I've been asked if this was going to be a tutorial that I was going to share the process of, but really, if you're doing the #BigArtQuest, then you can TOTALLY paint this!
My colors are Cad Yellow Medium, Mixing white, Cad Orange, Alizarin Crimson, Dioxanine Purple, Pthalo Blue, Australian Sienna, and Cad Red Medium.
I'm also using Golden Glazing liquid (Gloss) to glaze some Cad Yellow in where I want spots of glow to add in some mushrooms and a fairy, as well as to say that the tree has roots that are being lit up by some ethereal happenings going on. I also used some Heavy gel to paints that I wanted texture for, as I have a range of both flow and heavy bodied paints.
If I was doing this again, I'd leave more spaces among the branches for birdies, but I built this of a different, more stylized design that I did, which I wanted to make a viewer go "Is that tree on fire? Do fairies and glowy butterflies live there?", and I was aiming for that feel.
I may even explore this further, well...coz fairies and glowing mushrooms!
Thanks so much to Cinnamon for inspiring me to remember my imagination from my childhood, and helping me to come up with an easy process through the Quests and step by step paintings that I've been watching for about a year and a half; that I can use to put a painting together.
You are an amazing artist and teacher <3
So... My studio.
I've packed my College space up all save for my 48x48" canvas that I'm picking up this week coming, and have moved everything into my teeny little spare room.
It's not bad. I can move my work out to the dining room if I have to work flat on large sheets of paper, but there is the small issue of us having family coming soon.
Don't get me wrong. I love to have visitors stay, but now I need to be planning where to put everything.
I think I can get by with leaning canvases against a wall in the dining room, or maybe in my wardrobe depending on size.
I could do the same with my folios, maybe having them between some of my works in progress if I don't get them finished in time to stick on the walls (literally stick...with picture hanging velcro -- ah renting!).
Then the materials can get put in the trolley and on my other work table in the dining room.
My main concern is having somewhere to keep working while they're here.
Not only is it essential for me to keep working and developing new processes through experimenting and developing my skills in a range of media, I need this outlet to manage my mental health condition.
When I have attacks, art is the first thing I turn to, because I know it restores me.
I keep an art journal for working things out in my head in writing and art, but sometimes I just wanna get the acrylics out and throw them at a canvas.
I think we get protective of our creative space once we find it, but through talking to my counselor, I can see that I can make a space anywhere. A creative space should feel safe and comfortable. So I set about thinking where I could do this, and what do I need for each space.
I can keep my watercolours in my bedroom with some cartridge and watercolour paper, my drawing gear, inks and paint trolley can go in the dining room with my table easel, and I have a small pencil case and my s-book/art journal for going out, and emergencies.
I have a few places in town that I can go and switch off for an hour or two, as with my condition, I find it hard to cope with a lot of change, and having a way to get some time for myself every day can help me keep some head space.
It might seem like making a mountain out of a molehill, but with my anxiety and everything else, I need a level of skills that are sometimes difficult to remember. By having a plan in place for anything anticipated, I may be able to apply it for other situations that I might need a grounding with my usual reality.
This is another reason I love this community so much. The support and caring here has helped me to be grounded, and to remember how to have fun. I hope to be part of doing the same for everyone else.
