Friday, July 10, 2009

Candy Container Update


I know the picture is out of focus but I liked the colours and the bugs eye view. The next day and for several days after the sky was overcast. The days were wet and grey. The temperature was a little colder for this time of the year. It was more like early autumn weather. For those of you who don't know what a West Coast autumn is like think "Wet Coast". I like the rain.


I thought that I would give you a little up-date on the candy container ornaments. Ta-daa. The very messy studio work table. My approach to painting the pieces is probably a little unconventional. I like to build up the colours of the item that I am painting, it gives more depth to the colour. I suppose I am more painterly in my approach. This picture shows the first layer of paint that goes on. Most of the time it is very bold. You can just see the bumpy squash in behind the cat head, it was painted with two different yellows. I painted a 1" to 2" area in one yellow and then used the other yellow blending the edges. Sometimes I know what I am doing and other times I go for broke just to see what will happen if I use a different colour as a base coat. This step forces me to come up with solutions to what could be a bad decision on my part. I love challenge and often create mini "obstacles" to overcome. This also gives results that are unexpected and better that planned. There have been disasters, but they are few and far between.


This is the second layer of paint that goes on the piece. Sometimes I brush it on, other times I will scrumble it on with the brush to give the colour visual texture. I might use a small piece of sea sponge or even my fingers to put paint on and take it off. I am a product of the 80's faux finishing fad. I have used these techniques for building props. I like them because it gives me a more realistic look to the finished piece. I am not going to show any more of the pieces until they are done. I hope that has wetted your appetite a little. I am working on the accessories for each candy container ornament. They can take a while to produce as well. I like detail. Am I obsessive-compulsive?

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