So this week I set up a facebook page to promote my artwork. My intention is to try to do a WIP (work in progress) Wednesday - so I'll upload an animation of whatever I'm currently working on - and a Throwback Thursday - to gradually add in a selection of things I've made over the years without just doing a massive photo-dump. I'm hoping that gradually I'll build up a good gallery of photos so folks can see what my work is about, and can easily message me from there if they'd like to commission or buy something. I should probably start thinking about some sort of digital watermark . . . hmmm . . . ok that can be my next project!
I ordered a set of business cards too, and had great fun with a QR code generator, making links to my facebook page, blog and e-mail address. I really hope they're at a good enough size and resolution to read properly from the business cards, or else I'll just have printed a pretty design on the back! Ah well, I'll find out soon enough!
On to the art then - I've been working on a landscape this week (in portrait format, whereas my recent portraits have been in landscape format - nothing like being consistent!), from a photo I took earlier in the spring. I feel like I'm maybe halfway through working on it:
It's a bit larger than my most recent paintings, and it feels like harder work. Because there isn't an obvious single subject, I need to bring the whole canvas up to a similar level of detail, but at the same time because of the similarities in colour and tone between the foreground and background, I feel like I need to work across the whole painting at the same time. I think I'm getting there for the most part - I've blocked in the darkest points now, so it'll be nice and dark in the shadows behind and between the foreground detail. The little stream seems to read as water (I was worried that would be the tricky part), and the lumpy muddy bits on the path are helping with the perspective. I'll keep at it and hopefully finish it this week. I suspect I'll love it more as it comes together - there's something magical about the moment when you fix a little something in a painting and a portrait looks back at you, and suddenly it seems like more than just paint and canvas - will there be a moment like that for a landscape? I hope so.
My other artwork for the week was a mad last-minute dash! After school on Wednesday, one of my friends asked if I would be able to make a banner for the school ahead of the country dancing competition on Thursday night. I love a challenge!
The fabric and the iron-on insects (which represent the different classes) were already bought, so the idea was to have the school's name in the middle (thank goodness for Tesco's sand-play letters - I've used them as stencils so many times!), and a pond at the bottom sort of as a reason for the insects to be there. Putting the school at the top was my own silly idea, making extra work for myself! The paint wanted to bleed into the fabric when it was too wet, and didn't want to stick much at all when it was too dry, so it ended up being a bit of a frustrating job especially around the lettering. I think it turned out quite well though, considering! There are lots of little bits I'd have made a better job of if I'd have had the time, but then I'm the queen of procrastination myself so maybe a bit of pressure was the best way to get it done. My friend did some very clever hiding of a couple of my mistakes with the iron on bugs, and the hemming and making of the frame were down to them too - they did a fantastic job, so now the kids have a banner to carry just like all the other schools.
Commissions for banners also welcomed, so long as I've got more than one evening to complete the work!
No comments:
Post a Comment