Painting is Hard!

Here's the story behind the painting I donated to Canvas for a Cause.

I sort of forgot how hard it is to paint with actual brushes and no undo button! I have grown fond of being able to optimize my compositions digitally, and when it comes to analog art, I tend to use ink which is more precise and far less messy! But when I was asked to paint a small 5”x7” canvas to donate to Canvas for a Cause, I couldn’t help but say, “Yes!”

The Canvas for a Cause art auction directly supports the Joshua Tree Community — a non-profit Day program for adults with intellectual disabilities. Learn more about the Art Auction and the Joshua Tree Community here.

I mulled over what to paint for a long time. I struggled to choose something I thought I could paint well, while having it look like my work and be generally appealing (I want this painting to be a money maker for the auction after all!) Eventually I decided on an anatomical heart because I’ve been drawing all sorts of anatomical hearts for a book/zine idea and I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I wanted it to be colorful and eye catching, so I started with a vibrant, thick layer of spray paint.

I let it dry for a couple days before moving onto the next step because the paint was THICK! I like to do this thing where I use the pressure of the aerosolized spray paint to push other layers gradually outward and make bubbly intermingled rings. The result was a little more pink than I was intending, but I knew a lot of it would get covered up in the next step.

I was concerned about placing the heart in the right spot, so I printed out my digital sketch and cut it out to get it right where I wanted it. Since it was just printer paper, it wasn’t a great stencil! But it was good enough to help me get some starting lines roughed in before painting the black background. Then I added additional details with black acrylic paint and a black acrylic paint marker.

I think it’s interesting how different the colors look with the black layered over the top! I gave it a couple coats of protective gloss varnish. I usually use matte varnish, but the glossy spray paint and the bright colors demanded gloss. You can click or tap the image below to see it larger.

The finished piece is called “Heart Throb” and it is available on the auction site now until May 15! Check it out and place a bid here.

It’s worth noting that winning canvases will ship free of charge and winning bids are tax deductible!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me to connect with you every week. In case you missed it, last week I shared my experience at Milwaukee Zine Fest and highlighted some of the talented zine makers I met while I was there! Check it out here.

Paid subscribers, please keep scrolling to download an art print version of my painting “Heart Throb.”