Woodland Gazette — gina matarazzo

I thought it would be fun to do more in depth posts about how I work through a piece. Here is the work progress for “A Theater for Thomas.”

I have a virtual scrapbook on Pinterest, and I “collect” things I find visually interesting. Sometimes it’s not even the thing itself, but maybe the way light was captured, lace on a collar, or how something makes me feel. Pinterest is AWESOME because you can be a hoarder without actually being a hoarder of things…and it won't collect dust!

I just love old Victorian ephemera! I had a few old Victorian paper doll theaters pinned…stuff like this... https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36662184460968737/

You will notice that although I use things like this as inspiration, I NEVER copy anything exactly. 1. I honor other peoples' copyrights and would never steal from them, because I wouldn't want anyone to steal from me (Note: Though these designs are so old that they are probably out of copyright, I still would never copy it outright, see number 2). 2. Gina likes nothing more than making things customized to her own ideas. 3. I am much too lazy to copy anything exactly. The general rule is, change the reference enough to make it your own, and I stand by that. Some people think 30% your own is enough. I think that’s dangerous territory. I shoot for 70% my own.

Anyway, I have been wanting to do a piece incorporating one of these old things, so I thought it would be fun to use one for a little theatre backdrop for my little musically inclined fellas. I am sometimes hesitant to try weird things like this out...I wasn't sure I could have it make sense in one of my pictures. Thankfully trying stuff out in pencil helps...I actually think it worked out.

The early sketch, above, is rough and foofy. I no longer work in thumbnail size (which is supposed to be drawings not much bigger than your thumb). I find that a tiny drawing with a gesture that looks FABULOUS, will not necessarily hold up once it's larger, so I go all in and start at almost full size. As I move forward, I almost carve out the idea further with lines. I work a couple hours here and there over a few days to hone the idea, making things more solid to bring the story to life. If I still like it in a few days, that means it's getting there! You can see the subtle progression between the next two sketches below. You might have to look reallllllllly carefully to see the difference.

Late stage with some more things worked out.

Next I do a digital color study. Here's one incredibly rough and inaccurate color study! I scan in the pencil drawing and puff puff puff with the digital paint brush to color over the sketch to get a feel for what I want it to look like. I don't like to spend too much time on this anymore. I used to be so accurate and detailed with this that I felt like I already painted the real thing, and by the time I started painting, I was not only bored, but exhausted. Doing it crazy like this keeps me fresh. It also gives me more freedom to change plans once the real painting begins. Sometimes once it's on the board or paper, it feels differently, so I might make some more changes.

You will see below that I changed my mind on a lot of color things by the time I got to the final painting. You know, different day, different feelings, different thoughts. ;)

Next, I transfer the drawing to the board. (I didn’t take a photo of that this time, but I transfer the outlines of the idea in pencil). Then you can see that below, I'm just getting paint on the board to build up some opaqueness because I paint pretty thinly, and work in layers. I use oil paint and liquin as my painting medium. Goofy note: At this point, I'm pretty sure I have no idea how to paint anymore, and worry that I'll never make a painting look good ever again. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. It's like I get transported to middle school when I'd paint and LITERALLY not know what to do and wonder if I ever would know!

On the one below, you can see I've built up Thomas some. The upper part of the sky is drying and looks dull. It's because during the day, near the end of the day, the paint is becoming unworkable anymore. I have to oil the painting out with liquin to bring out the shine to see what I've painted the previous session accurately.

Below, I've progressed to the front. I have passed over the painting in a few more layers at this point too.

On the one above, I'm almost there. See the whiskers and other changes? 🙂 Fuzzy furs.

Below, I've added in some additional things, and the final scan is beneath that one.. Can you see the subtle differences between the photo of the real painting and the digital scan? The digital scan flattens the painting a bit and it's near impossible to get the exact color. Monitors vary greatly anyway, so I would never be able to show people EXACTLY how the painting looks, but it's a ballpark. In this case, the painting appears much more warm because of the actual lights shining on it. But the good part is, if you see the painting in person, it's a better experience, because you get the full vividness, the shine of the paint, and you can witness it with your fabulous optic nerves directly! Which is why going to a museum is better than looking online.

And here...voilà! Below is Thomas all gussied up in his gilded frame.

Lastly, Thomas's story is...

Thomas’s uncle Phinneas found an old paper theatre and set it up for Thomas, so that he could give proper performances like all the great musicians do.

And of course, there's more story in my head for you, about how his friend Lincoln (an elephant shrew) hops over the wall and takes over the bongos, and how Elias, Frumple, and Marcy (mouses — my world, my grammar!) pull up their acorn top seats and enjoy the exuberant jam session.

Just because it's not in the painting, doesn't mean it doesn't happen…you just have to tune in and use your imagination.

Any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Or let me know what you think happens after the little ones join the party. ;)

This painting is exhibiting at the LA Art Show on February 19th - 23rd with Abend Gallery at Booth #507. Sounds like a wonderful show to see art if you are in the local area!