White Russian Hamster

I'm continuing on with a slue of formal animal portraits.  Expect at least a couple more.  I did a wikipedia search for 'White Russian', and I was surprised by the number of different meanings.  I'm now wondering if I should have given him a cup of tea and had him be a White Russian Tearoom Hamster, but perhaps that would have been going too far.

 I had a horrible track record with hamsters growing up.  My sister was able to keep Bud alive and happy for many many years, but I seemed to kill off at least three during that same time period.  One died the day after we got it.  That was my cue to stop with the animals for a while.  Then, in the 6th grade I got a couple of gerbils--a boy and a girl.  In two years they had 50 babies, which we either gave away to friends or sold to the pet store in exchange for hamster food.  I'd call that a good solution if I didn't shudder each time I walked past a pet store snake section.  Yes, I have done my part in the overpopulation in the gerbil community..or the pet snake community.  I'm not sure which... but blame me.

Beauty and the Beast Final

Beauty and the Beast process

Here is the progression for this Beauty and the Beast image-- a piece for an important friend.  The underdrawing was scanned into the computer and I did a rough color comp to hash out how I wanted the composition to be arranged.  Some of the colors there are darker and moodier, but in the end I wanted an image that was ultimately romantic.  The third image down shows a final version, but revisions needed to be made.  The beast had to be burlier and stronger, and Beauty felt too contemporary.  After a rough sketch, a detail shot of the changes is presented last.