Scene II God-The Four Living Creatures

The Four Living Creatures
(Working Images) 

 

And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a human, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Rev. 4:6-8)

 

This is an important part of The Revelation Painting for me.  I believe I have been drawing eyes my entire life for this!  Although I remember trying desperately to draw these creatures when very young, I could not master it.  Giving up on it for many years, again, here I will try to recreate what I have seen related to Revelation 4:6.

My main problem here are the bodies of the creatures because the bodies are not mentioned.  In order to paint the portions mentioned; the faces-A lion, calf, human and eagle I will paint those images but make the fiber optics of GOD and the brilliant white light shine into their chest where the bodies nor the feet will show.  

   

As you can see at the bottom tips of the feathers, detail work will be required to make the feathers match and not appear as though the creature has been “ruffled”.  It is imperative to pour lacquer into and on the scene when it is complete to decrease opportunistic decay from underlying air bubbles over time.

   

The face of the eagle is a rough sketch.  Research is required to make it appear realistic.  I sketched the head in all different directions and felt that the eagle, since he is the end creature would look best if he were looking out at the audience.  His eyes will be larger and yellow/gold.  

   

The texture of the feathers are seen here.  One thing I learned in painting the sky in the earlier blog was that the texture is forgiving.  If it is highlighted as above but not appealing, you can highlight it in a different color or tone to pick up more detail as long as the paint is thin.  The thicker, the more it takes away the depth.  

   

Eyes will be basic painted color, then detailed with colored pencils and spots of light added.  I thought about other types of eyes, from animals, birds, and fish but will stick with humanistic eyes with various sized pupils.  I once read that artwork is more appealing if the pupils are larger but will not follow that rule today, at least not for the eagle because his pupils are relatively small.   

Please watch for progression blogs to follow.
 

  

 

 

 

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Tools required in the painting-PAINT

Acrylics are my paint of choice.  I paint fast and the number one reason is drying time.  Often times I blow dry my work as I paint.  Oils are magnificent but offer a burden for me in control.  The oil is slick and difficult to control especially for detailed work.  I painted one oil painting in my life and what should have taken a couple of hours, took over 3 weeks to dry!  The modern acrylics of today in my opinion, offer the richness and brilliance in color like oils.

Pigments are mixed with various clear lacquer and other mediums.  For The Revelation Painting some pigments include minerals, tree barks, fruits, flowers, or plant parts.  Minerals are also used to create vibrant, color fast scenes.  All paint applied is UV protected and the painting upon completion will be sealed with a UV protecting clear coat which is the substance used to seal cars!  This will create gloss and durability in effort to create a magnificent work of fine art which will withstand the test of time. 

All of these are important aspects of creating art.  UV protecting prevents yellowing over time.  Archival canvas with limited acids were specifically chosen for this work.  I do not use gesso as a primer and have been known as a paint waster.  I prefer to build the color through layering for a solid pigment, and a rich finish.  Some of the painting will have an instant coffee “wash” applied for antiquing techniques. 
As stated in previous blogs and information about this painting, there are never seen techniques used in the creation of the work.

My favorite all time paint is Golden Fluid Acrylics.  They are the thinner version of Golden Heavy Body paints, which are my second favorite paint.  I paint with much control and attention to detail.   Abstract work is difficult for me as I have not learned how to “let go” of tight lines.  Although I may think outside of the box, I have not yet learned how to paint outside of the box.  Much effort and consciousness is utilized to bring fluidity and flowing lines to my work.  Although it is a difficult task, I strive to “open” my paintings which finding the balance between detailed control and the freedom of expression. 
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The total estimated cost of the paints used in this painting is well over $35,000.00.  Please note that the paint comes in 1 ounce, 2 ounce, and 1/2 ounce vials.  Imagine 12X40 feet and an ounce of paint!  The average price of any one of these paints run from $4.50-$15.00 or more depending on the series and/or color.  Actual 24K gold flakes are used in some scenes which also adds a hefty price tag to the piece.  Texturizing is very important and where layers and layers of real paint are used in lieu of texturizers and molding, the actual cost of paint becomes astounding!

For example, the highly textured Devil in this painting was created by large “dabs” of paint, left to almost dry, then gently and specifically pressed causing a realistic reptilian skin.  Wax paper is used to prevent pulling of the nearly dry paint leaving holes.  The Devil required nearly $2500.00 worth of the most expensive red and orange hues. (Reds are usually higher priced).  The “dabs” pressed measure vertically 2-4.0 mm which is thick for paint on canvas.  Underlying browns were used for contrast and depth perspective, as well as swirled into the reds and oranges in effort to created texture within texture. 

Scene 2-God required various layers of the most luminescent white paint and mica to provide a glow unseen anywhere else in the painting.  Great care was taken and careful consideration regarding the second scene within the scene of God;  Truth-The Hemorrhage of Pigs!, where the bright white was repainted with thermochromic paint to create the red hemorrhage.  The high risk of yellowing overtime and temperature change will require specific retouching over time and the directions specific to the retouching techniques will be written on the back of those canvases. 

In addition to the mentioned acrylic paints and custom pigments, I will also be using Liquitex products which are also higher quality acrylic paints.  Those of you who know paints, know the quality of these paints and for those of you who do not know paints, here is some information borrowed from the Golden website:

http://www.goldenpaints.com/products/color/fluid/index.php

GOLDEN Fluid Acrylic Color Lines

Fluid Colors Fluid paints contain near the same pigment strength as Golden Heavy Body colors in a pourable, low viscosity formula. Fluid Iridescent / Fluid Interference Familiar for their radiance, GOLDEN Iridescent Colors produce a luster by themselves, with other colors, or mixed with mediums. GOLDEN Interference Colors offer a unique “flip” when viewed from different perspectives. Historical Fluid Acrylic Hues GOLDEN technology uses contemporary pigments to create hue combinations of these traditional colors; combining the integrity of the past with today’s requirements for quality, lightfastness and safety. Matte Fluids Provides a uniform flat finish in a wide variety of concentrated colors. Fluid Acrylic Colors Fluid Acrylics are highly intense, permanent acrylic colors with a consistency similar to heavy cream. Produced from lightfast pigments, not dyes, they offer very strong colors with very thin consistencies. No fillers or extenders are added and the pigment load is comparable to GOLDEN Heavy Body Acrylics. Unlike mixtures of heavy-bodied paints and water which produce weak color and films by dilution, Fluid Acrylics contain high pigment levels suspended in an acrylic polymer vehicle. The result offers fine dispersion, high tinting strength, durability, flexibility and good adhesion. Fluid Acrylics are ideal for spraying, brushing, staining, and can be mixed with other GOLDEN Products. Blend with Airbrush Medium for spray application. Excellent for fabric application. Please see the colors on the website.

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