Chocolate Johann

Who likes chocolate Easter bunnies?  Well how about a chocolate Johann?

Johann in chocolate brown primer. 

I'm taking a break from my NAN reports to share some quick photos of how this Johann sculpture (sculpted by the talented Morgen Kilbourn) has progressed. I usually prime all of my pieces with flat white primer, but since this piece was going to be a solid bay, I went a different route and used chocolate brown (see photo above). He really did look good enough to eat!

Johann is still in progress, but he has come a long way from that solid, milk chocolate stage.  This next photo shows the same piece today (although I didn't get out my light tent, so the flash has added a lot of extra "vibrance" and shine to him).

Johann in progress.  Karen Beeson 2012. 

To reach this point, I started by adding acrylics over the primer to achieve a body color closer to the shade I was aiming for. I have since built up thin glazes of oils to reach the stage shown in today's photo. This piece still needs fine tuning all over, and especially some further work on the leg color and details and the repaired left ear.

Johann is a real favorite of mine.  In my opinion he makes the perfect little "Old Style" Morgan (the breed, rather than the sculptor!) horse. I'm looking forward to making further progress on this alert-looking little fellow.