Miniature Easels
- Miniature Easels are fun to work with. They are readily available in good Art Shops or on the Internet. There are lots of ways to paint with them. In this exercise I tried to paint this Currach (Old Irish Boat from the West Coast, made from wood and animal hides) in such a way that you can move each easel to create a different perspective every now and then. Not that you would ever get bored looking at an authentic Irish Currach! This is one I seen in a bay when I was visiting Inis Mor which is the largest of the Arran Islands located off the west coast of Ireland.
- I used Acrylic Gesso to even out the surface of the easels, two coats were enough to get them smooth enough to work with. Then I ‘Stretched’ the distance between the boat and the buoy and used the small easel to fill the area that I created. Next, I mapped out the scene in pencil on the three easels. (Leave plenty of time for the Gesso to dry before working on the easels) Then I did an underpainting, at which stage I changed the colour of the water to contrast better with the colours in the Currach and the buoy. I then did a second more detailed over paint before finishing with the details. This was a great little project and there must be Thousands of other ideas that would work just as well, finding the one that you like best is half the challenge!
