As you can all see in the picture below I have decided to change the original American Gothic just a little bit. The faces of the husband and wife have been changed to Mr. Perlman and Mr. McDaniels. I call it, "The McPerlman Bromance" after their relationship in class. This sketch is a very rough sketch for my final product, I was not hoping or looking for perfection. There are multiple things that I need to change, fix, and add to it, so I will not have my final product for a while.
.jpg)
As for my progress with the acrylic paints, I have been reading the book that I mentioned in my first post, Acrylic 1 by Ken Goldman. So far I have read about how to start a piece, and come up with an idea for one. Ken Goldman talks about how for some paintings, artists should use one color to create the background and add layers on top of it so there is no need to worry about details in the beginning.
It is also mentioned that sketching what you are going to paint multiple times helps you know your painting more. This is why I decided to sketch what I am going to be painting, remember it is a very rough draft. I am going to sketch this multiple times until I have enough confidence that I will be able to paint it.
As for the actual painting, I have practiced my techniques during my art class, but I am still having trouble with them. It has come to my attention that I need to work on my patience skills, being when painting my final product, it is going to take time for the different layers to dry. There will also be small details I will have to paint, which means I will need patience to do that. When doing paint-by-number a couple years ago, I gave up on it because I did not have the patience to paint the smaller spaces. By choosing painting as my gifted project, I will hopefully be able to get past my patience problems, and enjoy painting as much as I enjoy drawing.
Last week I was able to get my supplies for my final product! If there was one thing that I recommend it would be to never ever get a cheap easel. I got one for $20 (which does not seem cheap) at ACMOORE, but it was CHEAP. Once I was able to put it together, with only the picture that showed the easel put together (no instructions) it was not sturdy and shook every time I tried to use it. It took me an hour to put it together, and two minutes to take it apart. I will never again get a $20 easel from ACMOORE.
I was just wondering, does anyone happen to have any good websites or books for painting with acrylics? Thanks!!
I really like your idea, Donna! First of all, it's funny, since everyone knows the painting as well as Perlman and McDaniels. Second, you already have a good background in drawing, which will make the process much easier for you. I can't wait to see your final product.
ReplyDeleteI did find a few websites for you, if you want to check them out:
http://painting.about.com/od/acrylicpainting/a/10tips_acrylics.htm
http://paintingwithacrylics.net/
Thanks so much O'Neill for the websites!!! This helps a lot!
DeleteThe McPerlman drawing is actually hilarious! I love the drawing so much! I think you're doing so well in explaining your processes, and your background definitely helps you. I've seen your drawings of Disney characters, and you are amazing at drawing! I cannot wait to see your final product!
ReplyDelete