SpiralKittyLove

'SpiralKittyLove' copyright 2012 by Shiloh Moore

12"x16" Mixed Media on Canvas

Started 6/8/12 completed 16/9/12

I love animals and pets.  I have a lot of friends who have gorgeous precious kitties and I wanted to create something dedicated to their wonderful furbabies, continuing in the style I used for the painting 'SpiralBird'

I'd like to show you the development of the painting:

1) Firstly I was doodling until I had an idea of how I would express what I wanted to create: 

2) Then once I had an idea of what I wanted to draw I developed that picture:

I could envision the final product already and knew all the steps to take, but it took time doing every following step, and I had to pace myself so I didn't overdo things physically.  So it took 10 days working on it bit by bit (and banning myself from working on it more than was physically healthy for me.)  I was itching to get it done and see the final product, but I had to contain my enthusiasm and practice patience, and work on the piece bit by bit, only when able.

3) The next step was to put the coloured background on the canvas.  I used pearlised purple acrylic paint with hints of other colours seeping through (secret technique I love: using a squeegie!)

4) Then I painted silver paint onto some bubble wrap and then printed it to add some silver to the background:

5) I then ripped and glued on some of the gorgeous paper that inspired my colour palette, one of the beautiful papers in the 'A Formal Affair' scrapbooking paper range by Alison Ellis Design (copyright 2011).

6) Then I photocopied my final cat drawing and enlarged it.  I cut it out and placed it on the canvas using repositioning tape to keep it secure but not glued down, so I could draw the outline of the cats onto the canvas (another technique would be to trace or use carbon paper but I chose this technique as it was quite simple and a carbon outline could be difficult to see on the shiny dark surfaces.)

7) Then I drew the outline with a permanent marker:

8) Then removed the paper drawing:

This is what it looked like:

9) Then I painted the cat silhouettes in silver:

10) And finally, I drew on the kitty faces and the spiral/love heart design to the bodies of the kitties using permanent markers:

Finito!  Sending spiralkittylove out there to all those cat lovers!