Recreating Color

Repainting someone else's artwork isn't very creative.  Or artistic.  However, it does really help you get used to the tricks and techniques that you need to get a certain look.  So for this week, I decided to repaint a picture that I found on Pinterest.  The color and looseness of this piece really caught my eye.  Here is what the original looks like.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find the artist who created it, and I looked all over.  Just remember that mine is not an original!

Image Courtesy of Pinterest.com
Author Unknown

The color of this piece is almost overwhelming.  The way the artist used such loose strokes and still managed to get such  realistic look is unbelievable.  By mixing the hard of the bridge and the hill with the soft of the leafs and the water gives the painting a flowing contrast.  Finally, the short strokes of the brush gives the painting a texture that brings it all together. Here is a picture of what mine looks like.  Remember that I am not completely finished with mine, so don't judge it too harshly! 

Image Courtesy of Maddy Lee

Obviously, my version of this painting needs a lot more work before I can officially call it done!  I still need to add the branches in the trees,  make the bridge a bit less vivid, and do a bit more work in the reflections in the water.  I usually like to paint small little paintings, but for some reason I decided to use a four foot canvas for this project!  I actually ended up liking the size, but going bigger means that you will need to spend a lot more time on making it look how you want it to.

For most of this painting, I used a palette knife, which gives a thicker textured look.  However, I also used brushes for little tid-bits of it.  The hardest part of recreating this painting was probably letting myself be loose.  I am so used to trying to get every detail perfect, and if you did that in a painting like this, the effects of the painting would not be nearly as dramatic.  Overall, I had a lot of fun with this project, and hopefully I can finish it up soon!  

P.S.  Check out one of my older posts, Exploring Solar Printmaking to see how my prints turned out this summer!