This morning, I started out with a sketch on prepped board. You can see the branches outside the window that were my inspiration. I’m drawing on masonite with a white grease pencil. The paper in front in my sketch of the original idea. I think if you click on any picture, you can see them larger.
Mixing up my palette for the grounds. (that means the back and foreground)
Laying down the grounds and blocks of print colors
Once the grounds are dry, I can lay out the lettering. I use the computer to print the letters and use that as a guide for spacing and look, but I draw and paint them all entirely by hand.
In process of laying down the lettering. I love typography. Love it. It’s hard to see in the photo, but I allowed three different pinks to mix on the brush and canvas, so the letters are the tiniest bit marbled.
Here is the full layout, mostly finished, but with a few touches left to add, which you can see in the final photo, below. I added some blossoms to the top, and deepened the colors just a bit.
And, Voila. It is done. It took all day, since I squeezed in being a mom here and there, too. Tomorrow, Mo is coming over and going to help me figure out how to put it up on Etsy- but you saw it first here.
Thanks again to everyone for your proliferation of suggestions on sayings. I should have lots of material to make stuff from here on out.
wow.I really like it. and i really enjoyed seeing the process too. i’m something of a wannabe artist – its good to see how things are done. 🙂
Wow!! That is sooo totally cool!
You are so amazing. I need to figure out a creative process. Maybe I should come up with an endpoint first. I’m excited to see more of your beautiful creations.
Beautiful. In awe over the whole lettering by hand thing.
I can’t wait to have a Tracy M original in my house. The problem is – I’m going to want them all. That is wonderful.
You are totally under pricing that if you are selling it for $250. You are amazing.
Looks great! Glad you found some time in and hope it makes you feel better and a lot less “bound”
That is so awesome! You are an amazing artist!!
I LOVE it. What always strikes me is how perfect your letters look.
Lets conference and decide on a cool saying and a “tree of life” ish painting as the new theme of our family. I’ll e mail. This stuff is GREAT………
I still love the one you have with the girl that looks like Abby and the chickens (or eggs?).
Wow! I mean, really…WOW! That is just beautiful! The more I look at it, the more I think it speaks to me. And you did that in one day? Wow!
I love that. It’s beautiful. Never seen anything quite like it. How will we buy these? I, too, cannot believe that is one day’s work. And how perfect the lettering is. I love the blossoms and the rich color. I would never have thought it needed one more thing in that picture before the finished pic.
dang girl. just dang.
That is so amazing. I hope you will keep letting us know when these come up on Etsy – I have the perfect place to hang one.
I didn’t comment on your last post when you asked for ideas and now it seems like you have all of the ideas you need but I was going to tell you that you should make one that says CHEESE – or if you wanted to be fancy it could say FROMAGE.
*sigh*
I can’t talk my husband into letting me buy it, though he admits it’s “very pretty” (high praise for art from an engineer). He keeps mentioning buying a house, paying the midwife for the homebirth this June and down payments and other boring but essential stuff.
Maybe I’ll be in a better bargaining position when you do “Peace, Be Still.” It’s a message I need more anyway. Am rarely peaceful though often still (with laptop keeping me that way).
wow, it is simply beautiful.
You are so amazingly talented! Thank you for showing the process; it’s amazing how much thought goes into it, and yet you seem to do it so easily and effortlessly. I hope it sells very quickly and for what it deserves!!
That is so beautiful! I am betting that it sells amazingly fast. Thanks for sharing it with us first!
I wanted to commission you to do a painting from a photo I took but I can’t afford it right now. Maybe for my birthday!
Tracy, you blow me away. Absolutely beautiful. Really. I have no other words. . . except, maybe, WOW!!
Amazing, it really only took you one day?! Atleast at the end of the day you can step back, look at what you did and feel good about a days work! Maybe even go to bed with a little less worry and sleep a little better! Well, as well as you can sleep with 3 kiddos!
I wish I could just sit and watch you do it.
But I guess this is the next best thing, thanks for sharing.
THANK YOU!! I love that you posted about the process! I hope you will do it again and again! You have such wonderful talent!!
Unbelievable. I am in awe. And I’m with Wiz–$250 is way low.
How beautiful–you are amazing! First the piano (which I still remember with awe) and now this.
How on earth do you get your letters and skinny lines so nice and neat with such lovely straight edges? They’re beautiful. I can’t for the life of me seem to manage to paint skinny lines of any sort, they always end up fat and uneven. Gorgeous painting! I love the flowering branch.
Wow! That is so pretty!
You’ve been working! So beautiful, simply breathtaking Tracy.
It is just incredible to me that you did this all in one day! Such lovely work.