I found this painting...

...frustrating today.

It was done with my non dominant hand because I had cut my right hand, and I still can't use it for more delicate stuff.

I had done the colours first with the gel crayons which I found satisfying. Then I drew some black lines like weeping willow branches. You will have to look in extra to see these.

I was going to do a sort of Chinese landscape in the background. Then changed my mind and was going to do a woman's face and flowing hair. Then last minute I switched to Popeye.

Bad idea. First I had problems because where I had pencilled him out the willow branches were going through his eye and bib. I didn't want this.

Tried to use a baby wipe to see if I could fade the branches. Bad idea...that made a black mess. Bottom left picture.

So I looked for some process white to paint out the eyes and bib. I can't find my process white. So I find some Posca pens and some gouache white. As you can see I paint out the eyes and the bib.

There was a lot of holding my breath so I could keep my left hand a bit steadier.

Then I was trying trying to find my black gel crayon to crayon Popeye's body. I couldn't find it. Searched everywhere. Finally I ordered another smaller set of gel crayons (I was going to need more white anyway) and they come on Tuesday. But in the meantime how do I do Popeye's body? Using the gel crayons is easy for the left hand but not so much holding a brush, it hasn't had practise.

The was no other way than to use a brush. I used a brush that has water in the barrel, and dipped it into a tube of black gouache.

Not the best of black painting, but best I could do with left hand. The eyes were difficult. I used gel pens, Posca pens, black gouache, and white gouache, and a white gel pencil!!!

So the whole painting is very mixed media.

I took a photo and was about to post it on here, when I thought, there's something not quite right with it.

What was it? I had left Popeye's nose pinky-red like on the photo in the extra. It looked nice, but it looked wrong in the finished painting.

So, Popeye got his lovely black nose back.

Thank you for looking in.
Take care x