Sock Snowman. 6 x 9 in. watercolor and pen. © 2015 Sheila Delgado
Don’t fret for me,
I am fine can’t you see.
Scarf on and
my cap,
‘cuz I know where it’s at!
The wind might be blowing!
But for now it’s not snowing.
Better get, gotta go,
stuff to do don’t ya’ know!
Just one thing more, and I’ll be on my way…
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I managed to finish the small script letters. They were easier than I anticipated, and I am pleased as punch that some of my strokes were spot on perfect. Shazam!
The larger type styles turned out to be more difficult. More stokes involved, and more chances to goof. I think a light color on the type would look more fresh. But that would also have required a dark outline to make it pop. On 39 words, that seemed daunting!
There are a few areas where the letters and the background are close in value. I can remedy that when I fine-tune my mistakes.
What is better than a sweet treat while working? And of course it has to be GREEN! One of my favorites. A rare indulgence. Kiwi Gummy Candy by Kasugai. Sublime!
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I ran out of daylight yesterday and had to wait until today to continue working on this. I worked in Photoshop to choose fonts and set the type the way I wanted it on the canvas. My lettering skills are not such that I can create interesting fonts on the fly. I know it is difficult to see on the canvas at this point. I chose a cursive font for the majority of the type, and added interest to key words with large, bold fonts.
Then I transferred the type to the canvas, old school style. I took graphite to the back of my type sheet. I taped the sheet lightly to the canvas, and traced the message, checking as I went.
Because it is a large canvas, 12 x 12 in., I tucked a used canvas panel in back between the frame and canvas. That gave me a hard surface to trace on. I did not have to apply much pressure to transfer the type.
I have begun to paint the letters. It’s so funny because starting this task still puts the fear failure into me.
Why do I think it is going to be so hard?
No worries. Once I start, it deflates from a big deal into a small one.
It feels a lot like Christmas here in Southern California! So nice to have proper hot cocoa drinking weather. They say rain is on the way, but I won’t pull out the umbrella just yet!
Have a JOYFUL day!
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