This week I’m highlighting a piece I called ‘Be Gentle With Yourself’. When I started this one, I wanted to create something with a little bit of a lighter feel because sometimes the colors can get so intense on the canvas when I’m painting! I wanted to create a background that was a little calmer and more soothing.
Here is the first layer:
I liked where the background was going and decided to place the girl into it right away. As I was flipping through papers to use, I saw the pattern of her dress and immediately loved it! I added the ‘belt’ details, complimenting some of the colors of the background to bring it together.
(Sorry this first one is blurry–not sure what happened when I took the picture, but you get the idea.) She is coming along with her pretty hair and hooded lids…
Next, I added in the sentiment and the two little love birds. For some reason, birds seem gentle to me–maybe it’s how fragile and small they are? I was on a walk with Chris not too long ago and there was a finch calmly hanging out on the sidewalk as we strolled by. I reached down and pet her, then she flew away–that gentleness of her trust stayed with me for days.
In all, I think I succeeded in keeping this one pretty simple; sometimes it feels good to strip it down to basics. The calm vibe of this sweet girl (her name is Bella) is just what I was looking for. You can find her in the shop here!
