I have a demo piece that I used as teaching material.
I use this piece because it is simple, almost monotonous. The repetitious leaves offer a safe haven for hiding bad brushstrokes and opportunities to gradually improve as one keep repeating the same brushstrokes. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes.
Since it is meant as a sample, it was done on a piece of scrap Xuan, a torn piece of paper.
Now I'm reluctant to put it in my recycle bin for garbage day. I hope to find a way to repurpose it.
How about exploiting the thin and translucent Cicada skin Xuan by overlaying another painting on top of this scrap. That's cute and coy, too clever; I tell myself.
On a piece of cicada skin Xuan I plant my trees. The trees and the ground will be positioned to hide the torn part of the underlying painting.
The branches on these trees are done in the fashion known as the "antler" brushstroke. One can find reference to that in the Mustard Seed Garden compendium. It is a repetitious process and an opportunity to hone my craft.
After the sheet with the trees are mounted on top of the scrap piece, this is the result. The painting on the scrap piece is quite subdued now, as if shrouded in a thick fog.
In fact, I think the back scene is too hidden. I want to make part of it more vivid, more visible.
I remember gel medium could bring out the saturation of the color, so I dab some parts of the painting with gel medium. Keeping my fingers crossed. I am not sure if making something more saturated equates making them more visible.
Well, the result is not as expected. The background is not more visible. But at least I tried.
I am resorting to something really stupid and counterproductive now. I am going to add back some of the obscured leaves with light ink, hoping to still retain the fogged-in look.
I should have known better. I don't have the smarts to quit when I am ahead. I think I spoiled the intended look. The background is too uniform.
I should have left it the way it was. It was coy, and cute and mysterious. Now, it is a bit contrived.
