Lion and Lioness Size:  49.5 x 38.5 cm (19.5 x 15.25 in) Medium:  Acrylic Support:  Illustration board Notes:  Airbrushed on gessoed board This is a result of: just because I’m trying out a new technique doesn’t mean I can’t make a nice picture out of it. I wanted to see if a thinly gessoed illustration board would result in a good practice support. It did well, but I’m still going to be doing other tests over time. In any case, since the surface was gessoed, I wanted to stress it by doing something with fur. I found these lions in an art reference library, and they provided a really good, furry test for this project. This was also a test of a painting technique I’ve been refining for my own use and that’s coming along nicely as well. So, overall, I’m reasonably pleased with how this turned out. (The image needs more color correction — it’s still a little yellow.) Many images by CJ Carter are ready for purchase in a variety of formats: prints, canvas prints, phone cases, and so much more. Help support this site and the artist by dropping by the store and getting gifts for yourself, for family, and friends.

We Fear No Elephants Size:  40.5 x 51 cm (16 x 20 in) Medium:  Scratchboard Support:  Scratchbord Notes:  — I wanted to do one of the big cats in a pose that isn’t typical. Me being me, I also had in mind that I wanted the piece to tell a bit of a story. The sleeping lion was delightfully not typical. Studying him a bit, I realized that he seemed unconcerned that he was sleeping on his own. Then again…lion. Duh. But, I reasoned, what if he had a protector guarding him from one of the few animals that even lions don’t toy with (much) — elephants? Enter the sleeping mouse. Now the story was set. These unlikely companions have joined up so that neither has to fear an elephant disturbing their sleep. Here's a little bit of the scratch detail. Many images by CJ Carter are ready for purchase in a variety of formats: prints, canvas prints, phone cases, and so much more. Help support this site and the artist by dropping by the store and getting gifts for yourself, for family, and friends.

Akela Size:  28 x 35.5 cm (11 x 14 in) Medium:  Scratchboard Support:  Clayboard Notes:  Airbrushed acrylics provided the pigment for the scratch work. I was requested to do a wolf by a family member, so I did a wolf (yep…that’s about all the inspiration I need, sometimes). I chose to do an airbrush/scratchboard mix because that’s a natural for mammal and bird close-ups. Plus, I enjoy it because it allows me to do both of the techniques I like doing. This image and many other images by CJ Carter are ready for purchase in a variety of formats: prints, canvas prints, phone cases, and so much more. Help support this site and the artist by dropping by the store and getting gifts for yourself, for family, and friends.

Painted Turtle Size:  40.5 x 30.5 cm (16 x 12 in) Medium:  Acrylic Support:  Gessoboard Notes:  Airbrushed When my father was ill, I needed to do a simple little something to take a break every once and a while. I can’t say that I progressed very far. This is the state it stayed in for quite a while: When I was able to devote my full attention to this piece, I went at it with gusto, no longer content to do this as an exercise. Why a turtle? Having gone to the University of Maryland, whose mascot is the terrapin, turtles will forever loom large in my life. More than that, at the time I wanted to take a step away from mammals and try a reptile. When I found this reference image, I knew that it would be a great subject. This image and many other images by CJ Carter are ready for purchase in a variety of formats: prints, canvas prints, phone cases, and so much more. Help support this site and the artist by dropping by the store and getting gifts for yourself, for family, and friends.

El Gato Size:  26.5 x 20.5 cm (10.5 x 8 in) Medium:  Scratchboard Support:  Claybord Notes:  Airbrush applied acrylic colors I wanted to merge my loves of airbrush and scratchboard. When I saw the reference image of this cat, I knew I’d found the right subject. “Fur-people” are a natural for scratchboard. The ability to represent hair/fur from fine to thick gives scratchboard an advantage over many other mediums. Airbrush provides the ability to render subtle shades of color very quickly and with a thinness that serves scratchboard well. It’s an outstanding marriage when you combine the two. This image and many other images by CJ Carter are ready for purchase in a variety of formats: prints, canvas prints, phone cases, and so much more. Help support this site and the artist by dropping by the store and getting gifts for yourself, for family, and friends.

Kenai Foal Size:  38 x 76 cm (15 x 30 in) Medium:  Acrylic Support:  Stretched Canvas Notes:  Airbrushed This is based on a photo I took of Kenai, the young horse of my DLT, Jessica. Sometimes I get on a kick of creating stuff for people’s birthdays and other holidays. I try not to do it too often as people start thinking that giving art away is your default. Still sometimes a subject presents itself that simply says “present”. I had to do something featuring Jessi’s foal. I just had to. Many images by CJ Carter are ready for purchase in a variety of formats: prints, canvas prints, phone cases, and so much more. Help support this site and the artist by dropping by the store and getting gifts for yourself, for family, and friends.