For my sixth concentration piece, I chose to do something from Norse Mythology, Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil is how Norse mythology explains the universes/worlds, a large tree surrounded by worlds(From top to bottom, Asgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Midgard, Swartalfeim, Nidavelir, Jotunheim, Nilfheim, and Hel.) and mythical creatures, such as the four stags(Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór) and the snake "gnawing at the roots"(Níðhöggr). The picture is of my interpretation of the legend, I decided to make it seem more galaxy-inspired rather than fantasy. I did this piece traditionally, with acrylics on a 18x 24 canvas. I really enjoyed this project because the color choices were very interesting, and I find painting relaxing. I was also excited to see the end product, trying my best to make the piece have a "trippy" feel. The hardest part of this painting was including the animals. I didn't know how to include the animals without undermining the space look. After a while of contemplation I decided to make them constellation animals, somewhat hidden along with the stars, and I like how it came out. The easiest part of the project was the sun/Hel at the bottom, I enjoyed mixing the two.
First, I did a red-orange acrylic wash and painted in all of the base colors of the tree/planets. Afterwards, I painted the background a mix of purple, blue, red, and black so that the galaxy didn't look just plain black. I then decided to do a gradient value on the tree, as the bottom of the tree is closer to "Hel", I made it more red/orange/pink, and the top was more blue/green. I really like the gradient value. I used a sponge to make the tree dissolve at the end of the roots, in an attempt to make it blend more with the universe. I then started painting in the planets, using a monotone color scheme to shade each one, then adding in some clouds around them to make them seem more like planets and less like marbles. After painting Hel using a reference picture of the sun, I sponged and painted more colors in the background to make the universe look more interesting, I used golds, silvers, greens, blues, reds, and purples. Afterwards, I painted the constellation animals and sponged in some more paints to make them look more blended into the universe background. The last thing I did was accentuate some of the values in the tree behind the planets, and add the stars. I really love this project and how it came out.
First, I did a red-orange acrylic wash and painted in all of the base colors of the tree/planets. Afterwards, I painted the background a mix of purple, blue, red, and black so that the galaxy didn't look just plain black. I then decided to do a gradient value on the tree, as the bottom of the tree is closer to "Hel", I made it more red/orange/pink, and the top was more blue/green. I really like the gradient value. I used a sponge to make the tree dissolve at the end of the roots, in an attempt to make it blend more with the universe. I then started painting in the planets, using a monotone color scheme to shade each one, then adding in some clouds around them to make them seem more like planets and less like marbles. After painting Hel using a reference picture of the sun, I sponged and painted more colors in the background to make the universe look more interesting, I used golds, silvers, greens, blues, reds, and purples. Afterwards, I painted the constellation animals and sponged in some more paints to make them look more blended into the universe background. The last thing I did was accentuate some of the values in the tree behind the planets, and add the stars. I really love this project and how it came out.