Yorkshire Lamb: A commissioned painting.

Many times when I accept a painting commission I use my own reference photos but once in a while I am asked to create a painting from the client's favorite picture. It's an opportunity to see something special through their eyes. In this case, the little lamb was photographed by one of the clients (it was a group Christmas gift) and the composition was left up to me. I decided to pull the little lamb up close to the viewer to make the subject matter much more intimate and personal. 

Stage 5: The completed painting, framed.
Yorkshire Lamb
11x14", oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Stage 4: I brushed  in the body focusing on shape, color and values. After that I went in with a palette knife to give it a nice thick texture.

Stage 3: I painted in the background with a palette knife.

 

Stage 2: The face. I used a filbert brush as well as a palette knife.

 

 

 

Stage 1: I painted the composition with a wash of mineral spirits and Burnt Umber on a canvas that I tinted with a thin layer of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber, mixed.