Tea party

It is already March and I am just now posting about the February Big Assignment with Lilla Rogers Bootcamp - it has been a busy time! Here are some details:

Assignment: The February Big assignment was a project for the wall art market. For the Mini assignment we had to sketch some plate scenes (yep, the pictures which are painted on plates - which are often vintage or for kids). The final product was supposed to be something different from a plate – a surprise! I didn’t follow the briefing as well as I should have – I skipped the mini (no plates!) and started directly with the big assignment. The task was to paint on a real piece of wood and that piece was supposed to be round – so, a round composition was the task. 

Theme: I have chosen a tea party episode from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I sketched a bunch of rabbits last year for a different project but I didn’t use the sketches. I loved the sketch below, so I decided to draw a bunny in this style.    

Inspiration: I love dishes (not to wash the dishes though). I like to collect, admire, and photograph cups, mugs, teapots and plates! I looked though a bunch of magazines to get some inspiration and to capture the colors and shapes. I liked the teapots from CB2 catalog and I sketched them.

Technique: I used watercolors, white gesso, and a square piece of wooden panel. I didn't find a round piece of wood in the local art supplies stores and decided just to round my composition on a square format. I like to sand and make scratches between the layers - it makes the texture so rich and smooth at the same time. Also, I used some paper cuts off for letters and numbers - it is almost a collage. It was a very nice experience to paint traditionally and to try some new materials.

March is a break - there is no assignment. I am looking forward to the April Big Assignment and for good weather!