Draw and Paint Together Challenge: Kiwi

This week I took a break from doing portraits, and tried a technique I'd read about, but never attempted. The challenge blog Draw and Paint Together had dramatic photo of a cut up kiwi that appealed to me, so I drew it on an inexpensive canvas covered panel, and then rendered a value study of the image in graphite gray and white acrylic paint.  I worked to made the right side of the kiwi, which is in shadow, but also has some reflected light, suggest the shape of the fruit.

Today I got out my water mixable oils out, along with a medium which is supposed to speed up drying time.  I used the oils quite transparently, and was pleased at how well the lights and darks of the acrylic under painting showed through.  It made painting the colors relatively quick.  I had fun with the project, and hope to try this technique more. I had trouble photographing the finished painting, and there are some reflections on the right side.  I'm going to have to find a way to work around this problem.

8x10 inches, oil on canvas board

I was inspired to look up a little more about kiwifruit on Wikipedia.  Apparently it is native to China, and was formerly known as the Chinese gooseberry.  Other named included the Macaque peach, Vine pear, Wood berry, and Hairy Bush Fruit. An importer in in the early 1960's received negative feedback for these names, and suggested using a short Maori word instead, and today the name kiwifruit, or just kiwi, is accepted globally.