Scarecrow process

Many of my fans, especially the younger ones, are interested in my process of doing my art. Today I would like to show you how I created the #inktober Scarecrow painting that is for sale in my shop at Big Cartel.

First, I took the original sketch and using my light table, I traced it onto #150 lb watercolor paper. I taped it as securely as possible as I didn’t want either paper to slip! I traced  this very lightly as I didn’t want the pencil to show through too much on the completed painting. I only did the the main frame, as this is just a guide for the paint. When it was traced to my liking, I placed the traced sheet on a board. I secured it to the board using painters tape all around the edges. Using a brush and water  I really soaked the paper. This makes it so it stays nice and tight for the painting later.

I let this dry about a half hour to an hour. Once it was dry, I was ready to paint. Hooray! That’s my favorite part. I tried to use very little water, as I wanted nice bold colors for my scarecrow. Also, too much water could cause a disaster of it running. Note: If I had too much water, I would take a tissue and gently soak up some of it. Luckily, this didn’t happen this time.

Once my scarecrow was painted to my liking, it was time to let it sit and dry. I waited about 2 hours just to make sure. I took the sheet off of the board and placed it back on the light table over top of the sketch again. I lined it up perfectly and made sure to tape it securely again so the papers wouldn’t slip.