Art in the Middle of the Night

Yes it was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep so I headed to the art studio. So many times lately I go in there and am just not inspired or just don't know what I want to work on. So I thought use a material you haven't used in awhile. So I grabbed these.

They are Shiva Artist Paintsticks and previously I used some on faces that I had painted in acrylics.  They are basically oil paint in a stick form. I never did an entire face with them before so I thought I would try that.

I now understand why I never did the entire piece before.   In addition to the face I also added the oil paintstick in the background which added dimension but made it impossible to write on.  So I ended up using rubons and stickers to finish up this page. They take 24 hours to dry but they blend so well that they are fun to work with.

This is the page I did next. In hindsight I may have had more success if I had gessoed under the face before I began. I had a hard time covering up the background, I kept adding more white paint but still had no luck. Plus the colors all started smearing in ways I didn't want them to. I lightened her up a little in photoshop, she is a lot darker in person.  Lots of lessons learned on this page but its all good when you have learned something.

So if you are feeling stuck in your art try using an art supply you don't use often, it may just surprise you. If you have insomnia I suggest a trip to your studio instead of all that tossing and turning. You'll feel better if you've made some art even if you are a little tired.