Month: November 2014

  • That Dragon Mural....

    here's the last set of photos of the dragon mural at Utopia Restaurant.

    Utopia Dragon

    I haven't touched the mural in about ten days. I have been trying to sit down and do some accounting and filing my overdue taxes. All which require using the left hemisphere of my brain, the logic side. What I consider linear thought. Something that has a beginning, middle and end. 1 + 1 will always equal 2 no matter what.

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    Doing art takes the right side of the brain, the creative side. As I get older I find it harder and harder to jump from each side of the brain. What I consider circular thought. Something that has no beginning or end. It is something that is always in motion. Something where I hop on at anytime. Stay on when the creativity is in motion. Not a clear logical definition of time and space. Depart when I'm too tired and must rest to get back on as soon as I'm awake. Reality can be bent in anyway.

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    Anyway... I last blocked in dragon #7. But I want to change it a bit because I don't like his form. I painted it over with the green.

    I spilled the white primer when I tried to strap it onto my pony (motorcycle) on the sidewalk in front of Utopia. Now I have to buy another gallon of primer in order to block in dragons #8 and #9. I'm struggling with how to place the remaining two dragons. At the moment I think I should paint one on the angled ceiling and the other one crowded in with the dragon #6 on the right side.

    I have keylined in dragons #5, #6 and #7.

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    I am also thinking of just going back to the original plan of doing all of them in gold and silver. The drawback to doing them in metallic colors is they will take 4-5 layers of gold in order for it to shimmer.

    So....here's an outline of what I need to do from here to finish;

    Buy another gallon of white primer. Buy a quart of latex red, orange and yellow. Buy three more tones of metallic gold.

    Block in dragon #8 and #9. 2 days

    Retouch with primer on some spots of other dragons. 1 day.

    Add keyline to dragons #8 and #9. 1 day.

    Retouch details. 4 hours.

    Color 4-5 layers of metallic paints on to the remaining eight dragons. 18 days.

    Color other parts which require color. Underside, flames, eyes. Two layers. 3 days.

    Re-draw in black keylines and add details to all dragons. 3 days.

    Add color details to dragons. 1 day.

    Touch up green areas. 1 day.

    Add gold lines for clouds in green areas. 2-3 coats. 2 days.

    Final touch ups. 1 day.

    Unveiling and eye opening ceremony.

    Add clear coat vinyl varnish. 2 days.

    Thirty six days! And that's not doing it every night. I am juggling the CHSA mural which I am trying to start. I still have to deal with taxes and all that legal stuff too. I cannot project a finish date right now. This may go into next year.