MIXED MEDIA for MAMBO.

Here's a look at a piece I did last year for 'Mambo's Sundays of Live Art' at Manly Wharf Bar. The brief was completely open, all I knew was I had a skateboard to paint. The pressure was on as those relaxed surfer types at Mambo's head office got the board to me 3 days before I was to be on display! Now those of you who know me well know I am a bit of an obsessive planner, so I needed ever hour of every day to prep and paint this board...eventually throwing my toys the night before the gig and scrubbing all my paint off! True story... let me explain.

Here's a step by step:

A. Here's the board painted base blue and the start of my 'under-drawing'. Above the board is a enlarged print out my original sketch, based on 'Bride of Frankenstein.'

B. About 80% through my under-drawing. In the top corner you can see my digital colour comp from a scan of my original pencil sketch. This under-drawing part took me about 5 hours.

C. A mix of blue and acrylic mat-medium to give it more blue base, and so I can still see the pencil when I begin to paint over it all. End of day 1, about a total of 8 hours art time...

D. Day 2...Background dark blue painted and some hair details started. After this I started to paint the face details in acrylics... after a total of 10 hours I lost it..hated what I had done (so much so I didn't take a picture!)..and proceeded to take to it all with a wet steel wool pad!

E. Day 3...A close up shot of the result. I was not happy with the lazy yet rushed was I was painting, so I decided to take to it with the colour pencils again...with a happy result.

F. Layering wax based pencils on the scratch board and paint gave me an unexpected texture that I was stoked with. I spent about a total of 12 hours on this on day 3...went to bed and finished it the next day.

FINAL BOARD. I was really happy with how this turned out. I only had the hair and some other highlights to finish, but 3 hours at the Manly Wharf Bar was enough, and I was relaxed enough with it now to actually drink and draw! I even let some passers by colour in some.

The board is still at Mambo's head office awaiting a confirmed date for a charity auction. Stay tuned.