Baby Giraffe - completed

BABY GIRAFFE

22" x 30" on 140 lb. Arches

closeup of BABY GIRAFFE

(click on pictures to enlarge)

I'm baaaaacccckkkk - and want you to know that I had a great time on vacation! We visited my daughter and her family in Guadalajara, Mexico AND we also spent almost a week at Paradise Village (a resort) in Nuevo Vallarta. It was so hot and humid... I loved it! I finally felt like I experienced summer! We were on the beach and in the ocean each morning, then into the shady part of the pool later in the day when it was too hot to be out in the open. The ocean is so warm there that it literally feels like walking into a big bathtub. In fact, my husband said it was warmer than he takes his showers!!!

After supper, we went for long walks on the beach, and just relaxed. One night we walked a long way down the beach to where there is a turtle sanctuary /reserve. The kids got to release baby turtles into the ocean. Late every night volunteers go out and rescue the eggs which female turtles lay, and bring them back to the sanctuary. They bury them in the sand in neat rows with little markers for each one. When the eggs hatch, the caretakers keep the baby turtles until just after the sun sets before they are released. That way, the turtles' chance of survival is higher... especially from the birds which are not as numerous in the dusk. Each night, there is opportunity for those who have attended the talk and demonstration to actually take one of the little turtles and place it behind a line in the sand. Then the baby turtles flap their way through the sand and into the water. It was so wonderful to see those little creatures bobbing on the waves - little dark patches floating out to sea.

The drive to and from the beach was long and windy, up and down mountainous terrain - with 2 out of 3 kids getting carsick. But they were all troopers, and it was great to be together again. Our flights to and from Mexico were the smoothest I have ever experienced, so all in all, I can say that this was one of our best holidays ever.

Now that I am back, I have completed the painting of Baby Giraffe. Three years ago this summer, I took a picture of this little giraffe in the San Diego Zoo. He is part of my "pouring series" which is where I do several pours of pigment on the paper before I begin my painting. This sets lights and darks in various places on the paper. Two other creatures, African Elephant and Rhino are a part of this series. I do have plans for more paintings in this series, but they may be a while in making it onto my easel.

If you are interested in Baby Giraffe, or commissioning a similar painting, please contact me: jogiesbrecht@gmail.com

Pouring Technique for Baby Giraffe

Here you see the first pour of the primary colors on Baby Giraffe. First, I wet the entire surface with clean water, then I poured the diluted paint where I wanted that color. I lifted the paper and manually manipulated it until the colors mingled and produced secondary colors - but this is a wild and unpredictable process. One can only hope that colors are in the approximate place you chose for them.

Here is the result after I have allowed most of the paint to run off the painting. It will now dry and await the second and third pours where I will add more of the same primary colors.  I used Aureolin,  Quinacridone Rose and Pthalo Blue... but next time I will vary the strength of each according to what I want to accomplish for the underlying colors. 

Once the next pours are completed and dried, the painting with brushes begins.

Rhino - a watercolor work in progress

Rhino

22" x 30" watercolor

140 lb Arches paper

Rhino is coming along - but he also has a long ways to go. Part of the challenge with this particular beast is that he has such interesting and unique skin and plates. To try to achieve something that even approximates his texture is quite a long process. I will be adding the background next, looking to create blooms and splotches to suggest the rock behind him, but nothing that will complete with the texture I plan on adding to his body.

I started this painting with the pouring technique, masking off areas I wanted to remain white. I then poured a second and third layer, lifting the masking fluid for some parts of the second pour, and other areas for the third pour. If you click on the photo, you can see that I have already done a layer of texture by adding salt when I painted certain areas and the watercolors were still wet enough to accept the salt and move. 

Back to painting!