Tried to give this old painting a bit more oomph by working to maintain the whites better. Started by doing a black and white Notan of the photo, then this value study keeping out ONLY the whites. That helped me with the painting. Then I went into the old painting and just lifted out more white areas than it had before. I like it better but will probably do this one again and really keep those whites clean and bright without any color. I see I need to darken her eyes, too.
When Sweetie first began volunteering for the Newport Aquarium here close to home, he was in charge of feeding their new (and first) octopus, Olivia. He would come home with sucker marks all up and down his arms because she was “very affectionate and playful”, trying to hold on to him and pull him towards her in the tank as he fed her from above the tank. Later, he didn’t get to feed the octopuses but just worked in water quality and I know he missed the interaction with the critters.
Octopuses are smart and need mental stimulation so aquariums often give them toys to play with to keep them interested. They don’t live long in captivity or in the wild - just a few years. I’d rather see them in the wild, but haven’t gotten much chance of doing that since I don’t scuba.
3 comments:
oh my goodness Rhonda , I just couldn't imagine anything else than a spider, and I'm not fond of them.. But I remember seeing a short film , maybe on Y Tube, about a man that had an octopus that was like that, and how it knew him.. So I guess the ARE pretty smart.. Although I don't think I could have anything walking on me that doesn't have eyelashes..
I think notans are a great way to work. I just have never managed to get in the habit of using them. Fun to see the darks and lights.
Thanks, Barbra and Debbie! Barbra, you made me laugh at your comment about anything that doesn’t have eyelashes :).
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