About the Moose.........

I really can't go any further until I make some decisions about the size and placement of the moose.  Since I am doing this painting in layers (and would really like to avoid multiple paintings of multiple layers,) I want to decide on the moose layer before I continue.   

In a previous painting, I decided to bring the white pelican (that was flying next to our boat,) to the forefront.  The size and location of the bird is somewhat unusual and I would like to explore this effect further.  So what might that mean for "the moose?"

A portion of the "White Pelicans" painting, acrylic on canvas.  Reference photograph taken in Sanibel Nature Preserve, Sanibel, Florida.  Click on painting to enlarge.  (Reminder that this is a copyright protected image.) 

Although I watched for moose during my art exploration in Grand Marais, I didn't see any that were living.  (Liz brought a great skull to class, however, which helped me realize the massive size of these majestic animals.)  Although online references can be useful, I am always mindful of intellectual properties concerns and copyright.  The Duluth Aquarium provided a nice visual reference to a moose, and one that was more "fair haired," as well.  In hind sight, I should have completely circled the display, but instead explored the lighting the emphasized the antlers in the shadowing. 

Duluth Aquarium native animals display, Duluth, Minnesota

I decided to start with a separate sketch of a moose so that I could experiment with size and placement.  I used 11" X 14" Strathmore bristle paper so that it would keep some form once it was cut. 

As with many of my animal depictions, my sketch reveals more animation than the "almost real" version.  Stay tuned, because color and lighting will only serve to increase this quality. 

Once cut out, I could manipulate the stance and appendage angles somewhat simply by cutting the moose apart and repositioning the parts.  If you look carefully on the moose image above, you will note the masking tape where I have done this several times.    Next, to the painting.