11.7.14: creation

Heulloooooo!

I FINALLY painted something!

Why did I ever think painting would be easy? 

It wasn't.

No, not at all.

First I started off by mixing red and fuchsia, which resulted in a salmon color. I then used the largest angled shader I had and began painting in one corner, starting out with thick lines and then moving to the opposite corner in a curvish fashion. I repeated the same sequence using yellow paint. I then painted the opposite end with electric blue and a dioxide purple, repeating the same extended curves clear to the salmon and yellow part. I kept doing this until I got stuck. At this point, I didn't know where to go, or what to do. I then decided to add in a contrasting color, black. Oohhh... it didn't go as well as I thought it would. I attempted to paint random lines in the middle, and before I knew it, I had spread the black paint all over the canvas. I became frustrated with myself. Why couldn't I do something so simple! It's just paint and canvas, canvas and paint. DING! An idea popped into this brain o' mine and I sprinted to the closest sink to see if I could still salvage my original curves. The black washed off, and the curved lines remained. Aymennn. I then spotted a lovely wine color that was hidden under the table. I had lots of blank white canvas spots, so I decided to try to fill them in with the brushes... and ended up doing the same thing I did with the black paint. As I washed off one spot, I realized that I could possibly make the painting look watercolory. I would only clean off about half of the wine paint. And so it came to be, forming the background that I have now. I left it to dry. I did notice that some of the original paint had begun to chip off in flakes! I have to look into that. About 20 minutes later, I decided to add some contrast, but in a simple way. I grabbed my detail brush and right in the center I began to paint a five-petaled flower. Nothing difficult. I then branched off and continued adding black petals to the outside, gradually increasing in length of the petals. I eventually had to switch out the little detail brush and replaced it with the ole' angular. I kept adding and adding petals. Once the entire flower had been painted, I went back about 10 minutes later to highlight the inside of the flower with lime green and electric blue, the little spark to my painting.

For a first attempt at abstract painting, I think I did pretty good.
Things I have learned overall from this first experience:

1. Take your time. Don't rush. It's a process, not a race.
2. Find something to rub under the paint (like a primer?). The paint will most likely end up flaking off if you just apply the pure pigment to the canvas.
3. Be more flexible with the hands and learn the different ways of the brushes.
4. Don't give up! 

Until next week

S