Art practice, experiementation? or is it just simply artistic flow???

My Dylusions Art journal has not arrived yet.  It is due to arrive between 20th Jan and 9th February,......well it is coming from USA apparently so I guess I cannot be too impatient lol.  As a result I have been unable to start my documented life project  This, however, is not a negative thing.  It is giving me a chance to practice.  Here is my first attempt at using acrylic paints to do a background and a face.  I was not really sure where this work was going, perhaps that is what made it so difficult, I was thinking about it too much and not just letting my creativity flow.  I did not use a prompt. I had been watching a shed load of youtube videos on painting techniques and I just wanted to try some out.  I took the advice of everyone and just put paint on the page so I wasn't staring at a blank page.  On hind sight I could have taken a few more photos at the beginning of my work so the progress could be shown.  Having said that, I was enjoying living in the moment and just being present, I suspect taking loads of photos would have detracted from that.  So here are the photos I have taken in order of first to last photo.

c

This first photo shows the difficulty I was having with trying to get the black hair to cover the background.  For some reason I could not cover the light colour.  Which has confused me as its a light background ?????? I used gesso which was recommended to help the colour go further and be brighter. I wonder if the acrylic paint (even though unopened till now) has been sitting for too long.  I bought it a couple of years ago hmmmmmmm Oh well, I will try something different next time.  After all this is practice and experimentation :) As the saying goes "Art is what happens when plans go astray" I have absolutely no idea if anyone ever said that but I believe John Lennon  said "life is what happens when you are busy making other plans"

 

The Final photo shown here is not intended to be the finish product.  Though I am now at a point where I am afraid to do any more to it just in case I ruin my efforts so far.  I do realise that there are no mistakes in art, just a move in a different direction.  I will, of course, get over my freeze at some point but for now I will leave well alone.  Even if I don't do any more to it. The idea behind it was to practice not to make a master piece.   

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading the latest post T