Using all of the media in my Art Snacks box was very much a challenge this month. There were two gelatos in colours labelled cherry and pistachio. I don’t have much success with red and green colour palettes and I have even less success with using gelatos. I know people who absolutely love gelatos and achieve a great deal of success with them. I meanwhile only seem able to achieve scribbly, scratchy, puddly messes. The box also contained an acrylic spray and sprays are again something I have no aptitude with. I tend to make an absolute mess with those. I was feeling very daunted about embarking on an illustration using these materials.
I received a peach hued marker in the box so I knew I would draw a human figure. I was using the three narrow paper samples provided so that format suggested the composition to me. I was actually surprised with how successfully I managed to create flesh tones using the beige base of the paper and the peach marker as I usually make a streaky mess with markers. And then it all went wrong.
I smooshed some gelato onto the paper and activated it water and moved the pigment around. However, no matter what I did, my initial scribbles remained visible and the pigment settled unevenly so it all ended up looking rather patchy. Evidently I need much more practice with using gelatos. And then I added the spray and made even more mess and really stuffed up the illustration. I drew on some branches dipped in the ink actually using the spray pump tube as my mark-making tool. When I tried to use it as a spray, however, I didn’t achieve fine mist but instead got large puddles and ugly drips. Such a mess. Time to step away and call this piece done. You can’t win them all.
A Pict in PA 
I wouldn’t say failure…learning curve maybe. I like the lighter two strips.
Thanks, Beverly. Of course, nothing is a failure when we learn from the experience. That is one of the great things about participating in creative challenges. I am determined to get better at using certain media too.
Wow, this is wonderful Laura…I love the splotches and sprays. And, I think you used the colors to their advantage. Applause from me!
Thank you so much, Sharon. I enjoyed the challenge of the colour pallette and the three different tones of paper. The challenge of gelatos and sprays, however, seemed to get the better of me – this time at least ….
She looks as though her heart is breaking. It reminds me of the scene in Up where the Ellie has just had a miscarriage and has her eyes closed to the wind outside. On a brighter note, our local grocer has just start offering cherry pistachio ice cream, and we’re nearly through with the pint. So they DO make a nice pairing LOL.
Well I never! What a flavorful coincidence. That opening montage in ‘Up’ destroys me emotionally every single time I watch it. It’s incredible film making.
Absolutely. I cry every time. Sometimes if I only hear the music.
The music is amazing the way it can be completely sad and despairing or uplifting and exciting. But, yes, that little old animated couple move me emotionally in a way that live action actors fail to.