Heart Strings
I wanted to start painting again, I have really enjoyed the charcoal work recently but I felt I needed to add some colour here are the process photos of my most recent piece, still without a title but for now I'll call it Heart Strings.
With my new wooden heart shaped support in pastel pink, I started to sketch out an under drawing for the painting with charcoal:
With my new wooden heart shaped support in pastel pink, I started to sketch out an under drawing for the painting with charcoal:
I got this far with my first idea and decided that I didn't like the composition, I felt it needed something simpler and a bigger character. So I washed off the charcoal with a wet sponge and repainted the pink. Although it was only drawn with charcoal and I had washed off all the pigment, the charcoal had left behind a brown stain that took 3 coats of pastel pink to eventually cover...
I started again once the pink paint was completely dry.
When I was happy with the drawing, I fixed it with a thick coat of Acrylic based matt spray varnish, this has to be done with the drawing flat down on a surface or floor otherwise the varnish will run and the drawing will run with it!
The charcoal pigment bonds with the varnish and blurs it slightly giving it the look of a wet medium. Once dry the charcoal is completely sealed under the varnish and ready to be painted onto.
I used oil to paint the piece, building up transparent washes of colour and gradually added sharp edges, flat colour and details with a fine brush. I love the way the oil paint lushes up the surface of the piece.
