This 12 x 12 canvas painting started simply as a color-block and line exercise and morphed entirely into its own thing. I'm always downloading
color palettes and other
artist's works for my sketchbooks, just as a catalyst to think about color in different ways or try a technique or use another artist as an inspirational springboard. I think that's one of the strengths of
Pinterest. I never want to copy someone's work, but ideally we learn from each other and inspire each other. If my work here inspires someone else, that's lovely.
I was unhappy with the color exercise and one day saw
this pin on Pinterest. Like many people, I love the symbolism of crows. I also loved the top down perspective in the publicity shot for
The Birds, so I made a stencil of the crow and started building up layers of paint.
I just finished a FANTASTIC online class from incredible
Danielle Donaldson. I learned from her directly a method of building up a background with copious amounts of white acrylic paint; I love
Utrecht's Studio Series acyrlic medium body in Bright White, blended out with
acrylic glazing medium. You can see here I used individual rub-ons letters to create a sense of stars in the sky and to work with my own iconography.
Using
Golden's Airbrush Medium, I created cascading flows of
liquid acrylics down the canvas. You have to be careful about using too high a water ratio with acyrlics because your paint can literally fall off the canvas; it's very unstable. Airbrush Medium is a great way to get highly fluid runs of paint that are stable on your surface.
I've also used more rub-ons; I like them in tatters and incomplete. Here they suggest rolling hills and topography.
Although the painting began as an abstract, I felt like the Raven was flying over a landscape and hidden in his wings are the lyrics from The Beatles "
Blackbird". I'll often have prayers, sigils, lyrics, quotes, etc. hidden in my layers. I made a teeny tiny castle stencil and a moon stencil. I love how the little castle glows at night.
As I mentioned in my last post, I try to work with lettering and numerals in my work to keep it unique to me.
I used my
Copic Airbrush System to create the Raven's undercoat with a number stencil I made. Another bit of a rub-on on his head. Like many people, I'm very lost these days and I hope that this Raven is a totem to help me find my way. Or, it's quite possible I've been watching too much of
Game of Thrones. But I'll always think of this old nursery rhyme when I see crows
- One for sorrow,
- Two for joy,
- Three for a girl,
- Four for a boy,
- Five for silver,
- Six for gold,
- Seven for a secret,
- Never to be told
