Going out on a Limb
10:04 PM
Rose WIP
Going out on a limb . . . . because I'm showing you this and I don't have much faith that it's going turn out well, but “they” say that's where the fruit is!! This is painted on handmade paper from a mill in Montreal, Quebec by the name of Saint-Armand. It is quite the intriguing surface - Chris said it look like balled up paper towels or tissue pressed flat. It reminds me of alligator skin - tough and leathery looking. But it's not tough!
I used a piece to play with before beginning this painting to see what I could and could not do with it. Tape tears the paper, but you can use masking fluid. Unfortunately, because the surface is so rough it is difficult to achieve any accuracy with the mask, so I'm having to do a lot of work to blend in the masked areas. It is very difficult to lift pigment without tearing the surface. Those leaves over there on the lower left - they're supposed to be white. Haven't quite decided how I'm going to fix that area, but I can assure you they won't be white because I can't get the pigment up!
The black background is there to show you the deckled edges. If this piece turns out, it would be lovely floated against a dark green background. I think if you click the image, you'll get more detail. But let's not get ahead of ourselves as this is just beginning and has a very long way to go. And I keep asking myself why I keep doing these nutty things. First Aquabord, now handmade paper. Don't think I'm going to ask what's next. Not sure I want to know!
5 Creative Thought(s)
Ooo, I really like this actually! I love the background - such great color and texture - and I also like how the leaves seem to emerge from that background. This is an intriguing start and I want to see more!
ReplyDelete....I like the leaves as they are (subtle and green). The background is so cool. Like Gabrielle, I want to see more!
ReplyDeleteYou're such an adventurous soul! Good for you... new projects inject such spice and life into our art!
ReplyDeleteI did an atc on a handmade paper. It was very difficult to get the paint (I used watercolors) to go where I wanted it. It was an intersting texture. Ican't imagine doing a large piece though. I will be interested to see how this turns out. Even if you show us right before it hits the bin.
ReplyDeleteI have always heard that about handmade paper too, Lisa, and that's why I hadn't even touched the stuff I had. This seems to have a very hard sizing on it so it's not so difficult to work on!
ReplyDeleteLet's talk!