The Astronaut and the Sea

The hubs and I worked on out first collaborative illustration project ever (that we ever finished I suppose) last month in order to put together super awesome pocket notebooks as holiday gifts for friends and family.

Naturally, we ordered way to many for friends and family, and so now the excess books are up for sale on my etsy site.

Despite the quantity showing on the site at any given point and time, we actually have about 150 extra of these gorgeous three packs up for adoption - unfortunately my brain can only handle so many packages to the post office on a given week so I'll be listing them in smaller batches; and I'll be sure to make a new listing with a different title when we get down to the final bunch.

Pictures below. Link above!

.details.

.finished.

30" x 48", oil on canvas

Apologies for the glare.
But now that that is done and finished and Out Of My House, on to the next project...

.wednesday progress.

If it wasn't clear already, this painting is all I'm working on this week.

.monday/tuesday progress.

Please excuse the glare...

.sunday progress.

.the painting. .yesterday.

And five hours later...

The clouds are whiter, but perhaps not puffier. Colors are deeper and brighter. Hopefully it looks like 5 hours worth of painting because I'm not sure it does. But that's painting....slow and painful sometimes.
I need to go buy some paint.
And the store that opens first on Sunday gets my business!

.mermaid progress.

Draw Things: Dark Disney

.mermaid update.

Because this is still happening...

.not sketchbook wednesday.

So this is happening...

.mermaid battle.

This is not nearly as exciting as the title makes it sound.

Several years ago (read ten) my godmother asked me if I would create a painting for her. Of a mermaid. Based on a painting she'd seen in Key West, where she spends a lot of time. Being in a tizzy of post graduation triumph, I agreed - after all she's FAMILY.

 But then I moved to Missouri and started doing other things and really didn't want to go about repainting someone else's work. And I either got a reminder ot started inquiring out of guilt about what else she wanted in the painting - just a mermaid or...? And there was a list of different fish, which I promptly lost.

Finally last February I reupped and got the list of fish - which had grown exponentially into a list of fish and birds and trees and things, and my brain kind of died a little but I made a digital sketch which she approved (except could I add a guy on a boat) and then my brain died a little more.

Because that's a lot of stuff in a very large painting. And because everything I've been doing has been pretty abstract.
And I put it away again because it was too overwhelming.

And today I took the plunge - prepped the canvas, gridded it, laid out the "things," restretched re:boiling water, and I'm about to put on the first layer of this clear gesso I picked up today on a hunch.

And my plan is to post weekly updates until it's finished in order to keep myself on task.
Because I am overwhelmed.