Is that the distant sound of Gustav Klimt spinning in his grave?
When I saw the Art Journal Adventure prompt of “Silence is Golden”, a nudge to use metallics, I immediately thought that a Klimt homage was in order. He is one of my favourite artists because of the way he combines influences like psychology and mythology, blending the contemporary with the classical, juxtaposing the human form with bold areas of shape and pattern. He’s a pretty inspirational artist and I like to dip into aspects of his style with my own illustrations from time to time.
I like the effect of metallic paints but I do find them tricky to work with. I had to build up several thinner layers of bronze and gold before it looked smooth and not brushstroke-patchy. The sheen of the metallic paint also makes it a bit tricky to get subsequent layers to behave well on top of the base layer. I let the layer where I was building up the larger shapes of pattern get a bit sloppy as a result. Klimt would not have approved, I’m sure. I could have been more meticulous by taking my time but that didn’t happen. Often in my art journal I start with a head and face and work outwards from there but this time the head and face were blanks until I had played around with all the patterns, though I had pencilled in the lozenge shape of the hair in advance as a frame to the face.
A Pict in PA 