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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Unmasked

Well here it is... unmasked and untouched. There are some things I like and some I don't. Because the mask was left on this for longer than normal, some of the color got lost. That's not always a bad thing... I'm really liking the muted colors in the weeds and the bow on the right. The problem is I'm not sure they go with the subject. The boat on the left needs strengthening. I need to decide.... make everything stronger.... brighter or just work on adding more dimension to the boat on the left. The piece will now hang on the clip on my studio wall for a week or so.... the answer will present itself somewhere along the line. Meanwhile, I'll go on to something else... take my mind away from this one until it's ready to tell me what to do.

5 comments:

Joan said...

Yeah!!! The masking is off! I like this with the pale colors. It has a very calming look to it. Does the masking usually take out that much of the color? I know when I tried mine I wasn't happy with the vibrancy of my color, so I ended up doing a final pour over a lot of it. I don't know if the masking took some of the color, or if I just didn't use a dark enough pour. (I also didn't allow the paint to sit and dry overnight which I know you should do. I cheated with a dryer.) It will be interesting to see what you decide to do with yours. Thanks for doing the demo. I'll be back to check on what you're doing.

Michelle Himes said...

Hi, Helen. Joan sent me the link to your pouring "demo" because, as she said, we had tried some ourselves. Your painting looks a lot more ambitious than the little ones that we did. It's certainly an interesting technique, and I like waiting for the surprise ending. Looking forward to seeing yours after you add the finishing touches.

Cathy Gatland said...

This was so interesting to see your technique, Helen - you are very patient! What paper do you use (hope I didn't miss that info somewhere!) as sometimes when I use masking fluid it is so difficult to remove. I haven't seen the pebeo one here in SA - may try and order it online.
The painting is looking good - I like those muted colours too - look forward to seeing how it progresses.

Helen Percy Lystra said...

Thank you for your comments Joan and Cathy... glad to see you here Michelle... I'll be popping over to visit your blog later today.

Joan, the masking does take some color away... the longer you leave it on it seems to me the more it takes away. It's best to pour darker than you think you want it but pouring over the whole thing when you're done works too.

Cathy, this one is on Arches 300 lb but I've also done pours on Fabriano, Arches and Winsor Newton 145 lb with good results.

It's going to be another week at least before I make any decisions on what I'm going to do... much as I like the muted colors, I'm leaning toward an additional pour. However, I don't want to be too hasty.

Shez said...

Oh Wow Helen lovely work!! I like the muted colors too. Had no idea till now what it took to do one of these paintings. Thankyou so much for the demo, I understand how it's done now, and appreciate the work put into it. Look forward to seeing your finishing touches.