4 x 6 postcard, watercolor, Nupastel, oil pastel, crayon.
I placed this on a shelf to look at it from a distance. I decided to up the volume, adding more white, a brighter yellow, and a brighter pink. I added a bit of dark blue pastel which is reading almost turquoise on the scan. I also added a few more blue splatters to replace what was under the pastel work. I still think the front stem needs work, but I am calling this done.
Deadline is looming, I need to finish one or two more, and make a decision.
Postcard #1 is complete. I think. I will look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. I did some subtractive painting, adding spots of yellow, and a light wash of white acrylic. Next I scraped away some of the white wash to show the yellow, and create some grassy texture.
Added some yellow, and a light wash of white. Scraped and scratched the wash.
The stems were already there. They were part of the first blue layers. I added the flower center, some petal detail on the smaller blooms, and scribbled in some grass. Two blue splatters look like distant flowers, and one of them even has a stem. Pure luck that.
Adding details.
OK, I know this is a bit blurry. I couldn’t get a decent shot, and I was anxious to see how it would scan. I need to seal it, so I experimented and used Saran wrap to cover the scanner bed. (You can see the wrinkles.)
I used oil pastel to add more yellow, and bits of pink and purple. I added nupastel to add more white, and some sky blue, I softened some with a Q-tip, and left some marks rough. I tried to bring back some of the white crayon marks that were in the under painting.
Maybe I will add more yellow. Or more white. White splatters?
I am not thrilled with where the two stems are meeting. I tried to bring one stem forward by making it brighter. Didn’t quite work. I need to darken the background a bit I think.
What do you think? I would value any opinions on how I can improve this. It may not be the one I send in to the Gallery, but I do really like it. On to create another…
Even the scraps are interesting! The 9 x 12 is now four 4 x 6 postcards. I haven’t decided how they will be placed, or completed. I did get the idea to use one of the smaller strips on the back of the postcard. This will be mailed to the gallery in an envelope, so I can do layers without having to worry about it getting there undamaged. More tomorrow…
