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Into the Woods

Into the Woods
14" x 17", oil on Bristol board, 2020

One of the main purposes of this "time lapse video" exercise is to keep me painting regularly and, by doing so, I hope to learn a few things and get better at it. So, watching these videos is a fascinating (for me, anyway) look into my development as a painter as I try new techniques.

To save space I've begun experimenting with painting on Bristol board and that means the surface needs to be prepped, and this is how I did that: after I pencilled in the subject/s I covered the paper with clear gesso, then taped the sheet to a hard surface (which produced that uneven border), then covered that with orange acrylic (like I usually do), then paint away. Even after these preparatory steps, the surface isn't what I'm used to working on...it seems more porous...but I've managed to adapt and make it work for me.

With this painting, I've used my friend, Kimberley, once again from a recent photo shoot and the background was made up as I painted it –which is highly unusual for me, since I like to plan as much as I can before even the pencilling stage– but I really like how the lighting effects turned out and the expressive nature of the background lends a kinetic aspect that works well with the pose.


Here's a time lapse video of this painting's creation:




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