More of the Fish painting

As a painting progresses I like to take reference photos. Having a background in animation it's fun to see the echo of the animation process in the recording a painting.   I do this for myself, well, because it looks cool. 

I experimented with some mediums in this one using Gel Medium which slows down the drying time of the acrylic paint while giving it a gooey warm jello flow.  Seemed to feel in tune with the gooey fleshy snotty consistency of things in water all the time.

 These great cartoon ghosty eyes were happening all over the painting. I added some body to them as they became their own life.  

There are some freshwater fish making their way into this painting.  I had quite a few different fresh water fish growing up that have made it into there.  A Black Molly, a Fan tail Guppy, Some fake looking seaweed from a childhood tank... I quite miss having a fish tank. 

 The detail accomplished in these eyes were not premeditated.  They just came about in the swirl making process, and I tried to preserve it as much as possible.  I have never intentionally painted or drawn in this style before and it was quite a giddy surprise that I made something so cool looking.  Naturally I took 100 photos, in case I messed it up and had to re-do.  

I also added Dill seeds into the paint around the eye to give it a bumpy texture just to see what happens.  I have some Glass Beads Gel Medium that is hard to see in this picture, but they will be more prominent in the next set of pictures I will post on this painting.

Breaking the Fast of Winter

With a jar of blue paint leftover from another project this painting was born.

 I was thinking about what was under the surface of the ocean and a few swirls became identifiable fish.

I was inspired to create something on my new French Easel Mom bought me for Christmas.  Not quite outdoor weather to test it out in the field (like Van Gogh painting crows) but thinking about outdoors helps me get through the winter.

The Culprit

This is the painting that started it all.  My Great Aunt Pat was talking with my mother years ago about how the last time she saw me was when I was in High School and we were talking about my painting class.  We were studying Fauvism at the time where color was the big thing.  I was painting something that I was putting "red grass" into and it was my favorite assignment ever, to be painting something all the "wrong" colors.  

So I suppose she asked me to paint her something like that at the time of that conversation, something with red grass in it.  She didn't care what it was as long as it had red grass in it.  I had forgotten all about it and Mom reminded me of course.  Got to work right away and sent it to her for Valentine's day I believe.

The photo I was referencing for this landscape is from My Grandfather's Camp out in Vermont.  I looked at that photo and decided that the things I liked most about the mountaintop camp in Vermont were the colors of the flowers in the fields with butterflies, and the sky at night.   

Painting with those things in mind is how this came about.  This is the first painting I did in my "own" style.  

Stuffed Studio!

Hello Friends.

I have been much overwhelmed with craft supplies this year in my studio space.  I become interested in the process of one craft or another and I have this compulsive need to buy materials to make said craft.  Then sometimes it sits around for 10 years.  

This has been going on a long time. Growing up, a corner of my bedroom was my Mom's sewing "room".  Mom was in my room a lot making things and I would help.  I would say this is her main passion craft, whereas mine has always been painting or "coloring".  I would get excited and want to make things too when she was making her sewing projects, however I don't quite posses the passion or skill set she has for the actually MAKING the thing part.  

Around my Junior year of High School I lost my kitteh Sundae.  She was a shy and sweet Calico.  The boys in the house called her a scaredy cat... I called her a "Scared of YOU TWO!!" cat because they were loud and bad.  She was nice to me, and I loved her very, very much.

ANYWAYS I lost her, and started having my Mom teach me how to sew as a hobby.  I think at the time she was also taking a quilting class so it was nice to have her company when I was home in my room as she made her quilt squares.  I'm getting off track... anyways, I bought some fabric that I was inspired by at the time and now after 13 or so years I haven't done a thing with it.  

BURGUNDY FAUX FUR!

 ROYAL BLUE VELVET!

AWESOME IRIS AND FEATHER PATTERN SILK!!!

For the next month I am going to try to sell things that are cluttering my space and mind in my studio.  If I haven't used the thing in a few years... I'm going to see if someone else has a need for it.  So today I listed three luxe fabrics I have been seeing in my closet for years:)

PLEASE take a look on my esty shop "Paintventure" and pass it on if you know someone who would like these fabrics.  :)

SUNDAE from a page in my scrapbook.  :)

FAUX REALS YO

I have been enjoying my summer, working, just rolling along enjoying other activities besides painting, taking a little break. 

 Today I was inspired by this blog.

http://www.okaygreat.com/tag/studio-space/

Then I painted a wall in my studio.

PAINTED PANELING


I was attempting to re-create the look of the painted paneling in the studio displayed on the website.   I made a few spots look like the original stain might have bleed through the new paint.  Added a few highlights and shadow to give it a little depth.  I'm happy with it.

NOW IT'S A MORE INTERESTING GALLERY

Hypoallergenic

burning bush of color

I normally work every weekend of my life.  A last minute thought to stop and use the few extra minutes before my shift to get an iced coffee caused a change in blood pressure to my head and a nosebleed gusher blew.  Yippie.  Spring.  

I went into my job, and then walked right back out, on a sick day. The most activity I wanted to do for the rest of the day was, nothing.  So I got some oil pastels, and a piece of foam core board and made something colorful.  I draw this shape leaf all the time.  The color that I mindlessly grabbed next became the next color I used... and then I just drew some branches.  I'm happy about this one because I didn't put any thought into it at all, and it looks pretty neat. 

Just something to do while I'm was sitting here bored trying to drink a lot of water and move very little.  I looked up a bunch of zoo and aquarium websites too.  Did you know a lot of them have live camera feeds?  OOOooo.  GIANT FISH TANK!!!

Crayon Arts.

I started with a blue crayon.  Get some creepies on there.

Creepies of the deepies

Moved on to some glow in the dark crayons to make undersea Mariana trench type scene.  Glued some other crayons on there, then did that trendy thing and melted them so they'd get all dripp-ay.  

dippy and drippy

added crayon shavings then melted them

too much wax on the creepie

 Then I scraped away what got on my fish, hope he didn't feel the burn.  Or maybe he likes that sort of thing... actually the big one is a chick.  One BA chick.  The little one that's spying her is the boy... oh yeah.  Maybe they'll get connected.  Strange that the boy attaches and then grows into and lives on the girl for the rest of his life.  Sorry dude.  I guess 'cause it's so dark down there in the deep that you would lose her if you ever left and tried to find her again.  The lantern on the porch is on, but they all look the same down the block.  WHAT?  I hope you could follow that.  No?  I can't keep up with me either. 

scale that fish!

Close up Mrs. Creepville?

 Going to get in there with water color palettes and some watercolor crayons to add to the crayon art theme. 

Palette of watercolors I've had since 5th grade that I won at some school event for being awesome.

 Let's see how nice the resist technique works out. Special Effects! 

Wax Resist (look around the DEEP) Hey Creepie!  Brush those teethies!

  Not a masterpiece. It sure was fun without the pressure to make something AMAZING on my first try.  

TA DA!
It glows under a black-light!

Maybe to glue on some brass bits later... give it that steam punk glory.  

I think I see James Cameron's submersible...

Check out more crayon arts online.  Mostly you just see the drippy things, but they are quite simple and enjoyable!