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Well here is the feather work that is part of this mask.  I am going to have to figure out how to use complementary colors to neutralize the right-hand side of feathers as that is the darker side.  So need darker, but still color - good trick.   One of this year's goals was to work more from life and I found a neat little way that I think will help me do it.  Wetcanvas, under their Artwork from Life tab, and is also the fourth section once the page comes up, has a scavenger hunt every 9 days or so where they list 25 words and artists have to come up with a drawing from life for that word.  For instance one of the words was "live" so I drew my hummingbirds on their feeder, one word is "hot" so I drew a thermometer.  It is pretty cool to see how people interpret the words in different ways and also post their sketches.  It helps to validate that these are sketches, not finished works of art.  If it ever cools off maybe I will get out there...

I had so much fun doing the last mask I thought I would try another.  Again this is going to be a combination of primarily pastels, some gold leaf and acrylic covered with pastel.  This is a lot more elaborate and hoping I can pull it off. This is on artagain paper, recycled and the black will lend itself to really helping the background and also give soft edges as the feathers fade in and out.  I already have a few issues, this is on mat board, and it has a definite indentation, just like golf balls, so the pastels just want to skim and not sink in.  And I started with the gold leaf design so I didn't lose it and have put it on three times now, but oh well, and looking at this it won't show up as much as I would have hoped in the color areas, might try another couple of coats and see what happens. I would like to thank Helga O from PMP who kindly put up her pictures from her trip to Venice and this lovely reference shot.  She has several more, so there coul...

                                                              The Venetian Violinist                                                                          9"x12"                            ...