More sponge painting...

[Mike Finn]

I hesitate to post this cause it's just an empty scene... Needs chickens and aproned lady with straw broom and lots of other busy stuff. BUT it's solely done with sponges and limited palette.. Ultramarine, Yellow oxide, Burnt siena, Burnt umber and Zinc white. 20'x18" canvas.

Sponge painting is soooooooo much fun, lots of little accidents that in the end dictate the painting. One starts with an idea but the sponge says otherwise and if you go with it rather than correct the mistake, it's rather exciting

Anyway I haven't got enough control (or confidence) with sponges yet to be able to do the chickens etc..... so I'm practicing on scrap and experimenting with different sponges etc. A week or so should see me finish this, of course the way sponges work I may end up with a wheelbarrow

Mike Finn

[prospector]

I like the texture, and rich color of yer painting. I think some brush work on chickens, wheel burow, or old people with pitch forks would give it a great contrast. Or would that be against some sponge law?

[Mike Finn]

Originally Posted by prospector

Or would that be against some sponge law?

Prospector... That made me smile

Suffice to say I have tried that but it just doesn't look right. A brush, even dabbing, gives a whole different look and stands out almost like a mistake. Soooo I'm learning how to make and use a "sponge brush" If I get it right then bye bye to brushes for me

There is very little, if any, info on sponge painting on the web (apart from walls & easter eggs) that I can find so it's a "suck it and see" situation.

Mike Finn

[Mark Newton]

Where is the nude Mike? This is a pretty neat job so far, the sponge technique will certainly be a powerful tool once you have it mastered. Quite clearly it produces very good results for texture and as such has many applications. I would eventually incorporate it into paintings that have elements such as old buildings, dirt tracks and the like as it builds such realistic textures.

NO doubt compositionally this one is empty at the moment, but I'm sure you will fix that. Good work!


Cheers

[Mike Finn]

Originally Posted by Newt

Where is the nude Mike?

Cheers Newt....She is just about to walk through the arch Not a bad idea though

Mike Finn

[lazurus]

I remember the nude as well. Left quite an impression and so does this work. Amazed that you can get that much detail with sponges. Would love to try it sometime, but predestined to fail with my poor color mixing abilities.
Very intrigued at how far you have taken this technique and the level you have achieved.

[Mike Finn]

Originally Posted by lazurus

Would love to try it sometime, but predestined to fail with my poor color mixing abilities.

Thanks Jason...

Yes well that's something I used to do too. Pre-determined failure But actually this method is ideal for those colour challenged like myself. Just throw 3 or 4 blobs of colour on the palette and dab the sponge in each blob then dab the sponge on the canvas... The colours all mix to create lovely effects....AND people think you worked it all out yourself

But anyway try a simple background and go from there.... I have made a "Sprush" which helps with the finer details but it needs some more design time. Its just a Papermate E-Racer pen thingy with the eraser removed and cut sponge inserted.

Mike Finn

[Lulu]

I love the way you experiment Mike! Might give the fingers a rest and try a bit of sponge work some time too

[LisaArt]

LOVE this sponge effect and the colours are SUPER! My favourites. Feels very Italian! Terracotta

[joa]

Wonderful colors! Great texture!

Think I'll try sponges sometime!

Jo

[MDurante]

Wow, the ivy texture on the wall is quite cool. I have been thinking of buying some sponges to try them out.

Question: To keep the sponges from hardening with dried acrylic paint, do you find yourself constantly dipping them in water and wringing them out? I would be worried that this would make the sponge useless until it dried out, which means you'd need lots of sponges...

Also for those who like to pounce but want a smoother application don't forget stipple brushes! I use these all the time. They're not just for crafts!

- Matthew Durante

[PAKI]

This sponge thing is pretty stimulating. What a great diversion. Creatively moving outside the norm.

[Mike Finn]

Originally Posted by MDurante

Question: To keep the sponges from hardening with dried acrylic paint, do you find yourself constantly dipping them in water and wringing them out? I would be worried that this would make the sponge useless until it dried out, which means you'd need lots of sponges...

Hi Matthew... Yes I have two small buckets of water, one I keep the water as clean as possible and the other gets pretty yucky But I use just three sponges as that's all I have at the moment. You must keep the sponges damp so a dunk in the water and a couple of squeezes gets the paint out and then a good squeeze in a towel gets it just damp for the next load..... Another point.. after you have got the paint on the sponge give it a good dab on a piece of scrap to remove the excess before applying to the canvas. Of course one can get some cool effects with sponging it on like icing on a cake

Mike Finn

[valchina612]

Mike, this is great. I just love the textured effect the sponges give. I have been sponging backgrounds for a long time, but have never thought to do a complete painting with sponges........mmmm..........I feel some experimenting coming on!!

The painting looks very Mexican to me, and I can just see a Mexican sitting down against the wall, with his sombrero over his face, having his Siesta!! Then a tub or two with cacti in them against the walls.

Better stop before my imagination runs right away.

Great work!!

Val.

[valchina612]

Mike, I forgot to say, that you can buy little foam eye shadow brushes, and they are great for getting in to small places for sponging. I use them a lot, both in my Acrylic Painting and also my Porcelain Art painting.

You can buy them really cheaply from Chain Stores and the like, or if you want more expensive ones, you can get them from a Cosmetic Counter in a Department Store (you might make the Assistant raise her eyebrows hehe).

Hope this helps a bit.

Val.