Collage experiment #2: Hair Beyond Words

Collage Experiments, cont.
I'm experimenting with layering and materials here. The base coat is acrylic colors on a cut sheet of canvas paper. As the paint was drying, I laid cut magazine pieces on the semi-wet paint, so they stuck. Then I tried painting over this with another (watered down) layer of acrylic paint. So, I may want to go out and buy some gel or top finishing laquer layer of some sort to give this an overall sheen and glue the cut papers down more permanently.

Re: Composition itself
I need to incorporate some actual art skills here to make whatever the focal point is of greater visual interest in these collages. A pencil sketch ahead of time wouldn't hurt. I'm continuing to use the cut-out crescent shape motif. I could be arranging these pieces in a more visually compelling way.

Re: subject...As I looked at this the next morning, I realized that seeing hair like this on a reddish background invokes a bloody scalp - yechh. This was certainly not my intention. Maybe I should paint a gold halo around the hair? Better or worse....hmmmm. Time to move on to something else I think.

More Green Stuff...I like leaves

I picked up some leaves outside, and painted over them. This was the result. I did a series of these. They look like fabric patterns. I'm debating whether to leave this painting as is, or to add some kind of gold or silver metallic highlights.

What do you do when you hit the point in a painting when you're not sure whether you're finished or not? I tend to ask myself, Do I keep working on a painting and risk "guilding the lily," or going overboard? Or, do I stop, and leave something bare simple? Will it be better or worse? Digital manipulation is great for developing alternative scenarios; maybe I'll find time one day to use my Adobe software to try this.