(Re)Tracing...

I spent a few hours yesterday in the studio, "tightening up" the spider drawing on the panel. I know quite a few artists out there are trying to "loosen up" in their work (and I like loose work, just as I enjoy "tighter work" too--any art that's done well, really) but I find my stuff suffered if I don't give it enough careful attention.

So, I went over the (faint) transferred charcoal drawing with a .3mm pencil, and Ive just finished going over those lines (maybe the fourth time Ive drawn this spider) with a thin sable brush dipped in airbrush acrylic paint.

Prussian blue acrylic airbrush paint!

This will let me avoid having to use frisket when I paint the background; as the outlines of the spider will remain visible, since the airbrushed background won't be nearly as dark as the paint straight from the bottle.

The spider will then be painted in oils.

I also added another couple of costs of gesso to a 48 x 48 inch panel, and I'm going to start drawing the (yes, what else?) spiders for that painting, this week. Then, once another coat or two of gesso has been applied to that panel, I can transfer those spiders (yes, there will be more than one) and airbrush the background for that painting, as well.

Then, I'm working on a drawing of a n o t h e r spider, which will end up on a second 24 x 48 inch panel. (And, I have another panel that size, which needs gesso.)

Things are really starting to take shape, here!