A Handy Tip For Beginning a Painting


Thankyou for your lovely comments about the changes I made to my vase painting. It seems I did the right thing! :)
I've started a new painting. This one's done in a similar way to the 'Broadsands Baby' painting I made last week. Because I had a good idea of how I wanted the painting to look, I began by drawing the the main shapes of the image in pencil onto the canvas.
When I began to paint over the pencil lines, I realised that the paint would become mixed up with the graphite of the pencil, making it muddy. I know at this stage many of you would spray it with fixative but I find it quite expensive and don't have any.

What to do?


Cover the areas you want to protect with tissue paper glued in place! It's so see-through that the layer underneath can still be clearly seen. I used pink tissue paper here but if you prefer, use white tissue if you don't want to add colour at this stage.


Once dry, (I used a hair dryer to speed things up) you can easily paint over all these areas without any pencil being disturbed at all. :)

(cropped close-up)

I painted a lot of the areas in detail but left other areas with the collage elements showing. Although I love artists who make detailed precise work, with my own painting I don't feel right tightening up the whole painting, I like to leave some areas for the viewers' imagination.

So here it is, the finished painting, complete with jewellery and cakes.


I'm calling this one 'Chocolate and Cherry' and it measures 30 x 40cm (12 x 16inches)

It's been very stormy and dark the last couple of days so I haven't been able to photograph it properly yet but when I do, I'll list it for sale in my Etsy shop at £80 (other currencies welcome!) :) If you'd like to buy it before it gets listed, or have any questions, please message me here on the blog or email me. :)

I hope you're not affected by these awful storms, it's very bad here at the moment in the south west but my house isn't near the coast, no we don't have really bad damage like the Dawlish trainline that collapsed this morning!

Keep safe xx

**UPDATE**
Now available to buy here. :)




Comments

That is clever....love the painting. :)
V xx
Veronique said…
Lovely colours and mood, Jess
chrissie said…
Terrific tip--thank you. Always love what you do

Chrissie x
renilde said…
the sun is always shining here :), a summery day and soooo relaxed...you make me dream while i can hear the wind and rain outside, x
Merlesworld said…
Great painting, wonder what they are talking about.
Merle...........
rossichka said…
Your paintings always lift up my spirit! They are like flowers in a big, colourful, shining garden! If your creative process is so interesting for me, I can only guess how useful and interesting it is for the artists!:)
Hope the rain and wind will calm down soon. Here we have snow and in my town the temperatures are around (and even below) 10 degrees under the zero!:(
Kyra Wilson said…
I love your new painting! I really need to get fixative though, I muddy mine up a lot.
Paper rainbow said…
What a delightful afternoon teaparty, love your show and tell photos, how interesting that you use tissue paper and paint over it using the pre-drawn lines, I have never tried that! You have made me want to experiment!I do so hope the storms get better, it seems the south west have got the worst of the weather, im glad you are keeping warm and dry.
Gina Lee Kim said…
Wow Jess. Seriously, your use of color and collage is just amazing! I love this very much.
Tammie Lee said…
such a charming piece
it was fun seeing it come to life

we have had deep cold, but not rain and wind only -29F/-34C a few friends pipes have frozen and my fire is most certainly going.

lovely weekend to you ~
Martina said…
Such a great post - always so interesting to see, how other artists work and get their ideas. The painting is adorable - and just right for the season. Have a super week!
Palomasea said…
Oh my goodness...stay warm, dry, and safe, dear Jess!
It seems that severe weather is the norm these days...

Thank you for sharing this brilliant tip! I plan to try it!
Love your paintings so much...pure joy... :)
Blessings,
- Irina
Ruthie Redden said…
I loved seeing the process of building up the layers on this piece Jess, your work has such a happy feel to it, always makes me smile x
Linda said…
I have just discovered your lovely blog from reading your comment on hens teeth. Your work is glorious and I am so happy to be now following your blog.
Ana M.F. said…
It's a beautiful painting. I love all the details and colors ♥
What a nice post!!!
Thanks for sharing your fun and whimsical WORK!
denthe said…
Very clever! thanks for sharing, it's a great idea. Love the finished painting, so relaxed and peaceful ....
Ginny said…
I am about to meet a friend for coffee. It is cold and dreary outside but we will have to pretend that we are having tea in some beautiful spot filled with color. I love this painting and how it makes me feel.
This collage painting is lovely! Thank you for the hint about using tissue paper over the graphite pencil so it won't smear. Very clever idea.
I am becoming a follower of your blog. I came over from Irina's blog 'Witty and Wise'. It's always nice to meet another mixed media artist. I like your style and use of colorful paints.
Cheers!
Teresa in California
http://amagicalwhimsy.blogspot.com/
Julia said…


Me encantan las fotografías, son geniales. Ha estado un regalo el visitar tu bloc, te invito visitar el mio y si te gusta espero que te hagas seguidora.
Elracodeldetall.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Love it all.
Introverted Art said…
Oh Jess it's lovely!!!!

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