Hello

Hello out there!
I have never made a blog before but hopefully it will be a rewarding experience.  The purpose of this blog is to help keep me focused on a painting that I am currently commissioned to make.  Thus the title "The Awesome Frog Painting" - one way or another there will be an Awesome Frog Painting.  I am a teacher, martial artist, and many other things besides a painter. -- It's summer and I tend to want to be out and about rather than sitting around the studio.  So if I say that I will try to post often (at least every other day), this may help force me to get things done.
The commission is very open ended with only two things required,  size 18"x 72" and frogs with human faces.  I've done a lot of painting most of which have a children's book style.  (look at my website hrlevyillustration.com)  So this is right up my alley.  I love to paint animals and plants, integrating concepts of scale, texture, and color. The image will be mounted on a ceiling so the image could be horizontal or vertical.  I started with a vertical concept - starting at the base of tree and moving upward but after several sketches I'm having difficulty giving a "floor" to my characters so I'm going to try a horizontal composition - the edge of creek, to see what I can do.
The theme that I have chosen is "the Carnival/Circus."  With the frogs wearing human masks performing human tasks.  I have a variety of ideas already and eager to start painting - the masonite board is cut to size, mounted to supports, and primed but... The design phase is the most important early step.