Deep in my memory is the suggestion of an amazing image—a pale deer. I think maybe it was from Ivanhoe, but don’t quote me on that. Wherever it’s from, it’s had a strong hold on my imagination. Even though this art journal post began with no clear sense of where it would go, at some point, that pale doe took over. I don’t think she would have been a fairy in Ivanhoe (or in whatever other source she came from), but for me, that’s what she became.
It took me a long time to get around to finishing this piece, both because I was sick for over a week and because I couldn’t think how to proceed. Those wings had me stopped in my tracks. I just couldn’t figure out how I wanted to finished them, but in the end, I knew I just had to do something, so I did.
I began the wings very tentatively with colored pencils. I pressed oh, so lightly! Just to get a sense of how I liked the colors. One thing I did know was that the top side of the wings could be a different color than the bottom side—like with a butterfly. I thought these wings looked more like butterfly wings than bird wings, so I didn’t bother with feathers. But I did do a tiny little bit of suggesting scales. (They’re almost impossible to see.)
After applying the color, I added a coat of Daniel Smith interference acrylic called Sunlight. It’s gorgeous, and I’m so happy to have it, as that line of Daniel Smith paints has been discontinued for some time now. I added lots of tiny white dots because I thought the wings needed something else and tiny dots are one of my go-to elements.
The feelers—or, antennae, if you prefer—are sort of sloppy. In fact, I’m concerned that they might look a little like antlers. But they’re not! She’s a doe!
I added a little more color to her and worked more on her face. I think her eyes are nice and soft.
Next, I knew I needed something more in the background, and I took my cues from the swirl designs in the black and white collage elements and the idea of the leaves on the background trees. All the painted swirls with the curlicues growing from them did that job. And how relaxing and meditative the process was! That’s because it was going well for me. The paint was the right consistency, I was loading my brush well—neither too little nor too much paint—and my brush was being very kind to me, guiding me to have a gentle, steady touch.
Of course, she needed a gold collar, and part of an old piece of very fancy ribbon did the trick.
I’m happy with my pale deer, even though I’m not sure what she means other than maybe a representation of gentleness and sweetness. That’s enough, isn’t it?
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