Saturday, July 30, 2016

Tree Tapestry ~ How to Rework a Painting

 
                       AFTER version and final result Tree Tapestry mixed media 15x11 on Canson 140 lb paper completed today.


BEFORE original painting Strolling
 


 
First step:  Sketching tree trunks over existing watercolor using black Tombow brushpen
 


 
Second step:  Covering most of background with white gouache and Coastal Fog (Cheap Joe's), leaving colors inside trees.
 
In this work in progress step by step I am showing how to rework what I considered a failed painting into a mixed media landscape. It doesn't take too long to find a bad painting you want to improve upon and this one done in 2009 of a Victorian couple was no exception.  After deciding to do trees the rest was obliterating the background, first with gouache to see how it would look, then filling in with various Montana acrylic markers.  A black marker and Caran D'Ache watersoluble wax crayons were used last to accent and punch up the composition.  Very little of the original is now visible except in left foreground and within the tree trunks, branches, and limbs.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.




2 comments:

Billie Crain said...

Fascinating, Kay. I've wondered how you go about this. Thanks!

Kay Smith said...

Thank you Billie. It is really helps focus on composition and color.

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