This is a wall mural that I did in acrylic. I started working on it back in November and I'm calling it finished but it's probably not. Originally I had drawn in a hammock between the palm trees but ended up leaving it out. That decision was made more because I was tired of working on it than because I thought it looked better without it. The only other mural I have done was on the side of our house in an enclosed patio area. The total area was about 3' tall by about 60'. The walls were stucco and I used house paint. That really used a lot because the texture of the stucco used up so much paint. I painted the patio mural about 3 years ago and it looks exactly the same as it did then and doesn't look like it has faded at all. One wall gets sun all day and it looks no different than the walls in the shade. Since that was painted, I've been told that artist acrylics are very different than acrylic house paint because there is much more pigment and acrylic binder in the artist acrylics which should make them a better quality paint.
I bought some cheap acrylics (artist acrylic) to use on this mural because I thought I was going to use a lot of paint like I did in my first mural and I didn't want to waste my Golden acrylics. I figured even cheap artist acrylic would be better than using house paint. That old adage "you get what you pay for" was really true in this case. The new acrylics had the same pasty texture as my 20 year old acrylics had. I threw those old ones away and the same will probably happen with the new ones. There was so much drag, even when I was using matte medium to thin them, and that was making me curse. If you are thinking of buying acrylics and want to know what NOT to buy, send me an e-mail and I will tell you the brand name.
I've posted the work in progress photos below. You can probably see the hammock drawn in the first and second photos. Let me know if you think I should add it or not. Also, I had originally intended to have bougainvillea in the foreground. What do you think?
Costa Brava Palms
Image size 44" x 57"
Acrylic
I think the colors are gorgeous here, so lush and verdant - those greens. I know you may not want to add the hammock back in but I have to say that I love the idea and the image. I love hammocks!
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of the hammock and I think it will add needed interest to the painting. I'm a little scared to do it because I'll need to do thin lines which I don't do well in acrylic and I'm also afraid that I will overwork it.
ReplyDeleteWonderful work Nancy. I would love to see the other mural you did too, if you could get a decent photo. It is quite large, and they often don't photograph well. If you are nervous about adding the hammock, work on a clear piece over the art first. Add the hammock & play with details. When you think you like it, then repeat it on the art for real. It will give you a chance to play around and not worry about overworking it. Also will let you practice with paint consistency and fine lines.
ReplyDeleteNancie, I will take some pictures and post the pics of the other mural soon. Thanks for the advice on the hammock. That's a great idea. I will definitely do that.
ReplyDeleteI find it wonderful, Nancy!I often thought about painting a trompe l'oeil, too.
ReplyDeleteand so huge!
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI love what you have here and I would add the bougenvellea instead. It would give it a pop of color and I know it'd be easier than the hammock! jm2cw!
Love this one Nancy! Beautiful work.
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