Finger Painting - on Canvas

I spent a happy afternoon getting really messy with paints. Going back to the days when I ran a Playgroup - and we all did finger painting.

Click photos to enlarge.


When I did this it was raining outside and I used the sky colours for inspiration, and day dreamed of a holiday spent in the Lake District - mist rising from the wet ground, and clouds drifting over the hills.

I would be crouched down low in the spiky grass, trying to take a photo through it to catch the mists coming and the clouds over the hills and mountain.

(I have a vivid imagination don't I LOL)

It is my very first attempt at a canvas - and 'huge' for me as I usually do small things. This is a couple of inches longer than A4 size.

Here are a few close ups of areas.


Wet reed grass in the foreground

Cloud and mist textures

I used layers of acrylic paints in Key Lime Pie, Green pearl metallic, Dark Turquoise, Shamrock Green and white.
I used only my hands, mainly fingers and also this..............

To create texture, scratch through the colours etc.

My husband can only see the soggy wet reed grass in the foreground, but likes the colours its 'nice' bless him. But he says 'nice' about whatever I make, even if I end up binning a piece of work LOL because it isn't.

This looks better in daylight hanging up. I am not sure about it myself, as I think it looks a bit bland, and the grass being the focal point isn't quite right. I was going to paint a few birds in the distance to draw the eye to the skies - but couldn't decide whether to or not!

It was more an experiment - and so relaxing getting fingers in lovely gooey paint.

I am going to live with it for a week, then if I can come up with a proper design, I can paint over it, stick things on, and create something else.

Honest constructive critiques please - because I really need them to improve and learn. I love it when people say, things like, 'I like the colour but perhaps if you did 'so and so' it might lift it' or 'next time you make one perhaps you could try ...........'

When you 'work' at home and don't have anyone close by you can 'bounce' ideas off, then my forum friends and visitors to my blog are really important to me. When I look back at some of my old work when I first started at the beginning of this blog - I cringe! At the time it was the best I could do and I was pleased with it!

But from reading your blogs, advice and encouragement, hints and tips, and links to tutorials etc I am learning so much - and conquering canvases it is my next 'thing'.

So if you have any tips or suggestions or links to canvas work that you have created or been inspired by, then please would you leave them in the comments section - or email me, I would be ever so grateful.

Many thanks