Monday, June 17, 2013

Ballookey in Mike's

Lotsa photos on this post!

First up, here's the collaboration Aya set up for me before I did anything:
Ixtab: a collaboration with Aya Rosen


I stenciled in a moon and starry sky. I had already done the other pages first, and I wanted the color of this one to be as heavy as the rest.
Ixtab: a collaboration with Aya Rosen


There is something I want to add to this image, but I think I'll wait until the book comes back around to do it. How's that for a cliff-hanger for you? ;)
Ixtab: a collaboration with Aya Rosen


While Mike's book was here, I really felt like using spray paint and stencils, so I cut this koi fish stencil based on a sketch I did a while back:
Untitled


I had more than one idea how I wanted to use it, so I went ahead and did it a few ways. One, in a yin yang arrangement with itself. I used matte black for the background, glossy black for one fish, and Poison Green from Montana for the other fish. Jebus, I love Montana spray paint! So silky and vibrant! Expect to see me doing more of this in your books!
Koi stencil - yin yang style

Koi stencil - yin yang style


On the facing page, I used an old technique for painting water waves that I learned from a book on airbrushing. I never was any good at airbrush, but I always wanted to use the technique because it's so stupidly simple. So I gave it a try, then stenciled a lotus floating on the pond.
Lotus on the pond

Most of these pages have some details that I added in marker. In some cases, the spray paint made the details of the stencil blurry so I sharpened them up by hand. In other cases, I just wanted to add a bit more.
Lotus on the pond


Both pages together:
Koi and lotus spread


Next, I wanted to see the koi in copper paint. Same stencil, but completely different feel:
Copper Koi & Bird


I reused the lotus stencils to make these shapes in the corner:
Copper Koi & Bird


On the facing page, I felt I'd done the fish enough, but I wanted to have the same colors and look, so I made a stencil of a bird, tree branch, and clouds in the background.
Copper Koi & Bird

This bird came out very fuzzy, so I went over a lot of details with marker.
Copper Koi & Bird

Both pages:
Copper Koi & Bird


Then, I stenciled the bird again in Dolphin blue on a blank page for Andrea to work with. I also stenciled it on our garage door. (eep!)
Untitled

This book is on it's way to Andrea today.

5 comments:

merrytait said...

WOW! Impressive stenciling! I've never had much luck with stenciling! That's great, creative and interesting, cool use of color and detail.

merrytait said...

Cool collab, too!

ballookey said...

Thanks Mary! :)

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I love what you did with the collaboration and all creative ways you used the stencil!!! :-D :-D

Mike Kline said...

These are great! I need to try more mediums, but people don't like spray painting artwork on airplanes for some reason. :)