One more step on the owl is complete. I made some test pieces to make sure the cardboard was not going to come apart when painted. It held up well, so it was on to giving the owl a primer coat. I actually did two coats of gesso to prime it for painting. It takes two coats to cover over the newsprint on the paper mâché on the beak and feet. That way no words or pictures are showing through. Some acrylic paints are transparent so the coverage really needs to block out everything. Also, I made sure that the cardboard was well coated along the edges of the feathers so they would not curl.
Priming the owl was a two day project. I was laying the bird on its side and back in order to paint from all angles. I used a medium weight gesso. All of the brush strokes were made from the top of each feather to the bottom. I am hoping that the heavier gesso will hold some of the brush marks, which will give each feather from texture. Now I am giving it a couple of days to make sure that all of that is completely dry, then the painting will begin. I am really hoping that I can make some reasonable facsimile of what owl feathers look like.
I plan to experiment with colors and painting techniques before I begin to paint on the owl. If I can figure out a combination of strokes that can blend the paint before I start; I will have a better idea of how the owl should look.
I will not have a post on Tuesday, May 28th. The weekend before this is Memorial Day. I have to get ready for the holiday festivities on the days leading up to the holiday, so I doubt that I am going to have very much time to work on the project this week. I really hate to work on painting it when I am feeling rushed. Look for the next blog post on June 4th, 2024.
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