Saturday, February 27, 2010

FROM WHITE GESSO TO BLACK CROW


Here's a bit more of the crow I began using white gesso on watercolor paper. Put the colors in the bird. He looks a bit scary, not having an eye yet.
I like the "texture" that shows hints of feathers and shapes and I can lift back to white or pale colors on the gessoed part. I haven't begun the background yet but I have some ideas about that (thinking of using some irridescent copper I bought from Daniel Smith and have never used).
The crow, being shaped with the gesso, stands out from the background.

I'm still working on my collage, too. The hardest part may be finding papers that are dark enough to use in the crow body.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rhonda,

I like to see how this flies.Boy you must being getting all the puns you can shake a wing at from this series, laughing to myself on that one, but not out loud.

"Hitch" short for Hitchcock, is what I meant in the previous post, Sorry should have made that clearer.

So are you saying the collage parts are going to go over the crow also??

Please, explain the next couple steps or at least the collage part on your update on this piece.

Thanks
Sincerely
Paul.

Vicki Greene said...

I enjoy watching all of the many different ways that you create. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this fellow.

debwardart said...

Clever idea! I once did a painting of a concrete flower pot and made the pot from gesso - it didn't turn out as neat as your crow!

Carol King said...

I'm enjoying your crow series. I've never thought to put gesso on watercolor paper, but your technique sounds interesting.

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Such beautiful soft paint application. I'm looking forward to seeing this guy as he progresses.

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Brave to use gesso on watercolour paper - presume quite a high weight. Saw the feather colours better when enlarged. Initially bit concerned abut the markings around the beak, but the copper idea sounds wonderful and should surely cover that up well. I've used copper behind white lilies and it worked a treat. Will be interesting to see it behind a dark image.

RH Carpenter said...

Paul - d'uh! Didn't get the Hitchcock pun - sorry for being so bird-brained! Yes, the paper pieces will cover the whole thing (there may be some of the underpainting showing here and there but not too much). So...tearing the pieces, gluing them, back and front with Liquitex gloss gel medium and pushing them down onto the canvas board - I'll do all the bg and settle that before doing the crow (have to find lots of dark pieces for him).
Thanks, Vicki, I'm enjoying this a lot!
Deb, I brushed the gesso on thinking about shaping the crow while doing that - I overshot the beak a bit but once I get the bg in I think it will be okay.
Thanks Carol and Elizabeth and Joan! The gesso is quite thin but you can build it up, shape it with your brush - not like modeling paste but it does create a 3D effect once dried that is permanent (I know what you mean about the beak, Joan, and I hope texturing the bg a bit in places will take the eyes away from that boo boo!). Oh, and using just 140# watercolor paper.