slightly humerous

full scale

the full 21 ft across with some of the owner's cars in front.

finally!

It's been a challenge.  Wasn't sure I could do it.  But I'm now finally at the point where I'm applying varnish.

getting lettering on the mural again

Using a stencil (that you would be cutting out of painter's tape) might seem logical, but in practice you'd look like you were trying to create a part in a comedy, your hands in a big wad of tape.  Just doing your best with 2 strips of tape like this (below), is a challenge, but do-able.

recent hotrod

This car's rear requires several layers of red to get the opacity needed for the under-the-canopy look.



It is challenging to add 3 layers of color to get this appearance - fire red is laid on heavily, orange-red is on top of that, and last, white is carefully blended on top.  No, it is not easy.




To get this lettering on this coke machine, I very much wanted to use a stencil.  It ended up being much easier to just use a piece of tape above and below where the lettering would go and then guessing about the spacing.  Also not easy.




Extra paint added (gives opacity).  It is hard to get this evened out.




The mix of paints for the car's back end




The current final version



lots of blending, finishing central car

Its been a learning experience - I've gotten better at blending layers of acrylics.  When you're blending acrylics it is still possible to do some blending with water even if the layer that you've just applied appears to be dry.

still blending...

Whatever you do - don't use molding paste for an acrylics piece that you'll need to blend.  Molding paste adds a kind of texture you won't want.

reworking the main car

Acrylics, difficult to blend, can create a rough time for you when you're doing gradual light changes with an unusual color and showing reflections in the painting itself. I'm reworking the main car  for the 3rd time.

working on a critical piece

Working with acrylics in layers is a challenge when you want realism. You fight with it's streaky nature.  But on the center-piece blue Bel-Aire, reflections on it's metallic skin are a must.

most challenging part

Doing the center-piece car- it's got to be painted just right.  I'm excited about it.  The Bel-aire is a beautiful car.  I hope I can do it justice- (the car at the bottom right).

Almost to the half-way point

Acrylics, being a difficult medium,  can always surprise you when it may occasionally act like an oil paint.  And getting a glass object to appear to partially reflect light is always a trial,  as the gas pump globes show.

it's wearing me out!

Exhausting.  But well worth it to look at.

continuing mural

Anyone out there that handles acrylics everyday is someone that I salute. You are working with the most difficult media there is -  it's a stretch for me in every way.  I wanted to post some pictures of where I'm at with the picture.

continued mural work

When you work with acrylic paint you've got to work fast to blend anything.  The hardest part to this painting was blending shades of gray to get the overhang area and far wall correct.

latest project

I'm working on a mural in a garage that's 10 ft tall and 21 ft wide.  I'm incorporating the owner's cars into the picture. The lighting in the picture is poor here but  I hope to have another posting later that has a more brightened, colored, (and more finished) view.  This is a painting of a Texico station with 55' Chevys and a hotrod that I'm unsure of the origin.

these most recent drawings



some made up, some copied

all characters
are made up
(none copied or
based on anyone
real)

the way I've spent some free time recently

I've posted some of my recent practice drawings.  One of these is used in the end of Healthcare nightmare.
When I draw all these characters, I usually start from their feet up.  (NOT from their head and down) - If you do this, more of your own natural artistic ability will step up.