Orb Vines

The Sequel to Orb Vine, this painting Orb Vines picks up on the same style and theme but presents a few refinements over the initial painting. I softened the lines and the colours to create a more peaceful atmosphere, and improved on the compostion by creating 3 orbs arranged in a triangle, and a pile of rocks on the right to break the symmetry. I like this painting because it looks like it came out of a 1960's TV set design for Star Trek.

Creating the shiny sphere effect (the orbs) is a little tricky but can be done well with a little practice. You start by painting the entire shape of the orb with the lighteset colour (the highlight on the top right of the orb), then let it dry just a little, so it is just damp. You will know how wet your paint is by checking the reflection, when it is really wet it is glistening, when it dries a little it looks darker, like a wet towel. Now, on the palette, add a bit of a darker colour to your mix (but no more water) and then paint the next layer of shadow, leaving some of the original wash where you want the highlight to be. Keep making your palette mix darker and layering on shadow until you are satisfied. When it dries the colours should hopefully be blended together smoothly, if not, take a moist brush and try to gently smooth out any parts to look chunky. You can also lift some paint off in the highlight area to give an even shinier effect.

16x12" hot press, between 2002-2006?