This project was a definite nod to the great artist Georgia O’Keefe. Ahead of her time in her work, she paved the way for women artists in Modern Art. From minimalist cityscapes to sensual flowers and glorious landscapes, her work is known around the world and inspired artists for decades.
Materials And Supplies:
- Canvas, any size above 11’x14′
- Assorted Acrylic Paints: cobalt blue, deep yellow, scarlet red, titanium white, black licorice, real brown, ultramarine blue
- Stencil Brushes
- Flat and round acrylic brushes
- Stencil1 Deer Skull Stencil 11′ x 11′
- Stencil1 Flower Stencil 4 pack 8.5′ x 11′
- Stencil1 Bullet Journal Stencil #3 6’x6′
Process
Color mixing
For this project, I mixed up some purples, pinks, and yellows to start. I used a lot of titanium white and mixed up a few darker hues to create a lot of shading and gradation for the background.
Step by step process
For the background, I painted out a few dark brown paint strokes using lines that would mimic the shape of the skull. I did some basic shading and gradation with different values adding white and blending pinks and yellows on the canvas.
Next, I stenciled in the radial pattern and Asian star pattern using colors already mixed on my palette and used variations of the colors I used in the background painting. I wanted the stencils to blend in but add texture and interest. I loaded the brush frequently and no water was added, allowing for thicker layers of paint while preventing bleeding under the stencil. I used a small stencil brush for the radial pattern, tapping the thick paint on while holding the edges of the stencil down firmly. For the Asian star pattern, I used a flat paintbrush to sweep across the stencil in a few quick strokes to give the impression of the shape and uneven texture I was looking for.
Then, I mixed black and brown for the skull. I wanted the skull to have texture and be pretty solid in color, so I mixed up a little more color for that than usual. No water was added and I reloaded the brush frequently to get the amount of paint on the canvas that I wanted but built it up a little at a time. I used the tapping technique with a medium stencil brush, ensuring to press the edges of the stencil down firmly as I applied the paint. After it dried, I applied highlights to the skull with dry-brushed light purple paint.
The final step was to use the stencil to paint seven flowers to create a border. The first layer was pale pink, then I went over that with a bright yellow with orange for shading and depth.
I had a lot of fun mixing colors and playing with sizes. A lot of the color mixing happened on the canvas, it was a really freeing process and the results were so different each time. I hope you have as much fun with this project as I did!
This project was made by our lovely friend, Teri @tjaneiro2 on Instagram
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