I was very pleased to learn that Art Mitz www.mitzart.com, the manufacturer and distributor of Terra Skin has selected one of my acrylic sketches for the cover of their new sketch pad (thanks Lea Stillinger) .
The piece was an 8x10 done on TerraSkin "neat" - no gesso. Its a sketch completed near Collingwood Ontario.
Its one of those quick pieces that I did not take seriously and thought it was too loose and too silly to consider keeping. But I kept it and showed it ( because my wife liked it) and got a very positive reaction to it and it sold quickly. Now chosen for this. Go figure! Its a part of my continuous struggle with "who I am" as an artist. Do I want to be loose and playful or be tighter and demonstrate technical competence. Its become almost a daily fight for me.
I have posted on the use of TerraSkin earlier. Its a great product and can be used for any medium. I more often add gesso, often black, to give it a bit of "grip".
Recently I have been using oils with soft watercolour brushes (thanks Doug Braithwaite) and I find they work very well on this smooth surface.
More small examples:
I found it a great product for quick figure drawing/painting sessions - acrylic 6x8
Also like it for "spots of colour " exercises WM Oil 6x8
Simple and clean for simplifying plein air sketches WN oil 6x8
Take a look at their product line: www.mitzart.com
I can identify with this absolutely "Do I want to be loose and playful or be tighter and demonstrate technical competence. Its become almost a daily fight for me." Very strange because I just started using Terraskin myself and have struggled with that very same question for years. Just last night I came up with trying something in this loose style (inspired somewhat by Stephen Quiller) and then I saw your painting on their website, and you have captured what I would like to achieve perfectly.
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