Capturing the unicorn

When I started needle felting eleven years ago, I thought I would be mostly re-creating the imaginary toys that I painted at the time. This didn't really happen, as I discovered that the wool took over and I created a whole new world of little things.

However, in one of my many 'dry patches' last year, and stuck for inspiration, I decided to make a 'real' version of this unicorn, painted last year (I think) which went off to a new home soon after it was finished. I had hoped to find suitable button wheels, but ended up needle felting them instead. 

 

'Eunice' was a kind of inbetweeny piece, but she did provide a gentle push towards new designs. I finally showed her on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, and she was snapped up by one of my kind followers. I popped a card in with her and noticed with a faint feeling of shock that it was from an old artwork dating to 2008, eleven years ago. My grasp on the passing of time has never been exactly firm, but I am going to make an effort to start painting again, before another decade drifts by.

Painting of the week - Little Unicorn

 

I thought I'd take progress shots for this painting of the week. It starts, of course, with a  sketch or two. Which then gets transferred onto some hot pressed water colour paper and stretched onto a mounting board. Left overnight to dry thoroughly.

Then the first very pale yellow under wash is laid down. And left overnight again to dry.

First the floor is added...

When that is completely dry, the background wall of the imaginary setting is filled in, which includes a small crescent paper moon hanging by a knotted thread.

Next comes the very pale violet blue tone of the unicorn toy - which is white -  but even white has tones.

 The final top colours are painted in.

 And finally, when it is bone dry, the pencil work to finish it off.

I left enough bleed around the edges so that it would fit nicely into the 4 inch by 4 inch mount. And popped it up for sale.

'Little Unicorn for sale on Etsy here'