Alice in mushroom land Watercolour sketchbook & gouache
Painting in a sketchbook allows for more freedom & exploration. When I have a new idea for a painting I'll play with the concept first in a small sketchbook, this is an advantage I've learned to end up with a better representation on an initial idea. When smaller, it's usually less time consuming yet you can decide on placement, backgrounds and colours of the subjects before days go into a larger canvas and with acrylics that are not as forgiving as gouache. I considered painting the mushrooms different strange colours then remembered -they come in just about every colour & shape imaginable so I stayed with the shades I've seen in the real fungi. Did you realize it is a mushroom that Alice learns to control her shape shifting - only a lick of a piece of mushroom has results she's looking for & she keeps the pieces in her pocket for later.
Painting in my sketchbook is usually all from memory or imagined, don't use reference photos as It's my sketchbook & not really for display. As a matter of fact, I don't want them being flipped through all the time as gouache can flake' or rub off a tiny bit, I've noticed over the years. Adding some metallic elements in the background encouraged ideas for future painting, I love metallic paint with shimmering effects but don't use it often. Rarely do I (or many artists) finish a sketchbook! I have too many unfinished so now I open one & leave it on my desk - I work in it until it's full. My first painted sketchbook is complete! All paintings inspired by the Word of God, now in a tiny pink book where I look back & ponder- what I like and things I'm not entirely thrilled with... some could use a little more detail, some colours could be changed but overall It's little book of memories, things I read that touched my heart & mind enough to bring them to life for myself on paper.
I don't plan of giving them away, they are my explorations many don't see what's in the book, only glimpses like above.
Depending on a one page or two page spread - my little pink book has a total of 33 paintings, 7 of Jesus. Now complete, I'll put it away and forget about it for a while. It was an enjoyable project filled with love- so much so I have started my new book (a larger sketchbook) that will also have painting all filled -Inspired by the Bible & The word of God. Just in Genesis alone there are many images I'd love to paint. Robert Crumb created a graphic novel of The Book of Genesis & you can see the entire thing here: https://archive.org/details/BookOfGenesisIllustratedByR.Crumb/page/n9/mode/2up. Wow. What an accomplishment! I'd love a bible illustrated by several cartoonists, each working on a 'Book from the Book'. I'd choose to illustrate David.
It's time to create & watch leaves flutter - enjoy this beautiful day that the Lord has made!
Below an image from Robert Crumbs - The Book of Genesis.
Painting in a sketchbook allows for more freedom & exploration. When I have a new idea for a painting I'll play with the concept first in a small sketchbook, this is an advantage I've learned to end up with a better representation on an initial idea. When smaller, it's usually less time consuming yet you can decide on placement, backgrounds and colours of the subjects before days go into a larger canvas and with acrylics that are not as forgiving as gouache. I considered painting the mushrooms different strange colours then remembered -they come in just about every colour & shape imaginable so I stayed with the shades I've seen in the real fungi. Did you realize it is a mushroom that Alice learns to control her shape shifting - only a lick of a piece of mushroom has results she's looking for & she keeps the pieces in her pocket for later.
Painting in my sketchbook is usually all from memory or imagined, don't use reference photos as It's my sketchbook & not really for display. As a matter of fact, I don't want them being flipped through all the time as gouache can flake' or rub off a tiny bit, I've noticed over the years. Adding some metallic elements in the background encouraged ideas for future painting, I love metallic paint with shimmering effects but don't use it often. Rarely do I (or many artists) finish a sketchbook! I have too many unfinished so now I open one & leave it on my desk - I work in it until it's full. My first painted sketchbook is complete! All paintings inspired by the Word of God, now in a tiny pink book where I look back & ponder- what I like and things I'm not entirely thrilled with... some could use a little more detail, some colours could be changed but overall It's little book of memories, things I read that touched my heart & mind enough to bring them to life for myself on paper.
I don't plan of giving them away, they are my explorations many don't see what's in the book, only glimpses like above.
Depending on a one page or two page spread - my little pink book has a total of 33 paintings, 7 of Jesus. Now complete, I'll put it away and forget about it for a while. It was an enjoyable project filled with love- so much so I have started my new book (a larger sketchbook) that will also have painting all filled -Inspired by the Bible & The word of God. Just in Genesis alone there are many images I'd love to paint. Robert Crumb created a graphic novel of The Book of Genesis & you can see the entire thing here: https://archive.org/details/BookOfGenesisIllustratedByR.Crumb/page/n9/mode/2up. Wow. What an accomplishment! I'd love a bible illustrated by several cartoonists, each working on a 'Book from the Book'. I'd choose to illustrate David.
It's time to create & watch leaves flutter - enjoy this beautiful day that the Lord has made!
Below an image from Robert Crumbs - The Book of Genesis.
