Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Feeling painty



















When I had my portfolio critiqued at this year's SCBWI conference in L.A. the main lesson that I came away with is that I need to loosen up.  So, that's what I've been trying to do... let the paint be more... painty.  I've reconciled with my old nemesis, masking fluid, and am experimenting with big, wet washes and splattering paint... and I'm having more fun painting than I have in a very long time. 

What lessons have you learned this year about your artwork?  What are you experimenting with in order to evolve the way you work?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

4 comments:

  1. I, too, struggle with being tight. I have begun doing more work digitally, most recently working to achieve scratchboard-like effects. With my Intuos tablet and Photoshop, I can take more chances, work more boldly and loosely, and have the comfort of knowing any marks that look terrible are easy to fix. I just installed Corel Painter 12 on my PC. I'm hoping to be able to generate more painterly work with that. I am particularly eager to try the watercolor feature. Some of the Painter 12 images I've seen look fairly true to the real stuff.

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  2. I struggle with the same thing...too tight. Even with Photoshop I struggle. So I am working hard to allow bobbles and faulty lines remain and to use CTRL+Z far less. Some days I think I should just sit down with my pencil sketches and a box of crayons. Oh, and I am trying to erase less when I sketch. I've loved watching your progress this year and I think your work is amazing.

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  3. Thank you for your comments, Gals!

    Jeanie, I know what you mean about being able to take more chances when working in Photoshop. Its so nice to be able to undo mistakes! I'm trying to have the same mentality while painting... whatever happens is ok. It's a struggle though! :)

    Jenn, Sitting down with a box of crayons is a great idea!

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