I have started this piece last Sunday, inspired by rhyming lines I kept repeating on my head while feeding the laboratory mice. Rushing home, I grabbed my sneaker and placed it on my table. Feverishly, I made the outlines and decided to use my new water color paints.
At a young age, I knew what a watercolor is. My eldest brother, Kuya Bugoy (he is not a pain in the ass unless he started teasing me fat when I was a kid), used watercolor in his drawing. He paints portraits of men, women and lovers. However, it was only recently (actually nine minutes ago) that I learned the difference between watercolor and acrylic paints. Watercolor paints used arabic gum as a binder while acrylic paints used ..well..acrylic resin (Organic chemists better hit the Merck. It might come out in Chem 120.)
It took me days to finish the piece. Duties in the salt mines took a chunk of my time, among other things. And yes, my sneaker is becoming a familiar sight on my study table. Plus, I had a hard time controlling the watercolor. It attracts a lot of water and once I made a mistake, the trick of using white paint to cover it didn’t work! That’s why I ended up with gray shoelaces. :)
My beginner’s charm may not have worked on this piece. But just like my acrylic paintings, I am glad to finish this. It is one hurdle conquered, new technique learned, and a soothing balm to a weary traveler.
Let me share with you the poem, Snickering Shoe, that started this all:
‘Twas a day of blue
A snickering shoe
I found in my stew.
Blubbering lots o’goo
This snickering shoe.
Suddenly it flew
Up and down the loo
Then I couldn’t chew
‘Failed to bid adieu
To the snick’ring shoe.
I like the gradations and the shadows in this piece. Also, unless this is a new shoe, I expect the laces to be gray (or off-white). :-)#
ReplyDeleteI was aiming for off-white for the shoelace but I had a hard time finding the right combination of black and white and water to achieve that. I'm glad you like the gradations. I like it too. I made sure to make that to lend dimension on the shoe. :)
ReplyDelete"Also, unless this is a new shoe, I expect the laces to be gray (or off-white)." ~super like!
ReplyDeleteMiss Kwin, were you fat? I were never fat as seen on your childhood pics. :D
HMMNN pink ni sya or red? hahaha I am color blind ;)
ReplyDelete@Chemistinlab: Ask my brothers. They just loved to tease me that. :)
ReplyDelete@Ising: Red na sya, bai. I decided to go for my favorite color rather than use pink. I don't like the shade of the pink in watercolor paints and since I am still starting, I decided not to mix colors. :)