Sunday 8 June 2014

Elephants in the Dust

A family of elephant wander across the dusty plains looking for water. 
My second one done on cradled board using Faber Castell coloured pencils. The texture is very obvious in the photo but it looks much better hanging on the wall. It is quite small, measuring 15" x 7". Now that I can buy these cradled  (boxed) boards here in the UK I will probably be doing more of them. I do like the unusual finish that the texture brings to coloured pencils, just something a little different.


6 comments:

  1. I am a new member of UKCPS. Your 'Elephants in the Dust' painting is fantastic. My work has only been on paper and mountboard so far. Do you need to apply a fixative to protect the completed painting?
    Best Wishes
    Samantha Harvey

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    1. Thank you Samantha. Yes, I applied 5 light coats of spray fixative, allowing it to dry thoroughly between coats and then applied three coats of sprayed matt varnish over that.
      I really like to try out new things, either supports or methods or even different styles.

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  2. Interesting texture Bev and just right for the tough elephant hide. Is it quicker to work on this surface than more conventional ones? I find working on Pastelmat with cps is faster than working on watercolour paper for instance as the pencil can be blended/smudged more effectively.

    Which brand of varnish are you using?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sue, yes this is much quicker than working on paper, I must say at first I was unsure if I liked it, but I have it hanging on my wall and now I think it looks good, so I will probably try it again. I have used pastelmatt a bit but cant say I am in love with it, it is sort of halfway between the board and paper so is neither one thing nor the other, but it is good for commissions as it is quicker and more cost effective. The varnish I am using is just Windsor and Newton Artists Matt Varnish for Oil, alkyd and acrylics. It seems to do the job OK.

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  3. Thanks Bev. Does the varnish come in spray form or do you pour it into a spray bottle? It would be nice not to have to glaze every picture so would like to do a few experiments spraying on sanded papers.

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    1. It is in an aerosol can, just like fixative, simple to use.

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