My Mistake...

Can I repair him?!

I started out with a sketch, see? Nice, everything is in order.

So then I sketched it again on some lutradur and then thread sketched the outline. Here, I've already deviated from normal practice. Ordinarily, I paint first, then thread sketch, but I often lose the best part of the sketch under the paint. So I decided to thread sketch it first. Good idea, right?

And from the back....

The second thing I did differently was that I wet the lutradur before I painted it.

I was using red sienna as an undercoat, but I wanted it to be sheer before I added the other paint colours (burnt umber, burnt umber light, yellow ochre, iridescent copper light (fine) and quinacridone burnt orange). Ordinarily, I would make the paint a wash to achieve this effect, but I thought I'd try wetting the lutradur and see what happened and wanted it to be sheer,

But then this happened once it dried. As you can see, there was bubbling all over his face, which a: caused, you know, an uneven surface texture and b: left him looking as if he had impetigo! (So much for THAT experiement!)

So, I've begun reconstructive surgery via cutting and fusing. Can it be rescued?

Stay tuned!

P.S. - I've had "My Mistake" by The Supremes in my head ever since I wrote this post!!! lol

9 comments:

Purl Buttons17.6.13
His hair is beautiful! I hope you can make him happy again by restoring his cheek. If it is not to your satisfaction, maybe you will make other "lines of experience" on his handsome young face and see what you have when you are finished. Some things want to make themselves, don't they?
arlee17.6.13
can you lay a fine fine copper tulle over top and stitch again?
Maggi17.6.13
That is major surgery. I do hope that you can bring back his lovely smile.
cauchy0917.6.13
i don't know half of the terms you used in this description. good luck with the reconstruction, though! looks like a delicate and intriguing conundrum.
Beth17.6.13
Oh Kit. That is so sad. Hope the surgery goes well...
Unknown17.6.13
Kit, he's wonderful. I would never say that he can't be repaired. I wish I could see it in person. I have this thing about ripping out stitches & starting over....I would say there must be a way to either use a fusible webbing or...can I say...GLUE...sssshhhhh...don't tell anybody I said that. Obviously there's a reason why you don't think it would work but I would ask why? Why not?
Patti17.6.13
oh dear...I have inherited my family's trait of laughing in the wrong places..for some reason this hits my funny bone...I can imagine you gowned and masked and performing intricate surgery - Well, there might be help for me some day. Your genius will win out, I have no doubt. It's a lovely piece even with it's skin condition!
Living to work - working to live18.6.13
Kit - he is rather beautiful. When I work with tissue paper it can get a bit delicate. But I love the effect and the texture. Perhaps another time if you bonded the lutrador to the backing fabric that might give it more stability? I haven't tried that, but it might work.

H
Threadpainter18.6.13
Sometimes I just LOVE cliches ... 'where there is a will, there is a way' !
You can do it !!!