Day 8 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Love Forever"            11" x 11" Image        $145  SOLD

I was kind of lost when I first started painting today, so I looked back through my 30 minute sketches that I did using Tombow markers, and found the swirl design in one of the sketches. Then I drew another value sketch, using only 2 values, light and medium.  Pictured below are the beginning underpainting and the simple value sketch.


I loved the colors so much in the underpainting that I decided to keep as much of it as possible. Would you like to see how I painted the word, "forever"? I believe that it is much more painterly, if I wipe it out rather than actually painting the letters.  So, the first step is to cover the area with masking tape.  Then carefully cut out the letters, using a single edge razor or exacto knife.  Be careful not to cut too deeply, so you won't cut a hole in the paper.  Then I rub the word out, using a cotton ball that is soaked in rubbing alcohol (91% Isopropyl works better than 70%.  Read at the top of the alcohol label).  (This only will work if you have prepared the paper in the very beginning by coating the surface with matte medium.  Let it dry before painting the underpainting.) **Very important:  Once you have scrubbed out the word, be sure to dry it with a blow dryer.  The heat from the dryer melts the glue from the masking tape and makes it easy to remove.

I've had so much fun painting in acrylics lately, that I've decided to teach a summer workshop in this process. If you would like to be on the list, email me at Karen@karenknutson.com  By the way, I'm so excited that I have over 100 people reading my blog now!  If you want to get on the list, simply provide your email at the top right area of my blog. Happy Painting!