Fiddle player

| maggiebird

This portrait is on Arches print paper. I inherited this beautiful paper from a friend whose father was an artist. He’d passed a long time ago, and when they finally cleared out his workshop, they found a stack of this lovely paper that probably dates back to the 60’s. Isn’t that an artist’s fantasy—to find beautiful, antique paper from a time when craftsmanship still ruled the day?

I love to draw on this paper, and small sizes worked okay with watercolor. But this painting is big—a full sheet of paper, 22X30—and there were some issues.

Paper for letterpress printing has less sizing than watercolor paper, which makes the press paper lovely and soft, but without the sizing to protect it, the paper sucks up the paint. Plus,  even though I stretched it and stapled it firmly onto a board, when the paper got wet, it got all floppy like a wet cotton sheet. But it dries nice and flat. The painting is still on it’s stretcher board, and I may rework it a bit.

This was painted before I took the Ted Nuttall workshop. I now refer to this as my BT (before Ted) style. Next post, I”ll show you my AT (after Ted) style. Very different.

More about sizing

http://www.arts-in-company.com/paper/additives/sizing.html

http://www.trueart.info/sizing.htm

More about paper

http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/paper1.html

4 thoughts on “Fiddle player”

  2. I’ve been drawing a bit, and I’m going to sign up for beginning drawing in the spring. The more I draw, the more impressed I am with your skill – and that you are constantly trying to improve and learn more instead of being satisfied with where you are…

    Anyway, er, thanks! Apologies for my habit of playing with my chin off the chinrest, that probably made things more difficult?

    1. It was that lovely long line of your neck that prompted me to paint this picture. It showed your relationship with your fiddle beautifully–happy, confident, and joyful.

      Drawing is a skill, like playing tunes. It takes practice and dedication, and is always helped by good instruction. Have fun in your drawing classes!

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