Alcohol Ink on Waxed Paper ~ faux batik

I wanted to create a batik-like effect for this painting so I used crumpled waxed paper for this purpose. After crumpling the waxed paper I applied black India ink to one side, allowing the ink to settle into the 'crumples' before wiping away all the excess ink with plain water. When it was dry I flipped the paper over and used alcohol ink to create my painting. I then mounted it onto 140# hotpress w/c paper with Mod Podge, using a brayer to work out all the air bubbles. I'm calling this one 'Winter Aspens'.

Grove ~ alcohol ink on Yupo

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This may be my last ink painting for awhile. I have some wonderful references I'd like to paint in watercolor next. I'm fairly happy with this one although it could use a few tweaks. I also still have plans to make that video demonstration of alcohol ink painting but that will have to wait until the holidays have passed.

A Complicated Landscape~ alcohol ink on Yupo

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I spent a lot of time on this landscape because I had an image in mind when I began which isn't necessarily a good thing when working with these inks. They definitely have a mind of their own. You can build up fairly thick layers on the Yupo that can be manipulated with a bamboo skewer or brush, keeping in mind the less manipulation, the better the outcome. I finally received my 18 gauge oiler boiler which I filled with 70% alcohol and reworked the lake area in the foreground more than once to get the effect I was after.

A Simple Landscape ~ alcohol ink on Yupo

No ideas for a good title yet but I liked the movement in the sky. No need for a sun or moon this time.

Fantasy Forest ~ alcohol ink on Yupo

My latest ink painting. This time I went with a forest scene in vibrant colors to bring the fantasy. Creating the leaves and undergrowth is so easy with my trusty felt stamper.

Xmas Card ~ wax paper & alcohol ink

I've been laying down a few sheets of wax paper to protect my work surface when painting with the inks. Today was cleaning day which included replacing the wax paper which had become wrinkled and covered in dried ink. When I removed the tape that held it in place I realized the patterns that had formed from all the excess ink runoff were beautiful and shouldn't be wasted. I belong to a group of alcohol ink artists on Facebook and many of them have posted images of glass ornaments they have transformed with alcohol ink. Idea! The colors were not only just as vibrant on the wax paper but the crinkled texture was very intriguing as well. I cut out an ornament shape and glued it onto hotpress w/c paper with Mod Podge. I dipped a small sponge in a little of the gold mixative and stippled that around the ornament to create a subtle background. Ta Da! A Xmas card!

Where Sky Meets Sea

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I finished this one up today. I haven't had success since but not for want of trying. I created a beautiful background but ruined the foreground of another. And so it goes....

Fire Line

This is my latest ink painting. I just finished it and was reminded of a fire line aka firebreak. I see creeping rivers of fire held back by an open space, devoid of vegetation, while trees still stand in the background untouched.

I created this with various blue inks along with Sunset Orange, gold mixative and plenty of blending solution on Yupo. It never fails to fascinate me watching the inks move, expand and often produce amazing textures with little or no help from me. In fact, the less I 'help', the better the result.

Back to the Inks

I'm back to my alcohol inks and trying a few new techniques. I met June Rollins on Facebook through Wendy Videlock and joined June's AI group on the site. When I saw June's blog (link) I realized that I had seen her work before. She creates the most amazing land and seascapes with alcohol ink on Yupo. June calls them her 'Dreamscapes'. I ordered her DVD and was inspired to start working with more of the Ranger metallic mixatives along with a few new ink colors such as Terra Cotta and Denim.

This particular painting was done with Twilight Purple, Eggplant, Terra Cotta and Ranger's gold mixative. I created the crescent moon with the help of a plumbing and house planning template (link) and a little 70% alcohol on a Q-tip.

Sweet Tea ~ complete

I can't call this truly complete until my client gives it the "ok" but I've got all the elements painted at last. I felt a little pressured because this painting has lived on my kitchen table for the past month or more and Thanksgiving is coming fast. Just about every little detail has some meaning and importance so nothing could be omitted. Also, for some reason, I felt compelled to see this through to the end before starting another project. Sorry if I haven't posted many updates in the past few months but now you know why. It's also time to get this into a sleeve and put it away somewhere I can't see it for awhile so I can view it with fresh eyes. This is the first painting I ever dreamt about. I think it's because every single thing about this painting has taken me out of my comfort zone and much of it has relied on my imagination combined with my client's verbal descriptions. I don't paint children, I don't paint landscapes, I don't paint little 3" long cats or people's faces no more than an 1 1/4" in size.  I guess I can't say any of that anymore.

Note: My client is happy with the portrait, I'm equally happy to report.

Sweet Tea ~ WIP 5

Another update. I finally completed the background. I did wind up requesting feedback on a critique forum but didn't get much help. I decided I was wasting time and probably overthinking things so one sunny afternoon I sat down and just banged it out. I've since added a pale blue wash to the sky and will probably add another before completing the leaves on the trees. Whenever I sit down to paint I'm always tweaking one or more of the girls. I can't help myself. If I'm not painting on this portrait I'm staring at it, continually seeing things I've missed or need improving. I'm guessing the biggest problem I'm going to face with this undertaking is deciding when it's done.

Note: the shawl tablecloth isn't bright yellow. It's yellow ochre.

Mr Doob Cat

I took a break from the portrait today to play with Mr Doob: http://mrdoob.com/120/harmony  It's an online digital sketching/graphic art program that allows you to let your creative kid come out and have fun. Of course, I had to do a cat. Google 'Mr Doob' sometime and give it a try. I couldn't seem to post a hot link on Blogger today and one word of caution. It doesn't work well with IE7 so if you run Firefox or Chrome you shouldn't have a problem. Btw, this took all of 2-3 minutes to complete. Easy peasy.

Sweet Tea ~ WIP 4

Progress has been slow but steady. It's all those teeny, tiny little details like the grapes in the pedestel bowl that I can not sit and focus on but for a few minutes at a time. Gradually it's coming together, though. I'm still undecided how to resolve that background so I may seek opinions from other artists on that matter. One thing I do know. Once the little details are completed that background should go much more quickly.

Happy Halloween!

I dug this one out of the archives. It's an old pastel I did (from my warped imagination) for a Halloween contest. I still think he's pretty scary.

Sweet Tea ~ WIP 3

Here is the latest update. I've made some progress but had hoped to be further along by now. The girls are finally starting to get their hair and I need to work on the grass as well. Ah, the grass. There will be lots of it as this is a full sheet of 300# Arches CP w/c paper. It's been a long time since I've worked on this weight of paper and forgot how it loves to gobble up pigment. I'm also used to working on bright white paper (and this isn't) but my reasoning is twofold. My client requested that the palette for this portrait go with her wallpaper. It doesn't have to match but can not clash. She sent me a sample so I have a reference to work by and the colors are low chroma for the most part so bright white paper wasn't necessary. Also this portrait will hang in an area that may expose it to some humidity and the 300# is less likely to buckle.

Working out the background has been challenging. I have only a very basic knowledge of landscape painting and how to create depth of field so I'm learning more as I go. My client suggested the tea party be flanked by trees and trees I do know how to paint. I decided a lavendar hedge would be lovely on the right but I'm not sure what's going on the left yet.  

Sweet Tea ~ WIP (better photo?)

A slightly better image. It's been cloudy all day and for some reason I could not get a sharp image but here it is as promised, warts and all. At least the distortion is gone. I've since begun working on the tree on the left side and added a lot more masking for the flowers and grass but the light is just too dreary to try another photo today.

Sweet Tea ~ WIP 3

First, I want to apologize for the lousy photo I've posted. I'll take a better one tomorrow using the tripod. It's also distorted because I was shooting at an odd angle. I was losing the natural light so I rushed.

I took a break after completing the final sketch(last update). Truth be told, I was simply burned out and didn't want to hurry into painting and ruin this portrait. Instead I threw myself into some Spring cleaning. Yes, I know it's Fall but better late than never...huh? I started painting yesterday and by today managed to get the girls mostly completed. The skin tones were my biggest concern and because I have no real references I've been flying by the seat of my pants here. They still need hair and clothes but I think I'm going to start on the background next and let it tell me what reflected colors, shadows, etc. I should add. And I promise to post a better image tomorrow.

Fall Header

The photo for my new blog header is courtesy of Julie Christiansen of Charlevoix. She's an amazing photographer. Thank you, Julie!