A Rescued Painting

I've continued working on a face showing emotion, anger this time. I did the pencil sketch and then decided to do it in colored pencil. I did it twice with my Prismacolors, not liking either version. But I think I know where I went wrong. Number three is going to be better (fingers crossed).

The problem is that I have not really colored anything with my Primacolors since the last time I did a face with them, over a year ago. I use them frequently for shadowing on acrylic pieces, but that is not the same as doing an entire drawing with them. As I worked on the angry face, I have been recalling the techniques I previously used. So I am optimistic that the next version will be better.

I decided to take a little break from the face before I start up again. I found a piece in my box that I started earlier in the summer with Distress Paints. I had an unexpected result and abandoned it at the time. I did save it for possible rescue later. Yesterday afternoon, I decided to give it a try. This is the result.

I had started the piece by covering the paper with Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso. I made lots of little ridges with the palette knife that would make the Distress Paint change directions as it moved. Then I decided to use a dark acrylic glaze to make a shadowy border around the outside edge. After allowing the glaze to dry for a few minutes, I would wipe the glaze away with baby wipes, leaving a grungy area along the ridges created by the gesso.

This technique works fine with regular acrylic paint. But Distress Paint is not regular acrylic paint. When I wiped with the baby wipes, I wiped away all the glaze and much of the Distress Paint. Most of the white in the background of the finished piece is the white of the gesso. That's where I left it.

I first considered trying to cover the places where I could see gesso, but on second thought, I decided to leave it. I had used yellow and blue Distress Paints which mixed in places to create green. Using regular matte acrylic paints, I used stencils to cover much of the background. I was lacking a focal point. I poured on a bit of pink Distress Paint and let it spread and drip. I used a brush to spatter some pink, black, and white paint onto other parts of the page. Once it was dry, I added more stenciling. I outlined the flower and dots in the pink area with markers.

It is certainly not the best thing I have ever done, but it was relaxing and fun to play with stencils and paint.

Supplies used:

• 14 in. X 11 in., 140lb. Strathmore 400 series Mixed Media Paper
• Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso
• Distress Paints - Mustard Seed, Mermaid Lagoon, Picked Raspberry
• Misc. colors and brands of matte acrylic paint
• stencils - mostly from the Crafter's Workshop or the Artistcellar
• Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Gel Pens