BobBlast 257 "Mixing Chickens and More"

BobBlast #257 "Mixing Chickens and More" Welcome back to another BobBlast! Sometimes I need to just get back to the basics of painting - it refocuses me and strengthens my skills - by practicing composition or color combinations. If you remember Art School 101, you will probably recall an exercise in transparent watercolor called "Mixing Chickens." So, I have enjoyed painting my small abstract "chickens" with Holbein's new Acrylic Ink. These Inks behave like watercolor and I use a lot of water and big brushes to see the mixed colors merge. However, like the acrylics they are, these Inks are permanent after drying - which means I can continue layering thin coats of different colors. So my color combinations come alive with the layering - a thin wash of blue over a dry yellow layer will result in a green. So watered down, you can use watercolor techniques. Or - squeezed straight out of the bottle, I paint in my usual acrylic fluid technique. Since this acrylic ink is so versatile, I can work very free with many options of techniques. This BobBlast demonstrates painting loose "chicken" shapes, watching two colors mechanically mix in the belly area, forming the third color. The next demo, I paint the same chicken shape, only this time I follow my color wheel combination of only 4 colors on each painting. These small paintings are approximately 6x6 inches, on a half sheet of Kilimanjaro 300 lb cold press watercolor paper. And finally, on a pre-painted chicken on 16x16 inch watercolor paper, I'll punch up the color with a thin layer of transparent acrylic ink. Then, with some opaque colors, I'll paint over parts, reshaping the negative shapes until I'm satisfied. New Studio rule this month: Keep it wet and goofy!