MsSelfDestruct

So I started a new painting quite some time ago, and just like that last one I haven't had any time or willpower to work on it.. well, that's a little beside the point. I mixed all of this paint (probably about 2-3 months ago) and I put it in this lovely air-tight egg container. My paint grew thicker but it still kept wet, but I'd still spray it with water so it was still workable. Well, I opened the container up this morning to paint after a 3 week hiatus to find that there was a fuzzy white substance growing around the rim of one of the wells... Oh my. My paint grew mold. It never occurred to me that this was possible. Ok. So I scraped the mold out of the paint. Though the lazy teen in me wants to keep working with that paint, I'm not so stupid as to do so. I don't know much about this sort of thing but the well-being of my art is very important to me. Is the rest of the paint in the container contaminated? It's bad enough that I have to remix the color that I was using as a base for everything.. I don't know if I can handle the setback of having to remix all of my colors because I was supposed to have the thing half-finished for tomorrow and well.. it's nowhere near that. Thanks for the read... any advice on the hazards of moldy paint to my art would be much appreciated. ](*,)

It's a bit faint but I really like the detail you put into the hand as well as the face.. It's a dark but interesting concept. I really like it. PS- if you copy and paste the photobucket link with the image code or something it should insert the picture. It took me a while to figure it out too.

I love the colors you used. Very nice job, keep it up! I've never personally used Etsy, however I do have friends on Deviantart that have Etsy shops, as well as Artfire studios.. They seem pretty reliable.

It's been a while since I've been there, but I also think Michael's gives out discounts valid for the next week after you buy something there. Canvas panels are good for practicing, as well as paintings. Stretched canvas (especially ones without the staples up the side) are typically more expensive. If you're starting with a small canvas, you won't need any insanely big brushes. I'd get a few flat ones (varying in sizes, maybe the biggest being an inch or so) and a small round one for details.

Thank you! I'm very proud of it, especially since I rarely follow through with my projects past the sketch. It's sort of hard for me to believe that I'm capable of it, because there was that period when I came here when I wanted to just stop working on it. I took pictures of the entire 6-month process, from the sketch to the final product. I think I have around 3gb worth of pictures of it.. For the curious, this is the sketch of it from January. I chose not to add the branches in the upper left or the three reeds infront of the water. I thought it felt more open that way. image removed Then this is the better picture of the final product. image removed

Well.. I'm done. Thank you, I'm very proud. Two years ago, I don't think I would have ever expected myself to have accomplished anything like this. I'd also like to thank everyone for their guidance and support. image removed I'll try to get a better picture of it soon. Here's a close-up of the ripples. I'm glad you like them.. they almost drove me insane! image removed I sort of wish that I'd signed it bigger... but there it is, signed Stephanie Taylor, dated 6-9-10.. Completed 6 days shy of its 6-month-mark. I'm definitely going to keep painting... I just don't know what will be next yet.. I think I want to do a person.. Maybe I'll finish the gorilla painting I started a month or two ago. Whatever it is, it will be a long time before I do it on a canvas this big again. (it's 36" by 24" I think. 3ft tall. I myself am barely 5ft.) Once again, thank you all.

This is where I am now... Decent photo this time. I still have to do the right half of the water. image removed There's no doubt in my mind -- I'm going to finish this week. I'm really feeling tomorrow, but if not, I've accepted that. I'll have almost the entire school day thursday to paint. I guess it's time to think about what I should call it. I've just always referred to it as "my elephant" or "my painting" or "the thing that has possessed my life for the past 6 months" .. Things to think about I guess. It's strange.. I feel the school year coming to a close and my painting finally getting finished.. It feels as though my life is starting to lack purpose.. Heh, isn't that weird?

One little update.. I'm insanely close to finishing. I can't see it taking more than five hours.. I have to add the ripples in the water and the elephant's reflection (which, on second thought, looks more like a shadow...) image removed The lighting in my house is remarkably bad. Sorry bout that. It is like painfully close for me. It's difficult because I still have school going on and finals to take this week.. but I'll take the risk and attempt to finish it tonight.

Looking at some of my stuff, I'd have to say almost all of it is centered... On some of them, I tried to make the subject more to the left or to the right to give them some breathing room but they still appear to be sort of centered.. I guess it's a habit I'll have to work to break.. but on something that's on a much, much smaller scale.

Thank you, *blush* It's strange because in all honesty I haven't been doing this that long.. well, painting at least. I've always been drawing. And recently my art teacher has been bringing up every art scholarship opportunity available for me, so it's just a matter of time I guess. My art teacher said that the only things I have to worry about for college are managing my time, working faster, and the focus of the picture.. She said that they would probably call me out on my elephant being centered because the elephant and the foreground capture your attention, whereas if he were off-center your eyes would take in more of the entire picture.. but I can't do that. I think it's the OCD, but I can't stand the thought of him being off-centered.

Thank you! It's been 5 months of work.. I'm very very glad it's amounted to something. Everyone's compliments and advice have definitely helped me stay motivated enough throughout those 5 months to not throw the canvass down the steps.

So I was up til 3 in the morning painting the elephant last night... image removed 5 hours worth of painting (over the course of 7 hours.. I had to take breaks for the layers to dry. I have pics of each of his layers if anyone's interested.) image removed Then in class today I painted the rest of it, where the water should be, black.. I still need to add the reflection, the blue, and the ripples. image removed I was showing it off a bit today. Everyone is pretty amazed.. myself included. I'm amazed that I was able to pull this off. I never expected it to come together so well.. Especially now that the elephant is painted, it just looks so complete (in an unfinished sense, of course). Even I have a hard time believing that I'm capable of this.

lol, you do have a really good point.. Yeah, I'm going to do him next.. I wouldn't want to do all of the water and then realize that I was off after I've finished the elephant. Yeah, his reflection is in the water, it's a very shadowy reflection, but it's still there.