My Creative Space

So last week, here's where we left off my latest painting:

I had thought I would paint it sky blue, which would work well if my subject were a bird breaking free from a cage. This would symbolize my taking that next big step into the future. But then I started mixing paint & ended up with rich eggplant, grape & indigo:

It still looked like a sky to me - only the story I was trying to tell now began with a dark & stormy night. I liked how this fit with the uncertainty I had been feeling while beginning the piece.

The inking I layered on next tried to play up the night sky.

When it came to sketching out my bird breaking free though, I was stuck. I didn't want it to look like all the other birds listed on Etsy (they're quite the popular theme). So I Googled some "plunging bird" images & sketched away. It all came together one night while I was lying in bed, almost falling asleep. Wouldn't it be neat - different - if the viewpoint of my painting was from inside the cage instead of outside?

I wanted it to look like you're sitting in the cage, looking out at your sibling take her first plunge out the open cage door. I thought seeing the bottom of the bird would be an interesting perspective.

I painted my bird in shades of tan & camel, with an orange beak & legs.

I still need to add some details to the bird, but she's starting to take shape nicely.

Next up: the cage! Or perhaps a tree or nest? What do you think?

Click on over to kootoyoo to check out all the other amazing creative spaces out there!