New Illustrations

I also do design work, right now, mostly for my rock bands. I just did two posters that have a rabbit starring in them. Worlds collide.
(Yes, I need to match the fonts but I just can't decide about the fonts.)

Terminally cute: Toys with Doggy

About the addition of live animals to recent 'still life' paintings: the paintings seem more interesting to have a someone looking back at you.

I added some hens and a doggie for variety. I am afraid the paintings are looking terminally cute. Even the painting of the pile of shoes, and my new one of a pile of toys….too cute. I think just about any animal would have that effect though, especially if it's looking at the viewer. Maybe painting dead animals is trendy, but honestly I am trying to paint a live creature with a personality.

The juxtaposition of the animal against the other objects seems interesting and seems to create stories. The painting below seems sad because of the suitcase, I think.

On my website "Cramptonarts", I recently posted some temporary galleries to show more of my small landscape and recent still life paintings (while I search for a good Java slideshow). More artwork series to come. Please check them out!
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Below is the first shot I took when I had already obliterated the handle of the suitcase as it was in the wrong place. Painted the red items, first layer. (A chair in the foreground):

2nd shot below: Handle still seems to be in the wrong place. A pass to add blue as well as a little of everything else.

Third shot below: Fattened up the dog. Another background layer or two. Painting highlights and color on all elements. Ladybird was helping on left corner.

4th Shot below: Another layer of background and foreground and more local color. 

Here's the final below (left and right cropped slightly): I tried to paint the stripes at bottom once but ended up painting them about 3 or 4 times. Repainted foreground a couple of times. Lightened background. Futzed with dog's shadow on briefcase. Repainted keyboard several times. Also wheels, green thing, car, drum, well everything really. 

Another painting in process

The still life scene.

I had an idea to paint some of these fancy shoes. Two of them are Jeffrey Campbell and they came in these amazing boxes. My rabbit was to be added later to give it a live element (as I have been doing). I thought a big jumble would be interesting. I removed a lot of shoes from the initial pile as it was too complicated. I was worried about even this level of complexity. The background was to be white or neutral.

The first photo I took after I roughed in the drawing and added some shading. I think I held my breath the whole time I was drawing this. It was complex enough that I was worried if I got it wrong it wouldn't go together. I started at top left drawing with a brush and cerulean blue paint. By the time I got to the grey boots, they would've been off the bottom of the canvas so I had to either restart or cram everything in there. I decided to cram it in. I planned for the rabbit on the right.

Adding some darks, working on background. With each round, I work a little all over the canvas. If I have red paint I add a glaze to the reds. If I have a dark I dawb it around where I need darks. I add all of my colors to the background in thin layers. I worked an hour or two between breaks.

More darks all over, some color added, blue shoe and black boots darkened.

More background work, boxes started. 

Rabbit added—she wouldn't pose so I tried to follow her around getting glimpses. Painted studs on small boot, more work on boxes, some work on background.

More background, more overall, grey boots filled in, more work on snakeskin boots. 

Added some shading on yellow box and added kitty cats on pink box. Repainted grey boots. 

Painted the studs, rabbit, grey boots and snakeskin boots again. Repainted blue shoe. Added face on box. Almost final. 

Final. Still needs signature.

Repainted rabbit, especially nose area, added stripes on left. Carefully painted in all the studs with several layers of paint in different colors. Fixed boxes. I am happy with how the silver shoes came out. I just kept adding paint over and over and suddenly I noticed they looked like silver. Not happy with snakeskin books. Whatever. I think it's an interesting painting. Is it tacky? Not sure about that. Let me know what you think.