Inspiration from Rafael Salas’ canvas dolls brought me to start creating some of my own. So far, with a little difficulties, I was able to make a hedgehog pillow. The difficulties consisted of figuring out how to make the oil paint thin enough so it would become more flexible and easier to maneuver when flipping it inside out after sewing. Another challenge was sewing through gesso, which was needed in order to keep the oil from eating through the canvas as it ages. This first trial really helped me (hopefully) to get the right process in making these pillows more successful. To make the paint extremely thin but still vibrant, I am using a lot of linseed oil. This helps make it more flexible and dry a lot faster than oil paint normally would. I also decided to only gesso the shape of the animal/insect I am doing, this way I don’t have to try and sew through the gesso again. Hopefully this next round of pillows will have less cracks , and sewn more efficiently. The direction this part of the series is going involves a lot of more common insects and animals found out in the woods. When I have all the ones I would like to have for this piece (insects, birds, rodents, etc.) then I will create something in which I will be able to hang the pillows from. I am really excited to see how this piece turns out at the end!
Month: February 2018
Advanced Painting Series Part 1
In my love for painting pets, I decided to do a series of more exotic animals for my Advanced Painting Series. Here I will be experimenting with texture, color, and drips/washes with oil colors. The first piece I started working on is from a photo I took of a white tiger. I think it was a good choice in terms of texture and value. It had more blacks and whites which was a great way to get me back into using oil paints, and had all the beautiful fur I got to paint. I want to go back into it and add some more leaves and details in those leaves, but for the most part it is complete.
In the process of creating the underpainting for this piece, I really loved how the drips of greens, blacks, and some yellows ran down the canvas. When I left it and kept painting, I felt like it was something that really gave a strong contrast between that and the realistic tiger. I plan to continue using those drips for the rest of the series.
The painting became a series of layers. White after black, after white. I just continued using layers to make the fur have more depth and value. I started with a larger brush and then just got smaller and smaller in size to get to those super fine details.
In the end I am very pleased with how it looks. I think after adding just a couple more details it will really be the way I had envisioned. Going back to oils was a great way for me to work more on my realistic artwork which I have definitely come to include in art as a whole.
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