My Rainbow Art Journal has segued out of its initial black stage into a red phase, as you may have observed. I knew that somewhere in this section an interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood would appear because she and the wolf are characters who have cropped up time and time again in my art work over the years. There is a definite connection in terms of palette and pattern between this new painting and a previous art journal page from 2015 but stylistically they are quite different.
I don’t know why I have always been drawn to Red Riding Hood as a fairytale because I was so wee when my moderate obsession started. I do like wolves, love werewolves, and the psychological possibilities of the story of a girl journeying into the wilderness to confront and overcome a dangerous aspect of that wilderness. With this art journal page, I wanted to depict the idea of the innocent girl and the bestial, primal wolf being interconnected, almost like a yin-yang balance. That gave me the idea for the composition. I actually thought to take some process shots as I worked on the double page spread over the course of a couple of weeks. From the basic sketch, I then blocked in large areas of colour using acrylic paint. I find that getting that one layer down really helps me as it creates a uniform surface on which to build additional layers and use a wider variety of media and it also immediately eliminates the white page so that I can more easily push some areas into the background while bringing other areas forward for emphasis. It was then just a case of working away on the piece in little rations and gobbets of time, building up the tones and details. I think of all of the Red Riding Hood pieces I have ever created, this is my favourite so far.
Beautiful, Laura, really smashing!
Thank you very much, Michael!
Wow, you have really outdone yourself here. There is a lot of complexity to this composition and you handled it with certainty, I think. I love the way the figures mirror and oppose each other and that it can be viewed from either side, each figure has its own perspective. And just as a detail, I love RRH’s hair. Wow.
Thank you very much, Claudia. I am really pleased with these journal pages.
Hoods are hard to draw. I like how she could not be less frightened of the wolf. He’s doing his best and she’s like, “Whatevs.”
Ha! Yes. I seem to be incapable of drawing an intimidating looking wolf.
Wonderful!
Thanks!
I particularly like the pencil marks, Laura, and the way you have used the space
Thank you!
The composition of this is great… I love how the two of them flow into each other, and Red Riding Hood’s hair is kind of mirrored by the wolf’s tail. And I DO think he’s intimidating – there’s definitely a wicked glint in those eyes!
Thank you! I’m so glad you could readily identify the mirroring aspects of the composition.
This is awesome, Laura! The expressions on both faces is super. I love Hood’s calm and secured persona and the Wolf’s very angry ready to attack BUT protective embrace. Fantastic!
Thank you, Carrie! I’m glad you like it.
Excellent!
Thank you!
Great work. It reminds me of European fairy & folk tale book illustrations. 🙂
I did a poetry & digital art post about Red Riding Hood that you may find of interest. It is called – Implied Spaces: Skinning the Wolf 1.
Thank you. I will certainly check out your post. 😀
Nice BLOG!!! ADD my BLOG too!!! Kisses!!!
Thanks. Will do.
Love the ying and yang feeling of this work Laura
Thank you very much!
Pingback: Night and Day | A Pict in PA