Saturday, 2 November 2013

A Bit Stuck


This is an illustration in progress. I was attempting to do a Christmas card illustration with an Australian theme to send to my overseas friends and family this year.Usually I do illustrations in watercolour. I begin with a pencil rough and when I'm happy with the design, I use my lightbox to trace it onto the thick, smooth paper ready to outline in ink and then paint in watercolour. I thought I'd try an illustration using acrylics for a change.
 I invented this beach scene without a clear idea as to exactly what I was going to do with it. Once I got it to this point I decided I would add a couple of festive koala bears into the scene to liven it up - either sitting or standing on the beach towel. I felt it would be too easy to spoil what I'd already done if I began trying to paint the koalas without a preliminary drawing first. So I did that but then found it too hard to transfer it onto the board.
 Doing the pencil rough stirred me up to do some more illustrating in my usual style as I quite miss it. I've barely done any illustrating since embarking on this acrylic journey at the beginning of last year. So I began to wonder if I should leave this painting in limbo for now and just do the whole thing in watercolour and ink. The indecision has caused me to do neither and now I feel there is a bit of a barrier to getting to it at all. How easy it is to derail a good run of painting! It isn't helped by the fact that my painting time is competing with my writing time and both are competing with all the other things that are currently on my plate. The writing has been winning over the painting lately. I've got quite a few hours under my belt this past week or so which I'm pleased about.
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12 comments:

  1. Anonymous2 November 2013 at 13:36

    Hi Wendy, I like your illustration so far and to add the festive koala's is a fabulous idea. I hope you can work it out somehow. Great that the writing went very well this week. Good luck with the illustration and I'm looking forward to the result.

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    1. Wendy Barrett8 November 2013 at 02:51

      Thanks Hilje, I'm just about to post my progress, so I hope you like it!

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  2. Jane2 November 2013 at 23:37

    Dear Wendy, I agree with Hilje all the way, hope you can find a way to put the koalas...what an amazing idea. Looks very good already !

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    1. Wendy Barrett8 November 2013 at 02:55

      Thanks Jane, koalas on the beach are actually a fairly commonly used idea for Australian Christmas cards, but I have used my own invention within that theme.

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  3. Unknown3 November 2013 at 05:47

    Hi Wendy...don't give up on the koalas idea because although the painting is pleasing at this point it is a stage set waiting for its star. You can pull it off I know you can, keep it loose and painterly like the rest of the painting.

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    1. Wendy Barrett8 November 2013 at 02:57

      I appreciated your motivating words Sally and your confidence in my abilities - I have since acted on them!

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  4. Unknown3 November 2013 at 05:53

    Have you ever tried painting a difficult passage upside down? I often do that when I feel nervous about accurately rendering something...it helps me to see the important shapes and values, and get down the essential elements to describe the passage...first I turn the photo recourse or sketch upside down, then I turn my painting upside down and work on it as I would normally...I don't look at it right ways up until the basics are there...funny thing is...it always works better for me than laboriously copying my resource fussing with details. Good luck it looks grata!

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    1. Wendy Barrett8 November 2013 at 02:58

      I have heard of that approach but have yet to try it. Great idea though. In the end I just did a quick pencil outline and went from there. I'm just about to post the results! Thanks for your encouragement!

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  5. Laura4 November 2013 at 05:45

    Wendy I don't paint in acrylics so I have no idea how to move forward with this with your idea. All I know is if you go wrong perhaps you can go over it unlike watercolour. Luckily I don't paint in acrylics otherwise I really would never finish a painting... :-) I like what you have created so far. It looks very summery especially with the light you caught under the umbrella. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

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    1. Wendy Barrett8 November 2013 at 02:59

      Thanks Laura, you are quite right, it is so much easier just to go over things so I don't know why I was so worried about messing up what I already had.

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  6. Celia Blanco5 November 2013 at 01:52

    I love your idea, Wendy.The koalas will be a fun addition to what you have so far. The nice thing about acrylics is you can add things unlike other mediums. It's always difficult to juggle everything but you are well organized, already preparing for Christmas!

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  7. Wendy Barrett8 November 2013 at 03:00

    Thanks Celia, Even if I decide to use the design, I still have to work out how I will reproduce it for my personalised print run. That might take me till Christmas Eve!!

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