Tuesday, March 25, 2014

So far, so good.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words on my previous paintings. Since there won't be much knitting this week, I thought you'd like to see the current painting throughout the entire process.

Normally, I'd sit down and do an entire painting in a day. I'm impatient by nature, and also a procrastinator. I have to work when the mood strikes me and get finished as quickly as possible. There are tonnes of half-finished paintings and drawings in my studio because I stopped for one reason or another and said "Oh, I'll finish it later..."

Unfortunately, I don't have the option to paint this all in one day. I am trying to get it done for the weekend - and sadly, I do have to go to work. I can call in "painting".

So tonight, I set myself the goal of at least getting the background painted. For those that don't know, when I paint, it's with watercolour, but it's watercolour on canvass as opposed to paper. It's a special canvass, and it allows you to use watercolour more like an acrylic or an oil, but with a few extra tricks.

When doing paintings like these, I always do the background first, and I mask off the details with a handy little liquid called frisket. It's kind of  like white out, but it peels off after it's dry. It gives you the ability to cover all the little areas you don't want painted when doiny large swaths like the background.

But wouldn't you know it... my frisket was all dried up, just like my paint (no - I didn't check it before I got started...) So, I had to very carefully paint around the edges of my subject taking much more time than I would normally take to do the background.
Despite that, I still managed to get the stem of my flower and a few petals done too. Dave was just walking in the door as I was finishing up the last one I was work on.

Poor Dave... I don't think he's going to get dinner cooked for him at all this week. Painting, at least for me, is all consuming. It was hard to put the brush down... but the bed is calling, and I do have to work tomorrow.

But stay tuned... the next post should have finished petals, and maybe a wing or two....

8 comments:

Rachelle said...

I started painting today too, but mine's rather less pretty. Undercoating concrete block is not artists work! I'm loving your flower, looks great.

Anonymous said...

The flower is pretty.

Let's see ---- painting or cooking? Yeah, I'd choose painting too.

LOL

lexa said...

I was always good at drawing, I used to all the time when I was a kid/teenager. I was never very good at drawing people, though. I've never painted - well, not paintings. I used to work in a craft shop when I was in my late teens, I did many a ceramic piece, I can tell you that, lol. And I've got my Christmas pieces and tree ornaments that I bought about 20 years ago from Mary Maxim that are gypsum that I painted. I really used to enjoy doing that stuff. I should do some of it again. :)

Monika said...

This looks awesome already! I love the colors of the background with the red and green of the flower.
My sister commissioned an artist to paint her children and her grandson. Three are finished so far, and you can actually see the resemblance. If you'd like to see them let me know.

Unknown said...

I'm really glad you are going to show pictures of the process. Very cool. I understand what you mean about getting so wrapped up in a project, you don't have time for some of the other things...like cooking... until the project is completed.

RobinH said...

Very cool! Someday I have to take lessons...I can do a fair mechanical drawing, but arty stuff, not so much.

Unknown said...

Oh how pretty! Love to see the painting 'in progress', I'm so curious what colors will be used to fill in the blank figures! I love the purple/black background, you're such a artist!

Araignee said...

No. No. No. You are NOT going to make me want to pick up the brush again. I've got too much else going on. Inspiring, all the same!