The Art of Aaron Blaise

I first start with a digital comp done in Photoshop. This allows me to quickly play with my composition and easily adjust color and staging.

I next grid the digital sketch and my canvas for easier drawing transfer. After that I do a quick oil wash of yellow ochre and burnt umber to establish my rough value structure and to get rid of the white of the canvas.

Next I start laying in color starting with my darks working lighter. I also like to work sectionally, going from section of canvas to section of canvas and basically roughing each section in. I then go back later and unify all of the sections with color.

Adding the water highlights on the hippo was a good boost for me. I get bored easily and getting to see the hippo look wet and start to come to life gets me excited to keep pushing.

Here I’m starting to lay in the rapids of the river. This was very daunting but I stayed focused on thinking about the water’s form, paying close attention to value and temperature of my color and I stayed loose…but not sloppy…there’s a difference.

Starting to get the sky reflections done on the water. It’s starts to come alive at this point.

I found that I could stay fairly loose with the water then add details that would bring it all together. Small splash droplets and sun glints went a long way.

The water cascading over the hippo’s back and the foreground water was  very dependent upon paying attention to the form of the water and portraying the water’s reflections of it’s surroundings according to that form. This is how the wave feel is achieved.

“Mara River Hippo” 24″X48″ oil on canvas

“Young Leopard” charcoal on paper Framed dimensions 18″X22″ Sold

So Jonelle and I went up to Clermont in central Florida to visit with family. They live on a small lake. Just off shore right in their back yard they have a pair of Sandhill Cranes nesting. I went out on their dock and did an ink and watercolor sketch of this beautiful bird as it incubated two eggs. He or she was a wonderful model, never moving. I painted this on Aqua board which is a clay based material on board. For you artists out there, if you’ve never tried Aqua Board I highly recommend it. It took the watercolor beautifully and is a wonderful surface to paint on.

These are 6 paintings I have in inventory at the moment and am selling. These are the actual frames on the pieces. I can give prices upon request via email.

“The Matriarch” 46″X62″ framed dimensions – oil on board Sold

“Savannah Gold” 40″X70″ framed dimensions – oil on canvas (Please disregard the cardboard corner protectors on the bottom of the frame)

“Ring Billed Gull” 23.5″X35.5″ framed dimensions – oil on canvas

“Low Tide” 48.5″X60.5″ framed dimensions

“Bedding Down – Bison” 35.5″X45.5″ framed dimensions – oil on canvas

“Feathers and Light – Ring Billed Gull” 27″X33″ framed dimensions –  watercolor on paper

This was an oil painting I did back in 1994 after returning from my first painting trip to Alaska. I used this painting as part of my pitch to get the job making Brother Bear. It’s called "Spring Runoff" 30"X48" oil on canvas

“Spring Runoff” oil on canvas 30″X48″

These were the very first exploratory drawings of Kenai.

This guy was written out of the movie.

Griz originally had a much bigger role in the film. Here I put together some rough model sheets for the story board artists.