Thursday 19 December 2013

A touch of Africa

 
Every year my Mom sends me table clothes with different paintings on. They all have an African theme and I do love them as they keep me connected to both my family back in South Africa as well as the country of my birth.
So I decided to do a canvas of one of the pictures... first I needed to make a stencil of the items I wanted which was the African man and lady. I then chose a Zebra and as well as the African pots.
I bought Zebra printed serviettes ( x 10) which I used for the edges of the canvas.
I measured 11cm in from the edge of the canvas and drew a pencil line all around the canvas. I then drew 1cm in towards the edge - that 1cm that I had just measured, I painted black as my boarder around the canvas and my edging of the Zebra stripes. I put masking tape down to get my white boarder. this helped me with my lines. It was important to see that they where straight.
 
The centre ... well I mixed a moss Green (Jo Sonja's Artists' colour) with Green Deep (Chromacryl) 
but I kept thinking it wasn't the colour I wanted but the more I applied it to the canvas I began to love this colour. Once the paint was dry I took of the masking tape. I then taped down the stencils of the figures where I wanted them and sponged the paint on through the stencils. My first attempt I did my African figures in Burnt Umber (Chromacryl) but when it came to the grass I did it in raw Umber (Chromacryl). I really didn't like the picture so out came the gesso and I covered the picture and re-did the background colour with the same greens that I had mixed before (helped that I had over mixed) but added colour to my African Figurines and the pots. What I loved about the change is not only did it brighten the picture but it seemed to bring it to life!
Yes less is more so this time I did less grass under their feet and did a Zebra in the bottom left hand side but only half the Zebra so that he doesn't draw your eye away from your African people.
 
 
 
 

Had a blast, hope you enjoy!
XXOO



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