Aren’t we all feeling a bit blue during this COVID-19 crisis? Nothing is still certain and the news about the outbreak here in Europe continues to worsen. Well the best thing for us to do is to stay home as much as possible. Thankfully I’ve got my boyfriend to keep each other company and that I can use this spare time to paint even more!
Using up Leftover Gouache
My Holbein Acryl Gouache sets didn’t come cheap, and besides everyone is scrimping and saving up on what they have during this crisis. When I was working on one of my latest painting Stuck During Spring, I needed a place to dump my excess blue and violet paint without wasting it. I tend to do that anyhow as I don’t like wasting by brushing the excess on a new piece of paper and starting another painting. This time, though, I went through an old sketchbook with all my pencil scribbles and found a page I thought would be fun to paint on! I don’t remember making this sketch but it must’ve been at least two years ago. Possibly a self-portrait when I was bored posing next to a lone flower?
I Spy a Kitty
I had a lot of blue gouache left as well as violet. These were randomly brushed on around the subjects. A bit of yellow was added as well. Then when I was done, I found another character mysteriously appearing below the blue flower! Not sure if I’m the only one that notices it, but do you see a cat-like character? It’s violet with blue eyes and nose along with a possibly triangular blue paw.
Finishing it Off
I painted the face with acrylic ink, blending Sepia with White. The hair was filled in firstly with watercolour pencils (Prismalo by Caran d’Ache) before being lined with Sepia ink directly from the dropper. For the eyes, I simply used gel pen. I then lightly traced the cat with coloured pencil and added the whites of the eyes with Molotow acrylic marker. That marker was also used for the details on the blue flower. And now we have a colourful little painting!
As mentioned already I would like to use gouache more often. Their strong vivid shades certainly add some wow to the painting. I’m also pleased how this piece turned out, when having started as a random pencil sketch. Somehow it’s uplifting despite the cold colours and somber facial expression. And uplifting is what we need during these difficult times!
My Kawaii Quarter 