Tuesday, October 27, 2009

WIP - A Touch of Nostalgia


I love old world images and have a passion for anything antique, and so, with this in mind, I felt like doing a larger piece this time, (8x10 inches) but still want to include all the detail that goes into a miniature (Call me crazy!!!) This is a combination of a few reference photos - some were taken in a little country town called Wollombi by my parents-in-law, and the reference photos for the horse and carriage were taken by us in another charming country town called Morpeth, both in NSW.
On another note, I recently discovered Pan Pastels, which are quite different to work with to regular pastels, but they are perfect for doing larger areas such as the sky in this artwork. After doing the initial drawing on drafting film, I covered the lower half with Frisket, and then applied Pan pastels to the sky. Fixative spray was then applied, and now comes the fun part of filling in all the fine details. I'll keep you posted as this one develops.

10 comments:

Mona Diane Conner said...

Beautiful detail already in the figures Karen, and it will be fun watching this one develop. It's also interesting to hear how you've applied the pan pastels. I had wondered myself if fixative works on drafting film, so now I know.

Unknown said...

Thank you Mona. You can apply fixative to the drafting film, but the reason I applied the frisket to the lower half is because once the fixative (even workable fixative) is applied, it is difficult to work over with the pencils (on drafting film), so is really more of a final protective coat.

Barbara A. Freeman said...

How exciting to watch you develop this one, Karen. I've not gone beyond graphite and colored pencils on film, so I am interested in the pastels. Also, do you ever have problems with the fixative beading up on the film, or causing your colors to bleed?

Great start!

Unknown said...

Thank you Barbara. I don't really find the fixative beads, I do find the first coat is a bit uneven, but I spray subsequent light coats after the first until I get a finish that is fairly even. I find it is never perfect, but it is still preferable to no fixative, and also I like how it takes away the shine of the pencil work. I have only had a problem with purples, but I work with Polychromos - do you work with the Prismacolors?

artbyakiko said...

Colored pencils on 8x10 must be a big project. The carriage scene is looking great. I see some stores on the background. Can't wait to see how it progresses.

Unknown said...

Thank you Akiko - It's always fun to try something different - my only problem is I get impatient to start a new project, so hopefully can stay focused enough to finish this one!!!

Mona Diane Conner said...

Karen, thanks, good point about frisketing the area you don't want the fix on.

Thanks also for your recent comment on my pencil portrait. It is partly your fine work in pencil portraiture that has inspired me to try drawing more often!

Unknown said...

How lovely to know Mona - where would we be without the community of other artists!!!!

Debra Keirce said...

Karen - this is going to be a good one! Can't wait to see it develop!! I have been thinking about doing a small format in the miniature technique / style. So I'll be watching and learning here as you progress. If you go nuts in the process, I'll abandon my plans! :)

Unknown said...

LOL Deb, I started this because there was a bit of break in the number of commission orders coming in and I felt like doing something different. But all of a sudden I think people have realised Christmas is looming and I've had a flood of orders so this one has been put away for a bit. I'll keep you posted though!!!!