One little, two little, three little…
Feathers (Indians).
I remember that song from childhood, and Bugs Bunny. The originals mind you. I never thought it was anything other than a fun song, but now that I am an adult, I know better. Sad how some things come about. If you are interested in learning more, take a look at this Wiki page. I did not know it was Irish, or that there was an Icelandic version. The originals are really gruesome, especially when you consider they were for children.
More pieces and parts of what will be a repeating pattern. I am showing you the progression, starting with my sketches. Looking for interesting shapes… oh and an OOPS! Red got away from me. Thinking that these will be smaller elements in the design, to give a bit of depth.
Feathers sketches. Watercolor and pencil. © 2014 Sheila Delgado
Here, after a digital cleaning. They are each individual pieces. It isn’t showing in the scan, but I did add a bit of grey to give some form to the quills. After the cleaning, it just looked like dirt, so I took that out as well. The final design will be as much about the white, or negative space, as it will be about the feather shapes.
Feathers cropped and cleaned. Watercolor, approx. 2. in. tall. © 2014 Sheila Delgado
Playing with the idea of adding digital elements. If you take a look at yesterday’s feather, you can see that my white pens were not cooperating. And while I do like the soft look, for a painting, those details will have less impact in a pattern design.
These digital lines really pop.
Digitally enhanced feathers. © 2014 Sheila Delgado
Another benefit of adding details digitally, is that they can easily be changed within the design. For instance, once the feathers are placed in a repeat, I may see that I have to many dots close together, or the lines may need to be thicker to show up. That is part of the fun of designing, so many options to play with!
Don’t forget to glance at Leslie’s page for all of today’s amazing artwork. I have also started a Pinterest board for the Challenge. Hoping to give a little more exposure that will maybe even lead to sales!
Happy painting everyone!
First I had to create the textures. I used textured fun foam craft sheets and ink pad to “stamp” the designs. Then I scanned the paper into the computer and digitally removed the background (paper) so I was left with just the dots, or waves. I also created some textures digitally.
