I picked up a small piece of Masonite that I had prepped and started a little portrait on it. This is another photo clipped from the newspaper of an interesting face.
The problem with Masonite is that its too smooth. It has no texture, even when there's a first coat of acrylic. So, when I started painting with acrylics on it I had nothing but problems.
First, I picked some easier colors to work with - Alizarin Crimson, Lemon Yellow and Cobalt Blue. There was still some leftover Zinc White and Prussian Blue still on my palette from yesterday.
Alizarin Crimson and Lemon Yellow are very transparent, so when I started making flesh tones with them and applying it to Masonite, I could see every brush stroke. Which means, that if you make one small mistake it really shows up and will continue to show up layer after layer. And, of course, I'm a sloppy painter, so there is nothing but lots of mis-strokes.
I tried and tried, letting a layer dry and trying again. But the mistakes just kept showing through.
Finally, in frustration, I took my rag and just started wiping the face clean. Whoa! I liked the way it looked after a few rubs. I was surprised it didn't look as bad as I thought. So, I'm posting it as a face.
This is Roger.
Someday I may return to him.
