Last summer at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts I had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of visitors and many of them inquired if I had large-scale work available. This rekindled my longstanding desire to create bigger art.
After much experimenting I realized that the best way to accomplish this goal was to find a flexible surface that I could place on top of my Icarus board without damaging it (the surface). I knew that paper was not my best choice because large sheets tend to crease or bend when used on a desk.
I tested various substrates and found that canvas had the flexibility needed for my purpose. I purchased a roll of Caravaggio Extra Fine Double-Primed Cotton Canvas, the finest texture canvas available. Artists who would like to experiment with canvas and the Icarus board for the first time are advised to purchase a portrait-grade stretched canvas, unstaple it from the bars, and then, after the painting is finished, re-stretch it on the same bars.
My first attempt to work large was a 28" x 48" piece, temporarily named The Quarry. I primed the canvas with three coats of Art Spectrum Colourfix Supertooth Primer, clear. This primer helps colored pencil and wax & oil pastel adhere well to the canvas. When I prefer a smoother texture I use the regular Art Spectrum Colourfix Primer, clear instead.
Below you can see the first two passages I accomplished:
As I was getting ready to tackle the third and final passage to develop color, values, and details, I changed my mind about finishing The Quarry and put it temporarily aside.
One of my favorite artwork, In Between (see image below), sold as soon as I posted it on my blog. I had something special planned for that piece!
For that reason, after asking permission to my collector and changing its size, I decided to re-do it four times as big as the original. If you're interested in this topic of making repeats, I suggest you read Robert Genn's newsletter Identical Twins.
Soon I began working on the 24" x 48" twin of In Between. I'm only about half-way done because other more urgent, smaller pieces are taking precedence.
The strategy I'm following with the 'twin' is different than that of The Quarry. Since it's a re-do, I don't feel the need to block-in the whole composition and colors. As you can see from the image below, I'm completing one stone at a time.
Eventually, as I garner more experience with large sized artwork using the Icarus board, I will share with you all the tips and tricks learned along the way.
When I was a little girl my father used to ask me: "Ester, why do you always push the limits?". He was naturally worried! I understand now, because I have a son who's exactly like me.
10 comments
Sue
May 24, 2013
Ester, this is such a beautiful technique using the canvas. Thanks for showing the closeups!
Ester Roi
May 24, 2013
My pleasure, Sue!
Jill
May 26, 2013
I agree, the closeups are great. It’s neat watching everything take shape :)
Ester Roi
May 26, 2013
Thank you, Jill! I’m glad you’re enjoying this!
Kathryn Ramsey
June 04, 2013
Thanks Ester, I alwasy enjoy your work and ideas. You are inspiring!
Ester Roi
June 04, 2013
How kind of you to let me know, Kathryn! Thank you for visiting!
Rhonda Anderson
June 04, 2013
I love how you experiment with all kinds of products and are so generous in sharing your discoveries with everyone! I’ll have to try the canvas in the future.
Ester Roi
June 04, 2013
Thank you, Rhonda! I’ll have more posts on canvas in the future.
Santhosh Arunselvam
July 07, 2013
Fantastic work :)
Ester Roi
July 07, 2013
Thank you, Santhosh!