Tuesday, 24 October 2017

Have Your Cake

I took some beautiful photos of the baked goods at the Mariposa Market this afternoon, then headed home in the rain to paint. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the actual painting until late at night. I kind of wish I had bought the cake, because I'd really like some of it's strawberry chocolateyness right now. It would make me feel better.

strawberry cake acrylic painting
5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board


My end result is not horrible, but I had high hopes for this painting. I thought a change of colour scheme and subject matter would be nice. But I made mud pie of the background which originally had reflections behind the cakes. I ended up painting the grey over them. Reflections aren't as easy as I thought. I still haven't figured out how to blend acrylic paint nicely. I will look for some blending tutorials online.

The pink was Alizarin Crimson, Titanium, and a touch of Cad Yellow Medium to tone down the bubblegum pink. The background is Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and a touch of Titanium.

One other thing I must work on is getting the paint to flow better. It seems to always be too dry and rubbery. Not enough medium and/or water perhaps.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

  • Overblending colours on the canvas can make mud. You can't unblend colours.
  • Don't spend too much time obsessing over one aspect of a painting, such as the background or the frosting on a cake. It can be very discouraging.
  • Step back and make sure your tones (darks and lights) are right. This can make or break a painting.
  • Bring home a cake so you have comfort food after you are done.



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