I continued to draw the grid up on the pillar header stone in the studio. I want to get the method for creating the detailed moorish design work right in the studio on the infill panel before going out on site and doing it all up the top of a ladder!
I have traced the pattern grid onto both pillar headers now.
Then it was time to cut little masking shapes to leave the registration points of the pattern showing, even after I paint all over my grid lines I’ve drawn. Time to get the scalpel out on the cutting mat!
It was microsurgery to cut them, apply them, then lift them out of the wet paint before it dried.
I’m starting with the darkest colour underneath first, then working my way up through to the lightest colour on the stone. That’s the traditional way to paint in acrylics. Here’s how all the action unfolded:
It was fun to get out the tube of burnt UMBER to start painting the detail on ALHAMBRA.
The scalpel and tweezer work doesn’t really show in the video. Here is a close-up:
