The Transformation

And now for some art...

4/27: Armed with my paints, brushes, and new-found inspiration, I picked up the once cast-aside and unfinished painting of the beach scene to create a new beginning. I found my inspiration while browsing photos online (aka facebook stalking my friends). The photo I selected was taken in Santa Catalina, Panama (some of you may find this looks familiar but I've left out a key component of the original photo because I'm still chicken poo about drawing people). I've turned the beach painting on its side so now it's standing vertically:

I printed out the photo on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper and hung the photo upside down next to my canvas (which I initially started painting upside down as well). I find this technique helpful as it takes away any distractions I may succumb to that will make my painting un-proportional. If the image is upside down, my eyes will perceive it more as a collection of colors and shapes rather than a landscape that I'm trying to replicate.

White, yellow, and green acrylic paint was used to create a base (and cover up the previous painting). Brown was created by mixing red, blue, and yellow with some white.

5/3: This was the day I turned the painting upright again. I was satisfied with the proportions of the painting and I felt confident I could finish it without becoming cross-eyed. This was also the day I realized I need smaller brush tips. The branches are not as defined as I would like them to be because the smallest brush I had was not very small at all and acrylic paint doesn't drag very far because it dries so quickly.

5/10: This is usually how I start my painting process. Five globs of paint on foil-lined palette

I resolved to finish the painting this day. The only thing left for me to add are the leaves in the foreground.

Paint paint paint and ta da! The finished product:

It will be stored at The Kevbox until the curator wants to get rid of it. This painting holds the record for taking the longest time to complete: 3.5+ years since date of commission