Sara Shifts

 Here’s the obligatory snow scene, 5x8, done direct through the window. Then I uncovered these aqua boards I bought a long time ago. They are Masonite boards covered with an “acid free textured clay surface.”

I painted drinking Joe (again) on the first one. He looks a little happier and the composition is pared down. I like it better. The boards are 5x7. It’s like painting on hot press. It says you can layer paints but it seems like everything lifts and it lifts unevenly, so it leaves a lot of brushstrokes, which gives it a little texture.

You’re supposed to wet it first and let dry a bit, which I didn’t do with this one. So I did that and then painted this portrait. 

I really couldn’t tell a difference between the two. The portrait looks much blotchier in person because the paint lifts so unevenly. Not sure I would recommend these boards, but they weren’t too expensive so they’re worth a try. The paint sits up on the surface, so the effect is more like an oil painting, where you can see brushstrokes.

 Here’s the sketch of Brittany—my daughter in law—that looks so simple but took me forever. Neither looks like her but the sketch is closer, so I’m going to try that again on watercolor paper. I feel bad because I’ve never painted her successfully, but pretty people are hard to paint...