Morning Steemians!

How are you all today?

So my question to you is, what do you do when you’re feeling a little bit low to brighten you back up? I’ve discovered that, for me, it has to involve colour.

Now, for me, as predominantly a pencil artist working on portraits and pet portraits, this presented a bit of a problem. I love to go and do some art when I’m feeling low- it’s soothing and restores my balance, but to bring me back up I NEED colour… and so I started a different kind of portrait.

I’d pick an #animal, pick an accessory and get to work with my gouache paints and markers. And it really does the trick for me- working on these pieces has me grinning in no time. They’re just so silly! And full of colour! And even better, they seem to make other people smile too!

A bit about these paintings. I work in gouache paint and India ink. The gouache, if you haven’t heard of it, is basically like watercolour paint, but it’s opaque and is really strongly pigmented so that you get these intense colours. I love the way it flows- it’s easier to manage on paper than acrylic and dries with a lovely matt finish.

Then the India ink is fab because you can get it in pen form as well as in bottles so that you have a range of lines and brush options available- and it is light-fast- so I don’t have to worry about my pieces fading or discolouring over time.

Finally – the paper. I use 100% cotton Somerset Paper. It’s actually designed for printmaking - but I’m completely in love with its texture and raw edges. It’s super-expensive per sheet… but sometimes a girl just has to treat herself!

So here’s the thing I’d like you to do for me – can you come up with an animal and an accessory and leave your ideas in the comments? I will pick one, paint it and present it in my post here next week. Thought that might be quite fun!

If you like the look of any of these pieces, I do have them available on my Etsy shop if you fancy checking them out.

Don’t forget to leave a suggestion in the comments!
See you soon,
Eveningart x