Britney as a Mythical Greek Goddess from Antiquity, a Step by Step Tutorial in the Creation of an Ancient Work of Art

Stage One. The drawing is transferred onto the plaster surface

Stage two. The lightest tones are applied first leaving the areas unpainted that will remain white, the whole process is painted from light to dark (chiaroscuro).

The colour is applied in very fluid mixtures, which should soak into and become part of the plaster, as appose to sitting on the top of the surface. This process does not allow you to remove or cover over mistakes, and is very similar to watercolour painting.

Stage Three. Further tones are added in layers, working on the whole surface with each application, keeping the paint very fluid. Britney’s tan is going a bit too yellow so I’m adding in some fleshy tones to even it out.

The painting stage is complete; the next stage will be an exercise in accelerated ageing, an attempt in faking a relic from antiquity.  

From Britney to Antiquity, Part two. A Step by Step Tutorial in the Creation of an Ancient Work of Art

Using various tools the painting is ‘vandalised’ by adding various scrapes, scratches and gouaches, with particular attention towards the edges.

 

The painting is broken into pieces, creating an interesting jigsaw.

The individual pieces are brushed with a mixture of emulsion, English Tea and water. The tea stains the white edges and gives the impression of age, and the emulsion helps seal the plaster.  

The painting is mounted onto a backing plate that is smaller than the picture, which shows off the rough edges by projecting an interesting shadow onto the wall.