This one started with the background.
I dripped acrylic inks onto wet Strathmore 400 Mixed Media Paper that I had cut down to 8x8.
Next I added a girl. I used mostly my Caran D'ache Neocolor II Crayons and some gesso. I also used acrylic inks. She seemed to be a goddess of the woods with her serene expression and flowing hair.
I knew I wanted leaves on her. She is a goddess of the forest after all. So I cut some out, made a crown of sorts and took a picture on my iPhone. Then I looked at the screen to see if I liked it. Sometimes seeing the picture on my phone helps me look at a painting with fresh eyes. I did not like it.
This is the final version. I gave her a necklace instead. I tried to keep her somewhat transparent because she is a mystical being. I haven't successfully painted this way until now. I have Juliette Crane's How to Paint a Girl to thank for this painting. It's a very good ecourse where Juliette shows three different styles of girls to paint. The organic girl spoke to me. There will be a self study version of this course soon. I provided a link above to see the course description and you can sign up for Juliette's newsletter to get the latest scoop!
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She is indeed a goddess of the forest! Mystical and serene.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy seeing the pictures and description of the steps you have taken to create your work. i am not a painter but your process step of looking at your work through iPhone "eyes" helps me too.
whoa! i love those color drips! your girl is just BEAUTIFUL! thanks for spreading the word too :)
ReplyDeleteShe is so beautiful for sure! I love how it really really looks like the background is glowing...so serene and mystical is right. Your paintings that you've shared recently have me in awe.
ReplyDeleteJill
Thank you everyone for your kind words. I really like how this painting came out too. I'll have to keep practicing to recreate that background. I haven't been able to do it yet! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing your progress. I'm on Juliette's How to Paint an Owl, and I love her teaching method.
ReplyDelete