Summer, walking on the beach and going boating has gotten me in the spirit to keep working on shells, especially since I have been observing the subject matter so closely. Its on my mind and it makes me happy! I'm using the Ampersand cradled gessoboard and to get the surface color, I have white Colourfix primer tinted with Art Spectrum Liquid Spectrum inks, a few drops of red and a few drops of blue make this bluish-pink colored surface. I chose the Liquid Spectrum because the colors are concentrated and can be added to the Colourfix without watering it down or changing the consistency. After laying down my drawing, I started by blocking in the darkest areas and the white areas. You can see my reference photos too. In the bottom photo (which is just part of the drawing) I'm working on just the colorful shells by adding a light layer of colored pencils. When I have the whole surface covered with pencil, then I will go back and add more along with solvent to fill in more of the surface. I love color, can you tell?
I'm really enjoying watching you develop this shell series Kendra. I had a thought - maybe we should consider having a two-person show of your shells and my beach stones? What do you think?
ReplyDeleteKendra, this again, is coming out beautifully. I love your shells series. You can tell they make you happy! Not a bad idea Debbi has!?
ReplyDeleteDebbi that's a great idea! Let's give it some thought.
ReplyDeleteKendra, I really like your shell pieces. Because of the way you handle color and texture, there is so much to see in them. As Kathy said, it's obvious that you love doing them.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the colored grounds that you work on. Do you let a lot of the ground color show through, and if so, does it blend well with the areas that are covered with pencil pigment?
I ask because I feel letting too much Pastelbord surface (my surface of choice) show is usually not very attractive. That's why I use green; because it's the least intrusive color in most cases.
Gary, I let the colored ground show through only where I want it to. In places where I don't want it to show I use a lot of pencil blended with solvent. Although, the last piece I did (6x24 shells) I used a terracotta ground and it does show through in most of the areas if you look at the piece close up. I think its okay because it gives the piece kind of an all-over warmth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Kendra. Too bad I'm going to miss your workshop at the meeting, but I might just go ahead on my own and try your technique. The solvent part interests me too as another way to introduce some new effects, or to speed up the process. Your results speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteGary, the solvent does speed up the process. I find the Colourfix on the gessoboard a much rougher surface than the Pastelboard. So the solvent helps fill in the "grooves". I like to experiment with the different colored grounds. You might prefer the feel of the pastelboard!
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