Smurfalopod by Meg Lyman
8×10″ gouache and ink on Canson paper
SOLD
I’m not sure where this came from. Don’t ask. All I know is that his little smurfalopod butt is naked because I can’t figure out how to paint pants on an octopus.
April 2011
Monthly Archive
Sun 24 Apr 2011
Fri 15 Apr 2011
Comrade Derptopus by Meg Lyman
~5×10″ mixed media
SOLD
Another odd-size paper experiment. I doodled this derpy guy at work one day, and couldn’t get him out of my brain until I painted him up properly. This doesn’t happen all that often – inspiration strikes all the time, but rarely is it so insistent. Once I finished the painting, I decided he needed borders, and played with acrylic gel medium and Claybord and La Carte and foam core. Interesting lesson: La Carte can be completely denuded with gel medium. I knew it didn’t like moisture, but I didn’t realize I’d end up covered in a cement-like mix of glue and sand. It was fun.
Bonus points if you can decipher my uneducated attempt at Russian half-hidden in the borders.
Tue 12 Apr 2011
Marvin the Octopus by Meg Lyman
8×10″ gouache and ink on cold press
SOLD
Fantastically fun commission for a great pair of Kevins!
I still can’t figure out how to get that famous gouache “smooth, flat area of color,” but I admit I haven’t tried all that hard. I did this with washes instead. Turned out OK.
Sometimes I find it easy to experiment when doing commissions, because of the lack of emotional attachment to the subject. But sometimes it’s tough to experiment, because you don’t want to mess up art that people have already paid you to do… dilemmas.
Thu 7 Apr 2011
Applepus by Meg Lyman
~6×8″ gouache and ink on cold press
SOLD
A very fun tattoo commission for Amy. Her little guy apparently calls them “applepus” instead of octopus, which is adorable and also the reason for the toy.
I used a more impasto application of gouache than usual, and it was both challenging and educational. The stuff is really easy to blend wet in wet, but once it dries, lifting becomes a problem. It’s a delicate balancing act between having enough paint mixed up and keeping that paint wet while you work with other colors.