It has been a week of calamari here in my studio. All other projects have been suspended by my current obsession with this giant squid painting.
About a third of the tentacles are done to first finish level (basically they look okay, but will need to be gauged against the rest of the painting once all the squid is done and then glazed to colour match and blend all the bits together into a whole). I’ve started from the bottom up. A more close up shot:
I’m really enjoying this and it is this week’s submission to Paint Party Friday, so don’t forget to drop around to the community and check out all the great art happening over there.
In other news, I wandered into a bookshop again today at lunch and found this wonderful book on colour.
There was very little hesitation in purchasing it. Check it out on Amazon to see its insides. It is wonderfully photographed and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into the text. I’ve been thinking about getting a book on colour recently because I adore colour and it would probably do me good to actually learn some more detail about how colour works and techniques to enhance colour effects. Actually come to think of it, I got the colour bug from this blog post by Suzanne Drolet.
And lastly, I took a piccy of my paint stash as I gazed down upon its yumminess 😀
The brand is probably not familiar to those of you outside of Australia as these are Aussie made professional acrylic paints. I also love Golden acrylics and use them for my fluid acrylic stash (dependent upon the health of the Aussie dollar) and I have to say that Golden Acrylic mediums are just wonderful. But I have definitely fallen in love with some of the colours in the Matisse range. In the centre here you will see ‘Southern Ocean Blue’, part of the Australian colours range. This is one of my favourites. It is a stunning transparent turquoise and I keep using it in everything (yes, it is in the squid :D) and it was a major component of my daughter’s mermaid painting. Another stunning colour in the ‘Australian range‘ is Australian Sienna, again a transparent pigment, a beautiful golden brown. And Australian Yellow Green is just delicious (hmm, sounds like I might start eating my paint). Of course another favourite is Dioxazine Purple…and this the point I stop naming colours before I go through the entire palette 😀 Do you have a favourite colour to create with?
Best wishes,
Liz
Comments
19 responses to “The Squid Report”
My favourite colours at the moment are all from the Matisse range too. I LOVE the Naphol Crimson in their Flow range. I actually prefer it to the Golden fluid colour. The other two favourites which are new for me are Australian Sap Green and Australian Ghost Gum. I could seriously take a bath in the Ghost Gum, delicious! Love the detail in your squid. Can’t wait to see the next instalment.
I LOVE THE MATISSE FLOWS AND HAVE A DRAW FULL OF THEM AND A FEW STRUCTURES OF COURSE… THE AUST SKY BLUE IS MY FAVOURITE… SO HANDY TO HAVE COLOURS THAT OUR EYES ARE USED TO IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN…
THE SQUID IS LOOKING AWESOME
XX
The WIP Squid is looking fabulous!
Your calamari is amazing with its design, composition and colors ~ just wonderful! ~ ( A Creative Harbor) ^_^
that squid looks amazing! I love the composition of it as well. looking forward to seeing the finished piece!
What an incredible squid! Fabulous color. That book sounds very interesting. I too am trying out working more with color… and yes, it would be quite helpful to learn more about its subtleties. Wonderful work. Happy PPF
The squid is looking fab already……….ooooh the book looks great and the paints are a feast for my eyes. Happy PPF, Annette x
Your squid painting is so ambitios and AMAZING!
Thank you, too, for sharing the paints you use.
I actually LOVE using using Matisse Background Colors! So now I am curious to try the paint!
♥♥♥
Happy PPF!!
Mary
Mixed-Media Map Art
wow- that is some incredible detailing in your squid painting! I love art books so I’mdefinitely going to check this one out-thanks and happy PPF!
wow! i have never worked with these paints, but your picture is making me almost cave in on myself wanting a few tubes of these!
beautiful !!!!! I also love the peek in the paint stah, you’re right , that is yummy!!!Best wishes from Canada!
This is a terrific painting! The squid is seriously underrepresented as a portrait subject.
A giant squid? Very unique and fun! Your paint stash looks divine!
Wow, those tentacles look very 3dimensional. Gorgeous! Thanks for introducing me to Matisse paints! I’ve been living in Australia since one year, but still have to find my way around those unfamiliar paints and materials … Have to try it out. Are all the colours transparant?
Calamari has never looked so good!
Absolutely fabulous…color tubes look so inviting 🙂
Your marvelous squid is progressing beautifully:) I use Matisse paints too ( must get back to some painting!). Look forward to following the progress of the squid.
Awesome squid! Great colors. No I’m not familiar with the brand but the picture of all the tubes makes me happy!
I love the fabulous movement in the squid – he (or she) is beautiful!