Donkeys, Day 7

[wayfaringwordhack]

Yet another long day. A get-together that was supposed to last 2.5 hrs tops ran to 5 hrs, so I felt a bit rushed with this one.  I wasn't even intending to do another watercolor today but didn't have time for my other idea. I also changed my mind midway through about how I wanted to do the sky, which resulted in a mess. Oh, well; it's a draft, just a draft. If I do go with fanciful, stylized imagery, I'm going to have to think long and hard about how much "busyness" I want and where I want said busyness.

It's funny. I wasn't intending to do a white donkey, but the trees (and the sky) got so busy (hence the busyness comment above) that I thought simple was the way to go with my donkey of the day.

"White Donkey," watercolor and ink* on matboard

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* I used both india ink and white acrylic ink. The india ink bled into the board, but the acrylic stayed nicely on top. However, I did have to apply a couple of coats of white to get it more opaque.

Comments

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

That's a very pretty donkey. I love the trees, too.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Thank you. This is an idea I want to revisit after putting a little more thought into it. :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I love the shape of the foliage-flowers, and I love the bark. I wouldn't have thought of it as busy!

And white acrylic ink--so that's how you painted that magical-looking donkey!

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I think what I was (no longer am?) unhappy about was the fact that, while I didn't *have* an idea of what I wanted the trees to look like, they way they turned out didn't hit the feeling I wanted, you know? But they look better since I blurred the busyness of the sky a bit (see my comment to frigg below).

Are you talking about this donkey in regards to the acrylic ink? If so, there isn't any ink on it; the color of it is due to the matboard. Only the details are painted on with watercolors. I did use the acrylic ink to paint the donkey colt (very first one I posted) on the vivid background.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was meaning this donkey--so this one is just done by leaving the matboard without any ink on it? That makes sense; the watercolor thing where if you want something white, you have to leave the area unpainted. (Which to me is so hard!) I somehow thought you had gotten the intense white by using white acrylic ink--but really it's just the brightness of the board. (I don't mean to suggest that he's supernaturally bright or anything like that, just vivid, if you know what I mean)

I also very much know what you mean about not knowing what exact effect or design you're looking for, but knowing what you've got is not that thing. I'm glad you feel better about this sketch now, with the sky as it is, because I like this one.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Yep, just the matboard shining through. I would post bigger pics so that my details are easier to see, but I've been uploading them with my scanner and don't have the hang of adjusting the size yet. I know what you mean about leaving white space. That is one of the trickiest things for me to do with watercolors. It's really a medium I'm not that comfy with. I always overwork everything. If I think about it tomorrow, I'll post a picture of a different piece to show what I mean.

[xjenavivex.livejournal.com]

I've enjoyed each of your experiments/pieces. I loved the mittens yesterday. Thanks for posting these. I hope the longer get together was good. Have a great weekend.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying them, too, even if they are taking longer than I want. :D

The get together was very good. It is going to be nice to have a social life with nice people. :D

[frigg.livejournal.com]

I like! And the sky looks fine to me.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Well, I poured vinegar on the sky to try to smooth the colors together. :P It was blotchier before. :P

[mindseas.livejournal.com]

This donkey looks a bit on the spoiled side to me: Here I am! Aren't I beautiful? Her ears are pricked, expecting kind words and treats. I love the way the branches of the trees form heart-shaped spaces. This is the white donkey's world--a bit sugar-coated and unreal, but for all that a lovely place to visit. Maybe she's been feasting on that fallen fruit, which much be very sugary.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Ha! I love your thoughts on her. She does indeed look saccharine. Very sweet, but I'm not sure she is trustworthy. ;)