Oh My Darling, Clementines!

8x10 inches, monotype with added colored pencil

This month's Virtual Sketch Date (see the side link) challenge is a photograph of a peeled clementine.  It looked so delicious I had to remind myself there are still oranges and grapefruit left from the case of fruit we bought from the FFA at Christmas.  I like trying these challenges different ways.  The top picture is my first try, a monotype.  These are great fun to do.  I coat an acrylic plate with a base medium, then use Createx water based paints to paint directly on the prepared plate.  Then I take a dampened sheet of Masa (rice) paper, and lay it on the plate, and use my hand and an old wooden door knob to apply pressure.  Then I lift the image, and dry it between sheets of newsprint.  I liked the result well enough, but then felt compelled to go back into the picture with colored pencils. I discovered I darkened one are too much, and so then I went back in with a little bit of acrylic paint to fix it.  My morning project ended up taking most of the day.

8x10 inches, paper collage with added watercolor

Here is my second version of the clementine.  This one was done very differently.  The image is made of cut and torn paper, adhered with acrylic gel medium.  It's a messy process.  My work table and floor was full of paper snips, and my hands are still peeling adhesive.  Then I tried something I had never done before.  Once the paper was all applied and the image coated with gel medium, I went back in with some light watercolor washes to add a little delicate color to the top of the fruit, and around the shadows on the counter.  I was afraid; I didn't want to spoil what was already done, but was pleased with the effect and plan to try more collages that incorporate either watercolor or acrylic paint.

I'd still like to try a painting of the clementine on Yupo, a synthetic paper I've been playing with this month.  The rich colors might work out well on that surface.  We shall see if that actually happens.  I'm curious what readers of this blog think about the two approaches, which one appeals to you more.  Do some of you like to approach a subject in more than one medium?  I'd love to hear from you.