Happy Jungle

Spring is definitely here! It’s nearly the end of March already but with the on-going restrictions about amid COVID, it’s not easy to get in the mood. Not much we can do with them if we want to stay safe. So how about lifting the mood ourselves instead and start painting happy things? Today, I would like to share a sweet happy painting of Little One. All smiles, donned in a vibrant pink frock and prancing around some beautiful botanical surroundings and waving her imaginary magic wand in hope of better times. May be a bit far-fetched but we could all do with some positive vibes right?

Another Use of the Accidental Collage

This piece is actually the second painting using the collage paper I had “accidentally created” as seen in my earlier blog So What Happened? To recap, I was working on a painting which I decided I didn’t like anymore and somewhat couldn’t get out of so decided to recreate into collage paper later to be used up. Illustrated in the below photo is the created collage paper on the top. The bottom is what I did with the remainder of the pieces of collage:

I used Marabu Mixed Media sketchbook in A3 size. Before collaging, I primed the page with some white gesso and when dry, painted some spots using Titan Green fluid acrylic by Golden.

Connect the Collages

Once the collage glue (acrylic medium) was dry, I went about adding blocks of colours to connect the collage pieces. Violet,magenta, sage green and hansa yellow were used here. I had an idea what I wanted to paint and where to place the subject and thus left the area free. That way, I need not worry about wrinkles and folds or spots of dark colors on Little One’s face.

Drawing Little One

Now I was ready to paint LIttle One! If I want to add more in the background I can do so once she is done. I made a sketch first using charcoal pencil. Having a better idea of what she would look like, I incorporated more collage in the background, including odd bits I had made from the past as well as paper napkins an wrapping paper. Another I added were some flowers from rubber stamps, something I haven’t done for ages. Great to rediscover! What an interesting melange is turned out to be. Once ready, I painted the face with a mixture of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold and Titanium White and made streaks on the hair using oil pastels.

Making Her All Pretty Again

And we love flourescent colors!! I do like the series from ARA. So how about a pink one for Little One’s frock? And let’s make a matching color for the tip of her magic wand! I thought I’d also add a bit of texture to the painting by spreading some modelling paste on her hair before painting in Antelope Brown and Payne’s Grey. Glass beads were also added on top of the pink paint on the wand, although not clearly visible in the photo. The eyes were drawn using the tip of the dropper from Payne’s Grey ink, and once dry, I traced over the lashes with glitter glue. A few details here and there using gouache and Sennelier’s 3D Liners. And now, I think we’re good to go here!

What a happy painting! And with what we are going through at the moment, I feel so much better now painting something positive. And so is Little One! It does look as if she is walking in a jungle, and a colorful one too. How sweet is that, just wandering through it and spreading love and hope. On a technical level, I am quite amazed how a simple mistake I made from a previous painting can be recreated and turn into a stunning piece. I now know what to do if I ever decide I don’t like what I am painting!