Well, not only did the laptop get a virus, but the charger ceased charging. Then, the desktop computer got a really nasty virus, rendering it useless. And, on a sad note, my fathe- in-law, Robert Smith, passed away last weekend. Needless to say, no mural progress worth noting has happened...that is, until now.
Little details have been my focus - the bottle and wine glasses...
...the swirled hair and curling vines on the Dionysus character...
...and the vines reaching across the top of the arch.
Now, I've started some lettering along the bottom (the mural's title) and I'll show that when I've worked out some kinks. One thing I've realized is that I really don't like doing the lettering. Since it's along the bottom, I have to be down low on the floor and it gets uncomfortable quickly. Also, I tend to overfuss letters, so it can be tedious.
The only thing after that is the field beneath the wave - I have to line up the panels in order to put in the plants and some dots of red strawberries.
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| The Studio Photo-Bomber Strikes Again! |
Summer is running out, so I'd really like to be done and work on some personal projects for a change. Unfortunately, I don't think much of that will happen. So, finishing the mural will be my summer goal.
99 clusters of grapes,
You take one down, pass it around...
Guess I'll be painting more grapes on the wall!
(oh the things you think of when doing repetitious work)
The red and purple grapes are more developed at the moment, but the green grape clusters and the grape leaves have to be addressed still.
I've actually been taking some time to work out more detail at the moment and, honestly, my jury is still out on Dionysus - I go back and forth between liking him and not liking him. I actually had something a bit different envisioned originally - something more sculpture-like and not "fleshy." But this is what came forward in the study and I liked it. I'll have to get more of the panel done and see it as a whole - guess that's why I've been compelled to do a bit more detail beyond just the underpainting. Plus, there's just a lot of little things in this panel and I want to make a good dent in it.
I guess there's an alternate universe in my garage. It's full of giant strawberries and grapes, and in this place, there is no time. I step out here to do a little painting and the next thing I know, it's midnight! For a little while, I was joined by husband, Smitty, and the youngest kidlet (who are now asleep).
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| That's Smitty on bass and Lindy (the pirate) on tennis racket. |
I'm glad the weekend is here because the 4th panel will require some time - lots of grape leaves and clusters of grapes and figures for which I have not mixed any paint colors yet. I knew the people would slow me down - as an illustrator, I've always been able to take liberties with the way I depict subjects like people. But, I don't want to go too cartoony for the mural - the composition is already rooted in fantasy, and I'd like it to have a foot in reality.
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| Study - some adjustments to be made still, but you get the idea |
Soooooo, I've been working on some small studies beforeI tackle the certain characters or scenarios. This evening, I spent time on the Dionysus character - the Greek god of wine and winemaking (or Bacchus, if you happen to be Roman). He's the guy up in the trellis among the grapes (in case you were wondering). I haven't done a lot of figurative painting in a looooong time and I need to brush-up on my color mixing when it comes to flesh tones, highlights, and shadows.
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Thanks to the person who invented this - I have now made peace
with acrylic paints. |
I also wanted to try my
Masterson Sta-Wet palette that I got for when I'm working on detail work and don't need to mix containerfuls of paint. One of the things that has always driven me nuts about acrylic paint is how quickly it dries and how I constantly seem to be remixing paint (I used oils in college - they stay wet forever). Well, so far the verdict is AWESOME. I never once had to remix a color because it had dried to uselessness in the (apparently) many hours I worked on this.
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