I had a really hard time picking a motif for this tesselate. Making a scheme with two different shapes fit together AND clearly represent a real-life object is needlessly complicated. I went through several themes, both simple and complicated, before I finally decided on the fish/turtle theme. Defining the balance between positive and negative space was challenging and a good learning experience. I painted a lot steadier and slower than usual. Yet it’s still messy, not for lack of trying. My hands are really shaky. I can’t draw a straight line without turning it into a fine squiggle. Drawing precise contours with either a paintbrush or a pencil is beyond my ability until I can make the shaking stop. The tesselate is actually the closest I have ever reached to drawing a GOOD contor, especially compared to the projects I’ve made prior to this class.
The fish’s light blue fins were meant to evoke a peaceful temperment, as if the picture were bathed in water. But the shade ended up too dark. I’m really unsatisfied with the darker blues, because they take away from the picture’s contrast and draw too much attention away from the turtle.
I REALLY REALLY need to work on keeping my work clean. I know that. I just … forget where my hand is sometimes. And I often forget that I’m holding a brush in that hand, and that brush will make unwanted marks if I get too close to the paper. Hence the paint outside of the inner boundary. I really, REALLY don’t want to start over once I make a mistake, so I try to blot it out. I also need more practice with using opaque goache. I started using more effectively with the fins (Thanks to Vanessa), but I had already painted most of the project by then.
