I’ve decided to try my hand at painting.
My maternal grandparents left me a whole bunch of carving equipment after their passing. It was a much appreciated gesture as my grandfather and I shared an interest in wood sculpture. Included in the inheritance was a huge box of paints. Only a month or two ago when I started casually looking at painting did I begin to recognize the scope of this inheritance.
The stockpile includes 30-40 tubes of acrylics and paint brushes aplenty – it’s a mammoth supply. To help organize the collection I fashioned a custom paint-brush/pallet knife holder. Check it out:
What brought about this new interest? Mainly the fact that we’ve been looking for art for our home. I have a special appreciation for contemporary pieces – bold stretches of colors across big canvas and that’s the type of thing that I might be able to mimic. So let’s learn!
To start, I found a youtube video that provides a tutorial. This guy is great! I tried to mimic as much as I could, and I’m pleased with the results but I have a long way to go:
I learned a bunch through this process. Pallet knives are tricky to work with. So easy to clean, but difficult to manipulate for fine detail. This is likely why there’s an impressionistic feel to many pallet knife pieces. The swipe of a knife provides a very rewarding swath of color and it’s fun to overlay different colors and generate a warm gradient.
Next up I’m going to try and use a photograph from our recent Italy trip as a template. I’ll keep you updated with my progress!
Mike – I seriously suggest you take a new approach here.
I mean, there is not even ONE happy little tree in that painting.