Acrylic dreams

So I had a dream last night. This is significant mainly because of what I dreamt about. First of all, I had always thought I dreamt in black in white. Hell, maybe I did, but last might I dreamt in full color. I dreamt I was painting. So why is this significant? I was using acrylic on canvas, and I was in "the zone". I haven't used acrylic paint and brushes since high school and haven't had any thoughts to even trying it again since then. There was something about the dream... So today I'm going to the art supply store to pick up some supplies.

So you feel like painting, Dave. What's the big deal? Well, of you look at most of my work, you'll see that 90% or it is in B&W, and none of it is done with a brush. It's all graphite, charcoal, tattoo or airbrush. Now for those of you who don't know, I'm colorblind. Not full black and white colorblind, but I have a deficiency where I can't tell colors apart vary well. Any two colors close together on the color wheel, I have a hard time with. Blues and purples, browns and greens, etc. I'm also red green colorblind. Stop lights look red red white to me (so if it ain't white, I don't go). I can almost imagine the "what color is this" game that everyone wants to play once they find out. Best way for me to describe it is that if you turn down the color on your tv, where of a person on screen is wearing a shirt and you can't tell if it's a purple or blue shirt. That's my world. How does this tie in with my dream and wanting to paint? The biggest reason why I don't paint with brushes (and try to avoid color tattoos) is because I can't mix colors very well. And if I mix a color for something one time, I may never be able to mix the same color again if I need too. Also, memories of coloring my skies purple and giving portraits a sickly green tint without knowing it *ahem, anita*, have always made me shy from picking up a brush. I guess all that's going to change. Friends have always told me to just try it anyway. Problem is, my style and the way my mind works is that I'm usually a perfectionist. I can't stand not getting something just right. So getting a color or shade wrong is almost unacceptable to me. Least is was not too long ago. Maybe a contributing factor to this urge to paint is the fact that I've been retooling my style a little so suite comic and creative story telling art. The type of art where looking good and telling the story well are more important then technical accuracy. I'm becoming less and less concerned with getting every detail perfect and more concerned with emotional and visual impact. I am still a little worried about ending up with purple skies. With a physical brush, I don't get to "cheat" like I do with digital painting. No mixing colors by punching in their RGB number or sampling from a photo. But I'm sure I can get by with eyeballing proper color mixtures... Least I'm hoping.

So I'm sitting in a parking lot at 8:00am waiting for this restaurant to open so I can grab some breakfast, then hit Pearl art supply for acrylic paints and to (hopefully) find some 3H graphite for my lead holders. Monica, my main lead holder (clutch pencil to some of you fellow artist / graphite lovers / draftsman) has been screaming at me that she wants 3H graphite. I've been running with mostly HB 2H and 4H, but they just don't feel right for what I've been doing. Blicks doesn't carry the graphites in odd numbers, only the evens so I'm trying other suppliers. More on grades of graphite and how they apply to drawing when I put up my bit on graphites and such in my how to blog.

So it looks like I'm going to be setting sail on a new acrylic voyage. Hope I find some nice destinations.


It's good to be the King =)