Shaney Watters demonstration - March 1
Shaney Watters gave a beautiful demonstration on how she paints on wood panels. She says she is self-taught through trial and error. To start a painting, she selects a panel and sands it down. She then stains the panel and uses an adhesive to apply gold or silver leaf. The gold leaf is “composition gold leaf,” usually made with copper, zinc or brass. Once the gold leaf has been applied, she then does a sketch with a light burnt sienna.
Watters paints in oils because she likes to push the paint around. She applies her first layer using a photo reference of her subject. She starts with the actual color of the animal but then uses various colors to make it fun. She begins with a mid tone, and continues painting from darks to lights. She uses broad strokes and comes back in for the detail. She blends on the panel so the strokes look more like hair. Watters ends with the eyes because she feels like it is a payoff. She sometimes uses alcohol pads as an eraser to remove gold leaf and reveal the wood panel. |
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To apply the resin, she first protects the sides of the wood panel with painter’s tape. She uses resin that is specifically made for art and must be mixed. Watters pours the mixed resin directly onto the dried painting. The resin is self-leveling but she sometimes uses a scraper to move it around. With some designs, she randomly pours the resin to give a splash effect. Bubbles may appear in the resin and may pop on their own or she uses a small torch to pop them.
Watters is truly a master with her technique and wonderfully captures her love for all animals in every piece she creates. She often sells her pieces at Art Fairs and will bring work along to keep her occupied. She is also training to become a volunteer docent at a local zoo where she has picked up many fun facts on animals!
Watters is truly a master with her technique and wonderfully captures her love for all animals in every piece she creates. She often sells her pieces at Art Fairs and will bring work along to keep her occupied. She is also training to become a volunteer docent at a local zoo where she has picked up many fun facts on animals!