I have started two faeries over the past few weeks and have gotten more than halfway done and then got bored. Who knows, maybe someday I will finish them. I also tried to do a self portrait. I have been reading the Harry Potter series to the kids and I am completely jealous of all those wizards and their pet owls. I decided to do a portrait of me with a pet owl (and really long hair). This is as far as I got.
I did it on a scrappy piece of watercolor paper, and when I started to paint on it I suddenly remembered I hate painting on watercolor paper. The paint just dries way too fast and never looks very vibrant to me. There are a few watercolorists that can achieve vibrant color on paper, but it seems I will never be one of them. So it looks like I will never finish my owl and me.
I have started one I think I will finish though. This one will be called "The Bridge". It has to do with becoming a bridge between the worlds. The work includes a fox and hare, two animals that are only seen in the in-between times of Dawn and Dusk and are thought to lead people into the Faerie realm.
5 comments:
i think she looks like you and she's beautiful. Don't give up on it.
Tammy - try working with some gouache, it's a more opaque watercolor. I think that may work for you.....
I always enjoy hearing about an artists journey with their art. I just finished a piece that I sketched months ago. I looked at it yesterday and it called to me. These are both wonderful.
Thanks you three :)
You know Lynnette I have never understood what the difference is in gouache and watered down acrylic. I guess I should give it a try, but ultimately I just love canvas and still hate painting on paper.
yeah, watercolor can be pretty tricky, and it also has a self-will. you have to be real fast in order to lead it where you want before it gets dry. quality of the paper and paints are also important. Lynette is right, you can achieve the same transparency using gouache, yet going to a more opaque side without the paint gets muddy. you can perfectly achieve watercolor effects on paper using acrylics, and this is why i changed... however, you cannot scrub the paint off the paper if you screw up -- which you can do with watercolors and gouache.
i love the self portrait, is powerful! i recognized you immediately!!
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