Step by step part 2, and an exciting announcement!

If you want to see part 1 of this process, where I create the background, click here.

So this is my first two-headed princess monster. It's also the first larger scale princess monster I have done (18x24). AND it is also the first time I have used the oil paint sticks, and I have to say I really like the way they blend, and I think they will become my default for skin tones. So here she is, from start to finish:

outline done in white paint pen, filled in with gesso

skin tone swiped on with oil paint sticks

after blending

hair filled in with oil paint sticks, blended by hand

first attempt at faces, not quite right

second attempt at faces, much better now!

and a dress to finish her!

 Sorry the image quality is not great. Next time I will use the good camera instead of my iPhone. But for now you get an idea of the process. My neighbours have been watching this painting progress as I have been keeping it in the garage and moving it out to the yard to work on it during this beautiful sunny weather we have been having. Hopefully I haven't traumatized any of the neighbourhood kids with her ;)

It's easy for me to show you the process of creating this monster, and harder to talk about the inspiration behind this piece. So I will be brief. I have been struggling for months with postpartum depression. It's still too fresh for me to be able to say much about it, except that it's been really hard and I am so glad that it has finally let go of its grip on me. This painting felt very much like an exorcism, and at times it was so intense working on it that I had to step away and walk around a bit to work through the waves of emotion. When I started working on this piece I wrote out a quote "I feel a nameless sadness o'er me roll" over and over on the canvas. That quote came on a piece of ephemera that I received in a class with Danielle Daniel at the Sugar & Spice retreat, and it felt like such a perfect description for how I was feeling. This painting is called The Nameless Sadness. It's quite a departure from my usual light-hearted princess monsters, but for me it feels like a major breakthrough moment, both personally and in my artistic process.

And now for the BIG NEWS! My princess monsters and I will be at Into the HeArt Retreat this coming spring in beautiful Harrison Hot Springs, BC. I will be teaching a workshop called "Monster in Me". This is such a big deal for me, major soul purpose, doing what I am supposed to be doing business. I am so honoured to be teaching at this event! You can check out the details about my workshop here. Registration opens September 21. I'll be posting more soon about the other amazing workshops being offered at the retreat. Hope to see you there!

I think this may be the longest post in quite a while! So I will sign off now, and wish you all a beautiful day!