What to do?

I'm working around a little dilema. Well not much of one really, but enough to make me think.

I like the soft edges of my branches - even the dark edges of the under paint peaking out underneath. However I also am a lover of clean sharp lines. So which am I going to use. I don't want my picture be flat and so am trying to add depth and texture and so the softer edges work better. But I like the graphic quality of the sharp lines. Hmmm.

Primed

So primed and ready the canvas stands waiting for the first mark. As usual I am hesitating, its the nervousness I have, similar to that on making marks in a new note book or sketch pad. I need to delve in and make a commitment. I'm meant to have got over this initial feeling as I've painted the base coat...... but ......will it all turn out like I imagine it?
Will it?
The blue I've coated the canvas with, is bold and intense, a gorgeous rich colour. Colour of kings. However the finished painting - or the one of my intention - will be far cry from this colour. I'm hoping it will be far paler and more delicate. Will this domineering colour take control and take over? Its there to add depth to what could be an almost white background colour on the finished pic. All I want to do now is cut out some bright orange fish and stick these to the painting - maybe add some seaweed.

Its time to start, but how? Should I outline in pencil - paint the initial structure in paint - paint the background? It turns out I'm doing all three depending where I'm painting on the canvas. My, its a big canvas and why did I chose this small brush?

Stretching

So todays task was to stretch a canvas. I'm not sure whether it made a difference but I decided to remove and re stretch a previously stretched canvas onto a smaller stretcher bars - well smaller in height. I discovered however, inbetween the time I last stretched canvas - this particular canvas - three months ago in Singapore, the canvas had gone almost brittle. It was very difficult to get it taut as I couldn't get the canvas to stretch properly. I am assuming it might have something to do with the dryer, less humid environment I am now living in - one with drying central heating. I had never had this problem before I went to Singapore, so I am just wondering whether the rest of my canvas, that is still on the roll, will be affected too ........

So, to rectify my brittle canvas and to not waste it, I covered the reverse in water, allowed it to soak in slightly before continuing, now it was pliable, with my stretching. Now I have a canvas thats as tight as a drum! Yippeeeee!

And then all I had to do was watch paint dry - base coat - time for a cuppa.

Will they stop moving!

So I'm standing in the sitting room facing the garden, Chinese Paint brush in hand, a pile of A1 Cartridge Paper in front of me, three plates of ink to one side and I wait. Luckily, the filled bird feeder brings in my first subject, a Robin, who can't decide whether to fight its reflection, stare at me (I think its staring at me), or to eat (and he's a messy eater).

Of course there is one problem when you are trying to paint birds - they move. Infact they move a lot. I either scared them away when I turned my head to get more ink, or as I looked where I was painting they had disappeared altogether. 

 

So there was a lot of looking, waiting, waiting and looking.

Now to transform my sketches into, well you'll just have to wait and see.

New Year

So the paper is primed, the ink and paint brushes and even a stick is ready for action, but my models have all disappeared. The Robin that has been attacking its reflection all morning has vanished, the Jay has flown away and the Chaffinks have flown off to peck another garden. So patiently I wait, but they will be back.