Art Projects
Big Scary Canvas – Part II
I worked on my “Big Scary Canvas” over the past week, and I’m posting my progress, which I will do each week until the canvas has been conquered. In each post, I’ll talk a bit about the creative process – my creative process. Keep in mind: I DID NOT GO TO ART SCHOOL. My background is in finance, so the discussion concerning my creative process will not contain fluffy or irrelevant artistic terms. And, I will not talk about my feelings (you’ve seen my cartoons, so you are well aware that I don’t have any). I would also like to give due credit to my assistant, Gracie. Although she is but a kitten of seven months, her artistic instincts remain unrivaled, and she knows when it’s time for me to step away from the canvas. Enjoy the photos and my blunt words regarding the creative process.
The first photo, posted below, shows the canvas after my first session.
The second image is the result of my second round with the opaque oil pens. (Note to parents: Do not use these pens on your children as a substitute for a proper Halloween costume – they are quite permanent.)
The third photo is a close up of an area that I’m happy with; it was relatively easy to build this out from the work I completed last week. (See, a straight forward explanation – no art babble, and not a word of childhood years spent laboring in a coal mine.)
In the fourth shot, I’ve highlighted an area that will create a challenge going forward. This part of the piece is very different from the others, and will have to be reined in.
The fifth photo shows my point of entry for the next time I reach for my oil pens. (I don’t have to start there, but it’s good to have an accessible on-ramp.)
One last photo. This is Gracie, doing her “Demon Kitty” impersonation for the Halloween season.
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2 comments for “Big Scary Canvas – Part II”
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If the dark shape next to Gracie was a black top hat with that light shining out of it, you could entitle the photographic study as “Black Cat Magic”. I like Gracie’s surprised yet mysterious expression.
Your canvas work reminds me of something I used to do as a scissor cutting craft. On some of my drawings, I’d cut away only the lines, on others I’d cut away everything but the lines. The composition would become entirely different when backed with different colors/patterns. It was a relaxing hobby for me.
Gracie is full of mysterious expressions, and she loves that lamp. I am going to add color to this canvas; I just haven’t decided how. Like your scissor cutting pieces, I can choose to highlight the space in between the lines, or the lines themselves. I like working on pieces like this because there are no rules, there is no rush and it poses enough of a challenge to keep things interesting.