NaMoPaiMo day fifteen

Because life is the way it is, my usually enjoyable, stress free job has been unusually chaotic and and trying this month. I've had to pick some extra shifts, which is why I wasn't present at the third session of Heather Bullach's online oil painting workshop last night.

In an attempt to soothe the FOMO, I asked my classmates to post photos of their models.

I will watch the replay for the class when I have time, probably tonight or tomorrow, but in the meantime, I've had fun going through the pictures are ogling everyone's models.

photo by Anya Malbin-Williams

Most are more or less where mine is, base coat done and a layer or two of oils with Pearl-ex.

photo by Courtney Sadar

Still, they all look different.

photo by Kallianne Ardese

I realize now that I want a lighter, more coppery shade for my model.

photo by Heather Collins

This is what I'll be aiming for with layer three!

photo by Michelle Eisley

One of the professional artists taking this class is Myla Pearce. 

To my amateur eyes, her horse has looked perfect every step to the way. It's easy to think that's a result of talent and magic, but no, it's mostly time and effort. Here's how she describes this week's progress: I wasn’t happy with the last coat of oils on my Verle resin. It included some interference blue Pearl-ex and that just seemed to highlight every minuscule bump, dust speck or other flaw that wasn’t visible prior. I used 600 grit sandpaper and buffed off the areas that looked flawed. Next I used a static free lint free rag with a teeny bit of Gamsol and wiped him down to clean him. That dried almost immediately. I buffed him with a clean static free cloth until he was nice and smooth. Finally I applied a coat of burnt umber mixed with black and will try the interference blue again tomorrow. He also got some  copper highlights in his mane, tail, feathers and as shading behind elbows, in flanks and on tummy. 

Myla has also shared several nice instructional videos on dappling, as well as her trials and tribulations with other current projects.

I can not overstate how nice it is to have generous, helpful professionals like Myla participating in NaMoPaiMo every year. Our group simply would not be the same without them. Thank you, Myla. You are the NaMoPaiMo Champion of the Day.

Congratulations and good job, not just to Myla, but to all my #oilsinblack classmates and everyone else who worked on their models yesterday. I can't wait to see we do in the upcoming week!