Constellation Finally Gets Its Due.

Constellation was a piece I was hoping to resolve in time for Merican-Tastic! II.  At some point though, I knew I wasn't going to be able to resolve it satisfactorily by show time, so it was best to just put it 'on hold'.

With my next show, Ill-Suited For The Pleasantries, coming up in about a month, it is time to re-engage the process.

Part of why Constellation was put 'on hold' was because I had taken the piece/composition in a direction that was going to require some more 'elements' to complete.  I knew it 'needed' something, I just didn't know what that 'something' was.

-Incidentally, the paint palette that I am holding up in the image below is the cardboard negative space cutout where the 'F', 'The Heart', and 'irth' are.

The composition had a bunch of unsatisfying dead ends and unresolved/under-defined areas that made the piece too wishy-washy for my liking.

After a few hours of sketching out ideas, I developed some more shapes/elements to fine tune the composition.

Vrrooom-vrooom!

First layer is yellow with a black paint to seal the edges and visually make everything stand out.

I'll be honest, I have no idea why this image is so large.

A final coat of a green primer (top image) which looks only slightly different from the base coat of oil paint (bottom image).

Add a few details.....

Do-Be-Do-Be-Do.......

....and then add some color in the 'thought bubble' and the 'dialog/talk bubble'.

I had no intention to paint the words and the heart with the same pale yellow ochre color that I used on the 'bubbles', but as I started to lay down color in those areas it seemed to be an idea worth exploring.  So POW! the text now has a different color.  Bottom line, if it doesn't work, I can always change the color with minimal hassle.  Since it is quite easy to change, why not paint it?

There is a little more line work to go into the canvas portion of the piece and then I need to begin to consolidate frame ideas into one composition, and then layout and ink the frame (I actually built it several months ago, I just have not drawn anything on it).  I'll cover the process of making the frame later.

About 4 weeks to go until show time.