Ann Hyde – SOBA Member
A Short Transitional History of my Painting “Low Tide”
My painting process and tools
This painting started as a surf and beach painting. Like many of my paintings, my original vision changed shortly after I painted the first base color.
I work primarily in acrylics, alcohol inks and lots and lots of texture. That texture can be layers and layers of thick paint or my favorite, modeling paste. I sometimes make it but lately I’ve found that spackling from the hardware store works well too and you don’t have baby powder or corn starch making you sneeze.
This detail of a fish in “Low Tide” is where I built a small mound with modeling paste, then pressed fishing net into the still damp paste to give the look of scales.
My primary tools are not always brushes. My three favorites are a kitchen spatula, a catalyst wedge, and synthetic sponges. For this painting I used the ones shown. Probably the one I used the most was the spatula. It’s like smoothing icing on a cake.
Be brave and try something you’ve never done before. It’s so much fun to explore.
The swirls of alcohol ink add to the feeling of the ebb and flow of the tide. Adding some gold paint makes it shimmer. If you haven’t used modeling paste give it a try. The painting takes on a three dimensional look.
2 Responses
Interesting article, Ann. I had no clue about how to mix modeling clay and use the sponges to get texture. Thanks for sharing!
Ann your style amazes me. “Low Tide” takes me right to the beach !! Thank you for sharing your technique with us. I am looking forward to trying it.