Different...

Just tore apart and desecrated what I thought was a beautiful napkin

Something else different...

Finding myself also fascinated with 'primitive' art, so this is v different to what I've been doing.  Very interesting and 'freeing'; no concerns about perspective, detail etc.  It's definitely going to figure in my style, whenever I decide what the hell that is going to be!

Alternative Head/Face

Still struggling with #1 Jane Davenport Homework.  Pathetic!  Concerned that 'yesterday's' head/face might get lost amidst the density of the background, decided to try another.  This is she!!!  Now, of course, am worried that it's too stark.  Oh, bugger!!!

Advice?

Is there anyone out there who could give me advice on a particular technique?  I'm doing a piece of work which involves a textured/layered background, with a figure on it.  I was wanting to try to do the face on a piece of very think substrate, so chose a piece of flowered napkin and layered it with several coats of clear gel medium, to strengthen it.  Now I've coloured/painted the features but find myself with a problem.  The background piece I've prepared is so textured that, if I were to stick this onto it, it would probably show through.

So, the question is, how do others get this effect?  Do I a) draw the face on the background, rather than separately b) leave a place on the background untextured or c) use thicker paper for the face?

All of these suggest further difficulties, if I'm not mistaken.  I'd be really interested to learn how others might have found their way around these issues.  Thanks!

Face 12 March 2014

Bit of practising, based on Jane Davenport and other techniques.  This is done on really well-gessoed (or gel mediumed) substrate, with matt acrylic forming the basis of the face, then coloured pencils on top of that, for detail.  I have found this is one of the most useful techniques I've picked up so far from the course - it's really true that the layer of gesso and matt paint allows wonderful coloured pencil detail.

The rest - turban and hair has been done with Portfolio oil, water-soluble pastels - wonderful things.  So far, so good, I think; but I'm not the most patient of students and just want MORE MORE, MORE!

Journal Page 11 March 2014

Left over scrapes of mixed, and translucent orange, acrylics; commercial stamp and one hand made one; Uni Posca white pen.

Art Journal Page 10 March 2014

Odd, the way this happened.  I had already 'smooched' some left over turquoise acryic on an empty journal page  .Few days later, mindlessly sketching faces/people and this particular one turned up.  Not sure why, but I really liked her: I think she's being challenged somehow and is digging her toes up in assertiveness.

Then, of course, where there's turquoise, I need to add orange and this is my very favourite - Schminke Transluscent Orange (watercolour); but in a fairly sparse way.

The stamp is one which I recently made from adhesive foam sheets (so v quick and simple).

For the first time, I have felt like a 'character' has emerged, full blow from me; I just wish I could reproduce and make more of her.  We'll see!