Bartlett Pear (detail)
I took some serious liberties with the color on this one (Bartlett pears are bright yellow), but I really like how it turned out. I did a bit of a collage-y foundation, with torn bits of pages from an old patent book, glued down with acrylic matte medium. Then, I cut out (tore, actually) a pear shape from another piece of the same paper and glued it on top. It has a slightly 3D effect that’s nice.
Red Pear (detail)
I meant to do an extra one tomorrow, but I went ahead and did it this evening, instead.
Red Pear (detail)
I did a second pear today, to make up for getting side-tracked earlier in the week. I’m still one pear behind, so I’ll probably do two tomorrow, too.
d’Anjou Pear (detail)
This is another one done with Neocolors II over an acrylic medium ground. Only this time, I blotted the acrylic with a piece of waxed paper, to create a mottled texture. A single layer of watersoluble crayons were blended once with a very wet Q-tip, then left as-is. The only other thing I did to the sketch was to add a tiny bit of black to the shadowed area, blended with my fingers.
I also carved two new eraser stamps for this one.
Bosc Pear (detail)
I had some small scraps of denim left over from the book I bound yesterday, so I used one in this spread.
Again, I spread a thin ground of acrylic matte medium on the paper with a credit card. I find it fiddly to work with watersoluble crayons on top of acrylic, but I love the effect. This time, I used Neocolors II, because they harden to a more durable, waxy finish than Portfolios. I also find them easier to work with in most situations, because they aren’t so mushy.
For the first, all-over layer of color, I used a really wet Q-tip to blend. The second layer–medium and dark shadows–was blended with a damp Q-tip. The third layer–dark shadows only–was just smudged with my fingers.
You can see the pencil sketch through the crayon, especially in the light areas, but I kind of like the way it looks.
Asian Pear (detail)
I like the way today’s pear turned out, which is good, because yesterday’s was a bit of a disaster. I reworked it a bit and rescanned it, but I’m still not happy. Sometimes sketches just don’t work out, and that’s okay.
Today’s drawing (painting?) was done by first applying a thin layer of acrylic matte medium to the paper with a credit card. Then, I used Neocolors II watersoluble crayons, working in layers, wetting them with a Q-tip, blending with my fingers, then blotting with a paper towel. I’m usually a slow worker, but this sketch went very quickly.
The recipe is one I’ve actually had, though I’ve not made it. It is delicious.
Bosc Pear (detail)
I started this one by covering the whole page with acrylic matte medium. Then I used brown and yellow ochre watersoluble crayons, blending them with a wet paper towel, then blotting with a piece of dry paper towel..
The photo is the back from a Polaroid I’d separated, then covered with the plastic half from another Polaroid that I’d wiped clean of everything but the brownish border. I like the way the ghostly pears peak out through the still slightly cloudy plastic.
Red Pear (detail)
I used a very similar technique as I did on yesterday’s pear. The main difference was that I buffed some of the layers of glaze, instead of just blotting them. I also wet some of the layers a bit and lifted them off, when the color got too opaque. It’s kind of tricky, timing-wise, when working with acrylic, but not impossible if you’re careful and you don’t let the paint try completely.
Reds and yellows are hard for me to work with, because I always feel like I’m mixing ketchup and mustard. Strangely enough, the thought of ketchup, mustard, and pears just isn’t as appealing as one might think.
Bartlett Pear (detail)
I like the way this one turned out. I’ve never really worked like this before. What I did was start with a layer of acrylic matte medium, then worked a little bit of acrylic paint into it, then blotted it with a baby wipe. I let that dry, then started again with another layer of medium, etc. As the layers built up, they started to look sort of watercolor-y.
The process was interesting, in that it went quickly, but I was able to work methodically. I enjoyed the control I had in applying the paint, but also the almost complete lack of control in how the excess was removed.
Bartlett Pear (detail here)
I’m not in love with this one. I like the background texture, which comes from applying acrylic paint with a credit card. I left the paint a little thicker and rougher than I normally would for journal work. The top layers of paint were applied with either a Q-tip or my fingers.
red paper boat 