Thursday, September 29, 2011

A daunting paint job

I can't believe it's nearly seven months since I posted about the painting I was working on, and claimed it was "getting very close to finished."

Truth is, it's been sitting there on the easel in my study ever since, defying me to pick up a paintbrush again and put my words into action.

The trouble is, I knew there was something wrong with it, and I couldn't put my finger on what exactly, or how to go about fixing it.

Then, last week, it finally hit me. The whole thing was too flat. I think I knew that already but didn't want to admit it because I knew the solution was going to be technically challenging and time-consuming to put into practice.

The paint I use (gouache) gives vibrant colours and a wonderfully precise finish, great for my style of painting, but it dries almost instantly on the paper. This makes it incredibly difficult to achieve any fading or gradation of tone, especially across a large area.

But that is exactly what I needed to do to make this planet look...well...like a planet. i.e. Round.

So I've been working at it.

Here is how I left it back in March.

And here is how it looks now.

There's still a lot of work to do, but I can finally see it moving in the right direction.

Maybe look forward to another update in, shall we say, another six months?

7 comments:

David Batista said...

Wow, to me that is a BIG difference! It certainly is more rounded looking. The shading is much improved, too. As I said before, this is awesome. And I for one can't wait to see it finished!

That being said, still take your time. :)

J Andrew Jansen said...

David stole my words! Wow. Huge improvement. Your analysis was right on, and your correction was also implemented successfully.

I'm having a big word day, can you tell?

--j--

Laila Knight said...

You added symetry. Now it pops out more like two separate bodies...definitely not flat. I admire your skill and artist eye and the fact that you chose a space scene. There might be tons of sunsets but nothing beats outer space. :)

Jean Davis said...

wow! Very impressive! That's a big difference and it looks great.

Botanist said...

Thanks everyone! Yes, when you see old & new side by side the difference is dramatic. I don't usually take photos of works in progress so this is an eye-opener for me. Still a long way to go, though.

unikorna said...

wow I had no idea you paint too. I like playing with colors myself but you are definitely more talented :)).
Thank you so much for being there for me....

Botanist said...

I hope things are looking up for you, Unikorna, and talent comes in many guises - I shall expect to see some samples of your work on your blog sometime :)

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