Ice Run

[altivo]

Ice Run by ~altivo on deviantART
So here's the next picture. Still having trouble keeping the lightweight paper stretched during repeated wettings, so the next one will go on heavier stock.

The setting is based on photos (and my own memories, though that was in summer) of Siskiwit Bay, on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. The three wolves are created from an amalgam of reference photos. They are crossing the ice in late winter, when the snowpack has melted and refrozen repeatedly. Thus they kick up some surface powder but leave no significant footprints. Larger sized view available by clicking the thumbnail.

(For those interested in technical details of the painting, Argos has them here.)

Comments

[schnee.livejournal.com]

That's a lovely picture. *smiles*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Not quite what I was aiming for, but watercolor rarely does just what you want unless you're a real master. I'm still trying to recover my previous skills after 30 years off. ;p

[schnee.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. It certainly is much better than anything I could've come up with, too. *s*

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

DeviantArt? And here I've been watching Argos for a sneak preview :o)

I agree with Schnee: very nice. I commented at DA, as well (I have an unused account there from when I made a purchase of an item).

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Argos will make a post discussing the technical details, probably later tonight. I decided to use DA as an art repository because people can look without being logged in as they must be for FA.

Glad you approve of the image. As I said to Schnee, it's not quite what I had pictured, but as you know, watercolors have a mind of their own. I need to work larger for the kind of detail I want, and spend more time on the entire piece.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Argos has the technical details now.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

Great details on the details. I haven't used masks or scratching yet. Thanks for sharing.

(my dreamwidth account seems to have gone awry, hence my posting here)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You should try the mask. It's cheap enough. Just use an old brush or buy a cheap one just for that purpose. Rub the bristles with liquid dish soap before dipping them into the masking goo. It's like rubber cement only not acidic so it won't yellow the paper. Always apply it on dry paper, and only remove it when everything is quite dry, and you'll have no problems. Wash the brush with soap and water immediately after use. This method lets you preserve really white highlights and add detail (like the gray in the clouds) later.

The razor blade scratching trick is new to me, I've never done it before either. I like the result, though. I just wanted fine white trails, so it was the ideal method. That was done after everything was bone dry. You can also use a razor blade on wet paint to create textures for rocks or weathered wood for instance. That's related to an oil painting technique called "scumbling" I think. You apply a paint that has suspended pigment grains that will settle, like burnt umber or yellow ochre. Then you use the blade to push the pigment into little piles and streaks where the shadows should be and let it dry. I've done that before using an oil painting palette knife. A credit card works too. This is well worth experimenting if you do landscapes or textured areas.

You use OpenID on Dreamwidth, right? Your cookie probably expired. To get it back, make sure you are logged into LJ, then open another window or tab on www.dreamwidth.org and click "Log in with OpenID" in the top right corner. When asked, enter the URL for your LJ account, and that should get you back in. You need to be logged in on the primary account before you can activate the OpenID account.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

:o) I was trying to get here via the iPod, but couldn't. Your instructions worked just fine. I should just open a regular account and not click click click.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Thats really pretty good. I cannot draw at all, and I had no idea you could.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, everyone with reasonably normal vision can draw. It's a learnable skill. That said, I guess I have to admit that I can, more or less. I'm out of practice, though.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Wolves on the ice...nice :D

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You can't see what they're chasing, though. ;p