Fundraiser Commission - Choco and Kitsune

[kerosene]

A couple of months ago, Chocolatl asked me to render a very special story for her husband, Kitsune. It is a story about a fox and a weasel (a black footed ferret, to be exact) that has been ongoing between these two through their relationship. I will not go into the details of the story, as Choco can more accurately explain it, but I will give the progressive images of the piece I created for her and Kit.

Please forgive the photo quality of the progress images.

First, I started by making some (very rough) sketches in my sketchbook. I had never drawn a black footed ferret, so I grabbed some reference images from google and sort of made my own versions.



There were a few more of these, but this was the one I decided to go with as a step in the right direction.

Then, I started playing with different scenarios.



Originally, I wanted to include some household items to keep it quaint and give the impression that the fox and weasel actually live together in a cozy little forest home.

As you can see, I eventually left the lamp and the wall picture out, since I felt they distracted from the story. The canvas looks brownish because it isn't actually canvas. It is linen, gessoed with clear acrylic gesso, instead of white. I chose the linen for it's earthy look and its specific texture (which is more apparent in the final piece at the bottom.)



I started painting the weasel, first. I was happy that she was a black footed ferret, because it allowed me to make some distinct markings to identify her as such. I was working in acrylics, so blending was tricky...it eventually took several transparent layers to get the blending right. Below is where I began the first layer.



I started blocking in color to get an idea of what the rest of the painting would look like, eventually. I had some ideas of texture for the background, thinking I could make it look like there was wallpaper in their home.



But I couldn't help but think that the blue scaley things really distracted from the main characters, so I toned it down, but let a little of it show through to keep it interesting.



I thought it was finally time to get Mr. Fox looking more like himself. He needed some detail refinement.

I took a couple of days off to look at the painting and decide what else needs to be done. It's funny how my perception changes once I am standing back and just looking.



I decided that some areas needed cleaning up, some needed finer detail work, some colors weren't totally working and the painting really needed a softness that I wasn't getting quite right, so I did those things and I finally felt that it was finished.



I enjoyed creating this painting. It was an honor to be a part of putting a visual image on a sweet story about two people who love each other. I was sad to send it off, but I hope Choco and Kitsune enjoy it in their home.

Thank you!

[Clodfobble]

I love getting to see the in-progress shots, case. Very very nice!

[Nirvana]

I love it!!

[Chocolatl]

Case, thanks very much for posting a thread with all of the progress pictures. Being able to see the different stages and hear (er, read) your thought process as you worked through the painting is really interesting and neat. I think the piece came out beautifully, and I am sooo excited for it to arrive!

For those who are curious:
The story the painting illustrates is one I told to Kitsune a long time ago, one day when he was sick. I started making up a story about a little weasel and a little fox who lived together in the woods, in a small, cozy den. One day, the fox got sick with a cold, and he sneezed and sneezed. Trying to think of a way to make him better, the weasel decided to trap the cold. She covered the fox up in a pile of blankets and then caught his sneezes in a jar. When she had them all in, she went out to a far away field and set the sneezes free, and soon the fox felt all better.

It was a silly story, but it was a few minutes of entertainment, and since then we've had fun telling each other stories about these little animals who live in the woods. Originally, I wanted to commission this piece as a surprise gift for Kitsune for our first anniversary, but I couldn't wait any longer once I saw how it turned out and so it's showing up more around the six month mark.

[jinx]

Oh that's so cool, I love it!

[kerosene]

Thanks for the compliments. Thanks also, Choco for explaining the story. I knew you could relay it so much better than I could.

[footfootfoot]

That is so beautiful.

[monster]

:awed:

[Sundae]

Gorgeous as always Case.
And thanks to Chocolatl and Kitsune for letting us share it - it's a wonderful story and such a lovely personal present.

I used to tell me ex stories all the time about Wolfie, the wolf who lived under the bed, and how he was always being outsmarted by the girl whose bed he lived under. Not a very original theme, but we really enjoyed them. When my boat comes in, I'll write up the Wolfie stories as panels and have case illustrate them for me. Then I can hang them round my walls and feel like an author

[glatt]

Wow. Well done!

[LabRat]

Thank you so much for sharing, all 3 of you. I love to see the progress too. Awesome.

The final piece will be a great heirloom for generations to come .

[Pie]

Absolutely wonderful, Case. And a very touching story.

PS: How much do you charge for this type of commission, Case?

[kerosene]

Thank you so much, you guys. I love doing these. Pie, I sent you a pm.

[Shawnee123]

As always, you amaze me, case.

Thank you for sharing.

[Pie]

Thanks for the info, Case. As soon as I have a better idea of what I'm looking for, I'll let you know!