Black cats present a challenge to paint but a really fun challenge. Artists often say black is never black and white is never white. There is aways color in even the darkest or lightest parts of what we see. Exploring this concept is one of the most fun aspects of painting. I was tasked
with painting Condredge, the polydactyl cat this month. I was lucky to have a really great reference photo. Here is Condredge:
A multitude of colors can be seen in Condredge, from vivid ultramarine to deep magenta to soft powdery blue grey in the light. I started with a scrub-in using thinned paint and then continued to build on this with thicker paint and more detail but leaving soft edges everywhere allowing the sharper detail in the face to stand out. Here are some process shots for this painting. It is 8 x 8 oil on Ampersand cradled panel.
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