Finishing the cats

Once again, I had drawings done and no idea how to transfer the designs to the driveway.

I was worried that using a pencil or chalk would interfere with the paint sticking to the concrete. Instead, I used a steel nail to transfer the designs. I got a stiff detail brush at an art store to paint them on.

Here they are.

First photo: Cat fish in their natural environment

Second and Third: Tuxedo cat fish

Fourth-Eighth: Maine Coon and black cat fish

Drips into fishes

As I was preparing the garage door, a single drop of white primer missed my drop cloth and hit the concrete. I tried to wipe it right up, but I was too late-it had already sunk in. Later I tried to scrub it out. This only made things worse, a small white spot became a large scrubbed out area-with a white spot still in the center.

Lisa suggested I paint over the paint drop with a fish, a fish that had wandered away from the underwater garage door mural. We then thought it would be fun, being great cat lovers, if the fish was a “cat” fish, a fish that looked like a cat (not a real catfish, which are very ugly).

I looked at catfish photos on the web and started sketching. The first image shows my progression of sketches, from top to bottom and left to right. The first sketch looked too much like a real catfish-thin, stiff and definitely not cute. In the sketches that followed the fish got rounder. Shading accentuated the ears, nose and “paws” (fins). The eyes and nose moved forward to give the feeling that you are looking down on them. The stiff body developed an “S” curve that really gave a feeling of motion through water.

I had a few more drips by the time I was done. We decided to honor some of our favorite cats, present and past. I developed the following sketches for a tuxedo cat fish, an orange and white Maine Coon cat fish and an all black cat fish.

Next article: cats on the concrete

Finished!

Not much more to say, so let’s get right to it.

First photo: Scuba diver, orange and purple coral

Second: Fish and coral

Third: Kelp and red fish

Fourth and Fifth: Close-ups of the sponge painted textures, blends, layering and drips.

Sixth: View from our back door, the door everyone uses to enter our home

Seventh: View from the side, at our gate

Eight-Tenth: Sequence as you walk away from the door, starting at a view of the entire mural

We are very happy with how the mural turned out. I must admit I was terrified when I started this project, having no idea how to do it, but I wound up having a ball.

The photographs don’t really do the mural the justice. The colors are even brighter in person, and the large mural has lots of impact when you stand next to it. Guess you’ll have to come over and see it yourself-just call first.

Next article: Paint drips turned into “cat” fish-the painting saga continues