Finished up my paintings. They are a present for my wife. She has been asking for some paintings of the girls for a while now. I feel a little weird posting these. I like to avoid pictures of them but I didn’t do very current pictures and I think they are abstract enough it won’t bug me too much.
I started with an idea that I would used the posterized look but instead of paint I would use varing pen and ink textures for the different levels. I chickened out from that idea. I used to paint like this alot but moved away from it because they started to feel stale. People seem to like them but after a while I started loosing interest.
I start by choosing a picture and working on the computer to even out some of the shadows and bring out the highlights. Then I’ll print that out and draw my outlines. I always start with the darkest color because I can tell pretty quick whether or not the painting is going to work out.
To achieve consistent color I use old paint jars to preserve the paint mix for a couple days. I will mix up more than I need incase I need to go back and do touch ups. I try to finish each separation in one sitting. I will paint the darkest, let it dry over night and start the next session by checking all the areas were painted and then even out any imperfections before moving on to the next separation.
I feel like this kind of painting turns out being more like a drawing than a painting. I focus more on the edges and shapes than on blending or textures.
I finished up these frames a couple weeks ago and they have been sitting on my work bench since then. My wife has asked three times when I’m going to finally get around to putting something in them. I can’t wait to see her face when she sees them.
It was nice going back and doing these. It was nice working with a level of confidence in my finished product. I’m still going through that thing where I am doubting myself and the finished product but I am confident that my wife is going to love them.