Gods and monsters

I have spent most of the week catching up on illustrations for a game company called Dark Skull Studios. It has been a fun project with a good friend working as the art director. I got to draw weird fantasy gods and some creepy monsters- which I really enjoy drawing. One of the gods is a mix of a deer and a human. I used my lovely wife as the model- well, her and a deer. I can't show them until the book is published, so use your imagination.

I finally got into the studio yesterday and did a two hour start that I was pretty happy with. This was how the canvas looked at the end of the session. As soon as this dries I will dive in and try to finish it in the next coat. I will probably pour coffee in the cup with some cream, since that is the subject and it will add a warm note to the center of the painting.

 
Espresso and Cream, day one

In my old studio I built a model changing room behind the model stand. It was a great studio, not as classy as the one I have now, but 3 times as big in addition to being cheaper. If you could ignore the fact that I was on the 3 floor with no elevator and that when it rained water poured in and ran down the stairs like a water fall- it was an amazing studio with 30 feet of north facing windows. I was only there for a year until evil developers kicked everyone in the building out, but I digress. What was I talking about? 

Oh yeah,  my model changing room. 

I made a pretty cool door that had a nice art deco design for the model changing room. It was left over wall paper that was printed on canvas for a set at the Playhouse. I glued it to a panel and built a frame around it for the door. I just recently found the door tucked away behind some canvases in a closet and thought it could make a great background for still life set ups. I have a higher set up space on top of a filing cabinet in my studio that I can paint little paintings on. I put some adjustable legs on the door and have set it behind the filing cabinet. I was excited to put it to use the other day. You will be seeing this background in a lot of work in the upcoming year.

This is part one of a pair of paintings that will have cream and sugar. Lately I am enjoying the challenge of working on high key painting with lots of whites. It is a fun problem handling the values in such a limited rang. I also find the results to be very beautiful.

 The Force And A Can Of Soup, 8 x10, oil on panel, 2011, © Richard Luschek

Though I said I was done, I worked on Yoda a bit more yesterday and then took a better photo. Some of the forms were crunchy and the half tones dirty. I did not have the still life set up (I took it down so I would not do any more work on it). I just worked it from memory, and adjusted things till I liked them. Much better.