Unsettled

With all this global warming taking place, we’ve had quite a sunny past few weeks, with temperatures soaring to 23 degrees! Last Sunday evening we even had a barbecue outside wearing our t-shirts, definitely unheard of in mid-October Holland! Not that we’re complaining of course but it certainly makes us confused and more importantly, concerned about the radical climate and disasters happening in other parts of the world. I got inspired as a result to make an expressive painting whist maintaining the kawaii animated style.

So first a pencil sketch. I decided to make the painting diagonal for a change. That in itself adds to the confused unsettled mood. For the hair, I experimented with aquarelle pencils and spread the colour with a wet brush.

Continued colouring in with acrylic paints. Crushed Grape and Laidback Lilac for the Little One’s dress. Lemon Zest and Tangerine Dreams for the flower. All by Dylusions. For the leaf, I outlined it firstly with red Inktensive aquarelle pastel and then blended it with Tangerine Dreams paint. The face and rest of the hair were painted with Jane Davenport’s paints. I then added some lime green scribbles in the background with oil pastel.

Then the background. I wet it with brush firstly with water before adding a few drops of light green Ecoline ink. After letting the ink dry, I stamped some flowers and leaves using Distress Ink. Coloured in the mouth with coloured pencils.

I then glued on some origami paper collages on the dress, hair flower and parts of the background. The eyes were outlined in black ink (Faber-Castell’s permanent markers) and then filled in with white acrylic. Used brown india ink for the pupils. Finally the details. Dotted and doodled in with Uni Posca markers and Molotow’s acrylic pens.

Another kawaii painting of the Little One! This time she has a different expression and is standing diagonally. Initially I was unsure as to presenting it in portrait or landscape orientation but I decided for the latter. And now for that dramatic look! Great to do something out of the ordinary again, and I should do more of such expressive paintings more often.