Una loca artista mexicana

I finished up with odd looking rabbit and cat people - although I might revisit those backgrounds, I love the japanese-y feel but I was getting frustrated with how bad mine were - and have moved onto hippy style galaxies with Ana Victoria Calderon. She is Mexican and does a lot of illustration like greeting cards and things. Lots of flowers, but this course was about making galaxies to use as backgrounds.

So much fun. I had to go and buy some white gouache and some Indian ink, which was awesome, and then you drop it in and the strangest things happen! And splatter the gouache at the end with an old toothbrush, like little stars. 

There were a number of exercises leading up to the galaxies with strange jellyfish and flowers. She outlines many of her objects in either darker lines or white gouache. I tried to imitate the white gouache ones but I don't have the brush control ... or the control of the consistency of the paint. It has to be exactly the right amount of opaque, and mine is extremely variable, as you can see. 

This is a copy of one of hers that wasn't included in the course but I thought it was interesting - very Mexican! Number two son says it's not cultural appropriation if I have paid the artist as a teacher (which I have, just not exactly for this) and I'm not making any profit from it. He is my go-to ethical adviser on issues which may get me Cancelled. 

I cannot imagine doing a lot of galaxy paintings but the way that the ink and the watercolours work together is extremely cool. Calderon does a lot of typography with it - mostly inspirational sayings but hey - and I think perhaps a short course in calligraphy might be on the cards. Might have to buy a new brush.