The AJANAKU Painting // Step 7, 8, 9

Besides being a proud member and editor for AJANAKU, I’m an artist and I create paintings, t-shirts and work on other related art & fashion projects. I founded my own brand / blog called NO REST FOR THE OBSESSED as an extension of my personal creativity. On my website I maintain a little blog about my work process and interests, explaining my work and why I use certain colors or techniques.

My work is recognized by its pattern and colour combinations and therefore was an excellent choice to use the AJANAKU colors as inspiration. I immediately started designing the pattern, deciding the size and how the finished painting should look. The picture above is just a small tip of the iceberg, and for the upcoming weeks I will be adding images with a small story to this article on how the painting develops. Enjoy!!

Step seven, eight, nine:
After finishing the first layer and a second layer of white shown in step six, it’s time to complete the 2nd layer. Therefore the three photo’s above from step seven, eight and nine. The second layer is always an interesting part, but can be a bit boring sometimes. Because adding layers of white is not really exciting, although it’s necessary. But the second layer brings always changes and that can be very interesting. For instance I divided the green in several sections with different shades. I thought it would made the painting better but in layer three I plan on giving it a new green color that’s more equally divided. The third layer will probably be the last layer and that means the painting is nearly finished. This series is a great way to tell my story behind the painting for our beloved Ajanaku readers. But also a perfect way to capture my work process on a painting and helps me understanding what I’m making. Don’t forget to check out my new portfolio page, it looks beautiful..

Step six:
The first layer is done and now it’s time to for experiment. Step six is still very easy, cause I only added a second layer of white. But you will be amazed what I did with the green part. I’m working a little bit ahead so I can write a better article and tell you exactly what happened. A second layer of white, is it necessary? Yes.. White on white is more reflective and gives the ‘color’ more depth. And because my surfaces is highly absorbing a second and even third layer is vital. That’s one of the main reasons why it takes so much time to make a painting like this. I have a slow production, but every painting is made by hand and I think the experiment is important. That’s what keeps me going and makes it excited for me. If I want the exact pattern, I could make it in the computer and print it out and sell them as a canvas print. That’s not my cup of tea and I think it’s important to offer exclusive paintings. You have a ‘one of a kind’ product.

Step five:
I recently added the last paint of the first layer. It’s a darker grey as you might have seen in the picture above and is supposed to bring a balance between the lighter colors grey and white. I divided the darker grey part in two sections, just as described in step four. Although it’s difficult to see in the picture, there is definitely a difference in shades. While working on the canvas, the painting changes. And when I’m painting I already plan the next step for a new layer. So the grey cannot be too dark! Cause I know there will be another layer on top and when the first layer is too dark then it’s hard to bring it back to a lighter color. Also I decided to split up the green with different shades. That’s something I’m working on now and helps the painting evolving into something new and fresh.

Step four:
The previous steps don’t look so amazing, because you don’t see a lot of changes happening in the painting. For the viewer it probably means filling up the first layer. But for me it isn’t, in this layer most of my choices are made regarding the next step of the painting. This is where the piece of art gets his shape and meaning. I can try different colors and the perfection is not yet a big issue. I’m searching for new ways to improve myself and make choices whether I want use this technique again or how I want to build up the colors. In this case, step four: I started to fill the light grey part. I divided the painting horizontally by using two different shades of grey. I will do the same with the darker grey in the now unpainted areas. There is one little open square left in the top right corner, I completely missed out on that one, don’t know why, but I just forgot one. No worries, next painting session I will fill it up and when the painting is finished you won’t notice a thing.

Step three:
By adding a little bit of color to the painting, the view changes from a simple grid to a more confusing pattern. The color does not compare to our website’s main color and can still be very different in the end from the intention that was made at the beginning. I will put more layers on top of each other to find the right color. What really matters to me is that the colors are in balance and to maintain this, I make notes in my notebook. For example I keep track on how much white I use while mixing. Then I know how much to add for the next step if I want to make the same amount of paint and that the color remains the same if needed. I use a special type of oil-paint, where each color has the same drying time, that makes it very easy to work in layers. And to dry it even more quickly I use a quick drying medium based on alkyd. With thin layers like this, the paint is dry enough to paint over in three to four days. Oil paint has a real slow process of drying because air is needed. Therefore it can take up one year for the painting to be completely dry in all layers.

Step two:
There will be no tape involved and every square is done by hand with one flat brush. When one color is dry (takes about three to five days), I will make apply the next colour, filling the whole painting until the first layer is done. The first color I am using is white, this will give the painting more tranquility and balance. I decided to make a little test with the white so; one half of the painting is done with oil paint and the other half is painted with an oil-egg tempera (a mixture of oil, egg and pigment). I used to make all my paintings with tempera, a very old technique that dates back to the Renaissance. Today I like to combine several paints and try out new technique to sort out what suits me best. The whole painting is an experiment, but with a goal. The pattern is ready and I know where the colors will be placed. But what I don’t know is, how the colors will look when I’m working on the painting for real. The shades of the colors keep on changing and therefore a lot of layers will be added in the following weeks.

Step one:
A blank painting is always attractive, whether it is meant to stay white or the beginning of something new. The canvas I am using is not really white, instead is has the color of unprepared linen. The linen is prepared with a gelatine surface to keep the paint attached and preserves the painting for longlasting quality. It also has a strong absorbent function, which will make the paint dry faster and will give the color a more intense feeling. When the linen is stretched onto his frame I start making a grid with pencil. I don’t use to much pencil, so not to interfere with the paint or create a mess when using white (which I use a lot). When the grid is done, I start painting the whole piece, layer on layer.