Peacock Colors Test

Glass beads as a ground.

I'm testing colors that I want to use in my peacock painting.  I also wanted to test it with glass bead medium.  Glass bead medium is added to paint or used as a ground to give texture to a painting and add reflective qualities.  I had purchased the glass bead medium on impulse when it was on sale.  Now I am experimenting with it to see what it can do. I want to paint a peacock, but paintings of peacocks always seem a little flat.  I'm hoping that adding some shine and texture might yield a more satisfactory painting. 

Viewed from above.

 

The medium was on sale at such a good price that I decided that it was worthwhile to purchase it just to experiment to see what it could do.  When I first received it, I mixed it with paints and just painted on some paper, however I did not make any photos.  It did add gloss and texture and made the paint.  I purchased a fairly large quantity of the medium, so I expect it will be appearing in a number of future projects as well.

Viewed from an angle.

This time, I am testing some of the colors that I want to use in the peacock picture: Ultramarine Blue, Vivid Lime Green, and Deep Turquoise.  I decided that since I had previously mixed the glass bead medium with paint that this time I would experiment by using it as a ground.  I applied the medium to a primed canvas panel with a pallet knife, thoroughly covering most of the space and leaving other spaces open.  I allowed the medium to dry overnight.  Once the medium was dry, I painted over it with a 1:1 mixture of paint and water with Ultramarine Blue and Vivid Lime Green Liquitex acrylic paints.  After the paint was dry, I painted a portion of the blue and green with a mixture of Deep Turquoise mixed with gloss gel medium.


As a ground it added a lot of texture.  It is worthwhile to note that it looks quite different from different angles.  Viewed straight on, the color seems much deeper than when viewed from an angle.  When viewed from a deeper angle, it appears much lighter because you are looking through the bead gel medium.  Good to know before I start painting.

I had originally considered adding a color pour as well, but at this point I decided to end the experiment and get started on with painting the picture.  I thought I might enjoy working with Color Field; experimenting with developing shapes and patterns.  What I've learned is that I get bored.  I really like making Folk Art better.  Experimenting with different types of art has helped me to define my voice.  Folk Art may not be the most popular art form, but it is where I find my voice.