I’m sure it’s not news to anyone who follows my blog that I have a fixation on Disney’s Maleficent, the evil fairy from Sleeping Beauty. I’ve done sketches of her and her home in the past, and of course it was too fun to not continue. This time I did an oil painting. I used google’s editing features to experiment with different washes… so here is the same painting, with 3 different color effects.
I like the second one personally. Though the first one is closer in terms of actual color, having it darker fits much more with the whole Maleficent theme.
Working with oil paint is not my favorite, at least not at this point. It took me weeks to do this painting, mostly because I didn’t want the paint mixing with each other. So I painted the purple background, and let it dry for a couple weeks. Then I painted the castle and the rocks, and let them dry for a couple weeks. Last night I added the green and white highlights, and of course it will be a while before those are dry, as well. It wouldn’t take quite as long for everything to dry if I used less paint, but having piles of paint when I paint with oil is one of the appeals. It’s fun to add a little texture that way.
Despite the time it takes, however, I am pleased to have another Maleficent themed painting under my belt. Now I just need to get a frame for it. :)
Have you thought about adding a little black clouding to the upper edges? I really like the look of the painting, just the purple & white at the top feels unfinished to me. But that’s just me- it’s your art and I still think it’s beautiful as it is, and if this is your vision then by all means keep it! It’s just something I do when I’m doing paper crafting- I’ll do a little ink buffing around the edges to make the piece feel cohesive. But adding a frame might even accomplish the same thing. Just a thought. ;-)
I was thinking a little fogginess too, but at the bottom, actually, to give it a misty look. I also thought about adding lightning and her swirl of dark clouds to the sky, but gosh, it terrifies me for some reason. I’ll just have to give it a shot. :)