Painting Progress

[mbarrick]

The new painting is coming along nicely. Even though I work in acrylic, I tried something more traditional oil-like approach with the skin tones - building them up in thin, semi-transparent layers. Acrylic has this stigma of being somehow a lesser medium than oil. It's a strange prejudice, considering acrylic doesn't yellow or crack with age like oil. I suspect that is really has to do with two things: 1.) that it has only been around since the 1950's and the post-war anti-mimetic and ultimately anti-painting course of late Modernism and Post-Modernism means there are very few well-known painters who work in acrylic (photorealist Chuck Close would be an exception), and 2.) because it cleans up with water it is an easy medium to get started with so there are a lot of bad acrylic paintings out there.

At this point I'd estimate that I've got about ten to twelve hours of actual painting in on this. It's ironic that my photography, which was meant to just provide source material for paintings, now occupies so much of my time that I don't actually find a lot of time to paint. Being sick didn't help either. Each key frame in the animation represents about an hour and a half worth of work.


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Comments

[valerian.livejournal.com]

I think it's thought of as "lesser" mainly because oil requires more materials to master just to use it (turpentine and varnish to use it, and thinners to clean it up). Thus, acrylics being incapable of getting muddy by overworking, instantly opaque, drying fast and easy to clean up makes using them seem like cheating somehow. :P

I view acrylic as simply needing a *different* set of skills, not more or lesser. You can't do certain things with oil that you can with acrylic; however if you're clever enough and patient enough you can get the look of oils with acrylics - and I think you're doing just that rather nicely! Still, I think you should try oils sometime because I think you'll enjoy how they work. In fact, much of your current technique is *exactly* what you would usually do with oils. But if it's the challenge of getting the effect you want despite convention that drives you, then do it it man!! I can totally sympathise. :)

[ladyvermath.livejournal.com]

That is coming along nicely! I'd hate to say it and jinx you but I think this is the best one yet!

[mbarrick.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I keep pushing myself and I'm always worried that I'm going to bite off more than I can chew.

[evilyn13.livejournal.com]

That looks awesome! I like how you animated it so we can see the progress!