Garden Lion

I mentioned the other day that I originally wanted to do the Fluffy lion with the sagriffito technique and I forgot to do it and just started to paint the lion. This time, I did remember and I painstakingly etched into the wood the outline of the lion. It didn’t quite come out as I expected, but I do like how the background became more textured. That was a pleasant surprise.

It’s funny how each lion has its own personality.  This little guy is hanging out in an arid environment  and he is sporting a heart shaped mane, which was entirely by chance.  I only used four colors for this heart.  The background color which was glazed over, and two colors  for the the lion, and the green for the plants.  The limited color palette was unintentional at first but as the piece was progressing, I realized that two colors were all I needed to bring this little guy to life.  Any more would be overkill.  I didn’t even have to squeeze out any white because the pale peach was light enough. 

 I watered down the Burnt Sienna to give the lion some solid ground.  It looked empty until I added the green.  I added the flowers using the lion colors from the body and mane.  Once the paint dried, I added some shading with colored pencil.  My signature is hidden because I didn’t want it to overpower such a small piece of art.  I like that the glaze gives some texture and atmosphere.  I preserved the piece with matte medium, which is supposed to be matte, but as you can see, it has a little sheen to it from the light.

Overall, he’s a happy guy.  I like that I have a character that I can place with in other art.  It’s amazing how much inspiration can come from something random, like a blob, ink blot, maybe a cloud in the sky, or shapes in knots of wood.

Inspiration can be anywhere.