest of the box.

The signs were made of 3/4 inch picture frame moulding. These were filled with plexiglas. Black vinyl courtesy of www.conleygraphics.net was cut and added to the front of the plexi. I also sanded the back side of the plexi to give the letters a foggy matte look.

Finally I installed a sound effects board inside the roof area. This includes a sound to light modulator that controls the intensity of the lantern glow. I have hidden buttons to control the sounds which include the takeoff and landing "breathing" sounds that all Whovians adore.

All of the electronics are plugged into a single remote controlled power strip so everything can be engaged at once.

Thanks to everyone for joining me on my journey.