Big Goat - Final

 © Ellen Blonder

© Ellen Blonder

Finally finished. I decided to stop before overdoing everything. The second photo gives a better sense of the scale of this, and why it took so long to paint.

Big Goat - 18

© Ellen Blonder

I've been working out the orchid structure, frustrating because my key reference shot was blurry and other shots were from different angles. 

Big Goat - 17

© Ellen Blonder

I'll still have to do more to the background, but I want to add details to the orchids first. I've waited a long time for this. 

Big Goat - 16

© Ellen Blonder

Today, I filled in the thin red flower stalks to the goat's right, and added more detail behind the goat's back.

Big Goat - 15

© Ellen Blonder

I want to keep a misty softness to the background as I start filling in the tree trunks and foliage. Today, I started on the red ti plants on the right. I'm saving the orchids for last.

Big Goat - 14

© Ellen Blonder

I finally finished the plant on the lower left and can move on to the middle and background. The first step was giving the air a soft, misty look. 

Big Goat - 13

© Ellen Blonder

Leaf by leaf, this is the last few days of work.

Big Goat - 12

© Ellen Blonder

Working on the smooth-leaved plant in front of the goat is a welcome change after painting all that fur. Only the leaves toward the right are finished.

Big Goat - 11

© Ellen Blonder

Painting fur all day long. I'm two-thirds done down the length of his body, then still need to add highlights and shadow.

Big Goat - 10

© Ellen Blonder

I realized I was already painting the goat's fur way too finely, noodling it in with a 00 brush before I getting the general sweep of all those unruly locks. Today, I roughed it all in with a bigger brush, to refine more gradually.

Big Goat - 9

© Ellen Blonder

I'm filling in the plant on the lower left, in front of the goat. Otherwise, it's hard to judge how light to go with the goat's fur. It doesn't feel like fast progress, until I realize the painting is about four times the area I usually paint. Only the darkest leaves on the bottom are even close to finished.

Big Goat - 8

© Ellen Blonder

The fur is at a point where it looks terrible, with the much of the under color painted, but not the detailed lighter fur over it. It'll be hard to rest until I get it right.

Big Goat - 7

© Ellen Blonder

I've spent the last few days focusing on the lower right side, leaf by leaf, with more and more detail.

Big Goat - 6

© Ellen Blonder

Hard to know what order to paint things, but the bromeliads in the lower right corner wanted attention most, yesterday and today. The leaves aren't done; it's tricky sorting each one apart from the others.

Big Goat - 5

© Ellen Blonder

Hard to spot today's progress, but I worked on underpainting the fur and filling in the grass underfoot.

Big Goat - 4

© Ellen Blonder

Facing the face today, especially those weird goat eyes.