I decided to dive into a small acrylic color study for "Tangle-The We that Wage," which will be a narrative still life series with a vanitas leaning. The paintings will mix objects I have on hand, and some I'll reference, into a constructed natural-world, where the story will take place. The nude figure is the lower half of the story's protagonist, which I posted an earlier sketch of here.

I used a 12"x9" Saunders' watercolor block and began with a minimal drawing, and then applied very watered down fluid acrylics. Adding too much water to acrylics can hurt its adhesivness if your working on an established paint surface, but at this early stage, the pigments can absorb into the paper, so it's not a problem. The entire painting was done using fluid acrylics, with the addition of Golden's glazing medium and airbrush extender. It's worth making a note that as the paint builds up, the glossiness of the transparent extender starts becoming evident, which made photographing the final image tricky...a thin layer of matt medium will fix the problem though.

I usually start refining certain areas right away, rather than a slow picture-wide build, so I can get a sense of color ... and probably because it makes me feel like I'm progressing faster.

Color study, 12"x9", Saunder's watercolor block.

After two days of painting, I had this final version. When I start the full paintings, I'll probably lower the saturation of objects further from the focal point. I haven't decided what scale I'll use yet. I may keeps the scale like it is in this study, but on a larger surface. Keeping the scale smallish, makes the subject matter seem more jewel like, while a larger scale will have the viewer feel more a part of the scenes' environments...decisions, decisions.