Another squid! – Artful Creations Day 8

I have paint on my pyjamas. This could possibly be because I was painting in my pyjamas, my new pyjamas. Also because it is four minutes to midnight.

But I am a happy chappy today regardless, or even perhaps because I have paint on my pyjamas.

Guess what I received in the mail today…

Mwhahahahahaha! My order arrived. I can now finish the giant squid with that bucket of molding paste.

But! The moment I set eyes on the Pearl Mica Flake and Gold Mica Flake (the two jars in the centre), I wanted to play with them and I wanted to play now!

Such texture, such shine (much better in reality).

I wracked my brains for a few hours while doing housework type things that really, really had to be done (before certain creatures born of my shower recess passed us by on the evolutionary scale). I knew I wanted to do a sea creature (I’m obsessing on them at the moment) and I wanted it to be a small one so I could complete it relatively fast. I went through several ideas, all of which I have noted down because I have lined up at least two major paintings for those subjects (this is where I start buying expensive canvases in order to be able to sell the final product ::bites nails:: ), but suddenly I had a brain wave.

While browsing through a book on local marine invertebrates awhile back  (yes, my bedtime reading can be diverse), I stumbled across the little Southern Dumpling Squid. I had taken note of it in my head as something I just had to paint. And when I thought of it today, it was perfect.

Check out a photograph here. These squid are tiny, only ever growing up to a maximum of seven centimetres (almost three inches), but they have the loveliest colouration. Trying to recreate that in paint is going to be a challenge.

So while I was supposed to be cooking dinner I drew a layout sketch…

And while watching Percy Jackson in the studio (boy, did they mess up that story translating it to film, ugh), I made a start on the painting itself.

I’m planning on really pushing the three dimensional textures in this one. I even have some pebbles lined up to glue onto the canvas. Tonight I played with Golden Clear Granular Gel and mixed it with some Matisse dry mediums for extra texture. I’m letting all that dry and then I’ll be painting over the top of that with some glazes and clear regular gel to add dimension.

I’m all buzzy with excitement. Gotta love it when inspiration kicks me in the head royally and I’m off and running in the zone. Great feeling.

Tomorrow is a work day, however, so things will slow over the next few days. It is just great to be buzzing right now (even though I have to be a good girl and go to bed 🙁 )

Don’t forget to blog hop all over the wonderful artists sharing their work with Artful Creations.

I’m off to bed so I can stay awake in the two meetings I have tomorrow.

Best wishes,
Liz

PS: And here is a Dumpl;ing Squid that my eldest daughter drew in response to me starting a new squid painting (she is four going on five).

She is even attempting to copy how I draw. Note the multiple lines used to create the curves. I have to move fast in my artistic career, I think. I have a little artist who I don’t think will have much trouble catching up and overtaking me as she gets older 😀