Cool Overnight Adventure
On Saturday, 15 minutes before the end of working hours I dropped to Exhibition Hall to by some art supplies. I saw a lot of paintings on the floor and asked what is on and why I was not informed. It appeared that it was last 15 minutes to the deadline to submit an entry to a juried art show sponsored by Ministry of Public Health of Turkmenistan. As soon as I had not been informed, they kindly permitted me to submit my painting on Monday morning.
It was a double Challenge: 1. I use to submit a newly painted work to every show (In any case I had no paintings related to Public Health). 2. I had no idea about a theme of my painting to be.
However Monday morning I submitted large brand new framed painting to this show.
How it happened?
The deadline is the best creativity stimulator for me. So the rest of the Saturday night I searched for the theme. First I thought about still life with apothecary attributes. It led me to an idea to paint a beautiful flower with medicinal properties. Particularly I considered Turkmen Mandragora which is in my “waiting list” for painting. Then I decided that one flower is not serious for such representative show so at some stage I got an idea: “Just paint them all!” To paint all types of herbs! Or it was really inspiring!
Next day at about noon I bought a large (100x120 cm) stretched canvas and went to a framing shop. It was not working sure on Sunday but as soon as I framed more than 70 paintings there in 2012 they were really happy to open the shop for me and framed the canvas with a neutral frame.
It was a double Challenge: 1. I use to submit a newly painted work to every show (In any case I had no paintings related to Public Health). 2. I had no idea about a theme of my painting to be.
However Monday morning I submitted large brand new framed painting to this show.
How it happened?
The deadline is the best creativity stimulator for me. So the rest of the Saturday night I searched for the theme. First I thought about still life with apothecary attributes. It led me to an idea to paint a beautiful flower with medicinal properties. Particularly I considered Turkmen Mandragora which is in my “waiting list” for painting. Then I decided that one flower is not serious for such representative show so at some stage I got an idea: “Just paint them all!” To paint all types of herbs! Or it was really inspiring!
Next day at about noon I bought a large (100x120 cm) stretched canvas and went to a framing shop. It was not working sure on Sunday but as soon as I framed more than 70 paintings there in 2012 they were really happy to open the shop for me and framed the canvas with a neutral frame.
Step 1.
At home I
removed the frame and put it aside.
I Installed the canvas on my easel. Am I crazy?
Such a huge white surface! It is 3 pm now and it should be submitted next morning.
However thanks to www.painting.about.com Daily Art project I had experience of speed painting on large canvas.
So I started. Large canvas needs large brushes. At least at the initial stage.
I Installed the canvas on my easel. Am I crazy?
Such a huge white surface! It is 3 pm now and it should be submitted next morning.
However thanks to www.painting.about.com Daily Art project I had experience of speed painting on large canvas.
So I started. Large canvas needs large brushes. At least at the initial stage.
Imprimature
At the first steps I applied a 2.5’’ household brush. I mixed Yellow Pale
with Titanium White acrylics for imprimature – the very first layer. Upper part painted with horizontal strokes, while space intended for herbs - filled with vertical strokes.
I let it to dry for about half an hour. I used this time to borrow an album of Turkmen medicinal herbs from my neighbor who is a medicine doctor.
I let it to dry for about half an hour. I used this time to borrow an album of Turkmen medicinal herbs from my neighbor who is a medicine doctor.
Step 2.
Sky is painted loosely with a mix of Ultramarine with Titanium White acrylics.
Another half an hour to wait and to make a list of most beautiful herbs with indication oh their height.
Another half an hour to wait and to make a list of most beautiful herbs with indication oh their height.
Step 3.
I poured
some Crimson Lake just on top of
previous light blue mixture on my palette.
Now a clothes brush steps in.
And what about sweets? Well they are very helpful for an overnight painting.
Now a clothes brush steps in.
And what about sweets? Well they are very helpful for an overnight painting.
Chaos of Red Strips.
Now we got a lot of chaotic red strips of different height.
Another half an hour to dry.
Meanwhile I made a plan of the pictures on a A4 paper - just wrote names of the flowers on the intended places.
Another half an hour to dry.
Meanwhile I made a plan of the pictures on a A4 paper - just wrote names of the flowers on the intended places.
Step 4.
Let us add some Mauve Pale to provide shadows in the bottom part. (Any dark paint will do either, but I like violet and purples in between grass )
Step 5.
This time there is no need to wait. Add stokes of Sap Green on top of crimson.
Base for the Picture
So the base is ready.
At this stage I got a confidence that I will submit the picture in time.
At this stage I got a confidence that I will submit the picture in time.
Step 6.
The rest was really easy. Just to place recognizable flowers and leaves according to the plan and to sign the painting.
Do not hesitate to use stensil brushes of different size.
Do not hesitate to use stensil brushes of different size.
Step 7.
Early Monday morning I reframed the picture, caught a taxi and... here we are!
Detail 1.
Flowers are arranged strictly according to their height. You see the main space of this fragment is covered with the "base" painted with clothes brush but it looks like a reach texture. Clover and tall white flower are painted with stencil brushes of different size.
Detail 2.
No need to paint all the stems and leaves. Let some space for imagination.