Hi, long time no blog!
I had picked up a small( 10×10 cm) wooden panel from my local art store a while back to experiment a little. It has a very smooth surface and I was curious how this would affect my painting.
I chose the short story The Gold Bug by Poe as a subject.
The text says:
“Nonsense! no! — the bug. It is of a brilliant gold color — about the size of a large hickory-nut — with two jet black spots near one extremity of the back, and another, somewhat longer, at the other. The antennæ are” —
And that’s about all that is said about the appearance of the bug. Plenty of room for interpretation.
I like how my bug turned out but I do know that next time if I want to paint a dark skinned hand I’m not using my own as reference. Getting the colour and light right on the hand was difficult and I feel I could have done a better job. Which is why I experiment! The smooth surface of the panel was nice to work with for me though I could use some more practise. I can definitely see the benefits of it for certain subjects.
For those who would like a little bit more info:
straight from Wikipedia
“The Gold-Bug” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. Set on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, the plot follows William Legrand, who was recently bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand’s friend, an unnamed narrator who agrees to visit his old friend. Legrand pulls the other two into an adventure after deciphering a secret message that will lead to a buried treasure.
The click beetle Alaus oculatus, along with a longhorn beetle, inspired the fictional “gold-bug” of Poe’s tale.
You can read the entire story here
MdL Illustration 