Some words are mighty although only three letters; SKY, ALL, NOW, YOU. These words call up imagery the second you hear them. The “NOW” I painted here is my current life; two kids, housework, a musician husband, growing things, wisdom, adventure, and my village. It can also be WON or OWN if I shift the letters around. It is a good word for me; something I need to remind myself to tend.
In this class, we will transfer (or you can make your own) letterforms to small canvas, and add imagery that calls to you. The technique we will use is dry brush, and involves painting the negatives instead of the positives. It is a silhouetting of sorts, since black is the background and we will paint around it to make the letters and images. This is an illustration technique that is handy to know because it is a fast and easy way to work, and a good exercise in seeing shapes.
Our palette will be limited, as will our vocabulary of images, so you can easily do this in one day. And you can pick a set of letters that offer more that one word, as I did here. Find a great word for yourself here: http://www.yak.net/kablooey/scrabble/3letterwords.html
Let me know the word you pick, and the size of your canvas, so I can have the letters ready for you.
Supply List:
- #3 Round, inexpensive nylon brush or other detail brush
- Apron
- Heavy body acrylics, not liquid (Golden is my favorite). 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue and white.
- Paper towels
- Pencil, 3B or 4B, and a soft eraser
- small container black gesso, the same that you use on your canvas
- Small palette or plate to mix paints
- Three small deep square canvases, from 4-6 inches, painted with black gesso. Please do this ahead of time so they are dry when you get here. Let me know if you need help with this.
- Water container
Optional:
- Small silhouette images of your life or dreams
I'll bring:
- Extra paint colors
- Image library
- Letterforms
- #4 Shader paint brushes
- Transfer materials
