This latest commission is a different take on your traditional cat portrait - the owner wanted 'Lady Lucy' portrayed as Elizabethan aristocracy as befits her pose! I started by making a number of sketches based on a few oil paintings. I painted a fine cotton canvas board with burnt sienna and sap green before making a detailed drawing of the ruff and the rest of the costume. I decided the ruff was the first place to start as that would place the head on the portrait. Once the ruff was filled in I started the underpainting of the cat's face and gradually built up the layers of fur to give a more 3-D effect. The pearls, jewels and gold took hours to paint to get them looking shiny and similar and I've left it all deliberately 'flat' to suit the style of that era of painting. The final touches... flicks of fur, a bit more detailing and those all-important whiskers!! Lady Lucy is ready to be framed and placed over an Elizabethan fireplace in time for Christmas.
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