ZISSOU LOST IN THE VOID OF IT ALL
Illustration and Painting
Originally designed for the Officially Unofficial Bill Murray Day Fan Art Show 2017 poster prints and show graphics. Quickly turned into a 34.5 x 18.5 x 2″ acrylic on a refurbished 105-year-old window frame painting.
MY PAINTING PROCESS
Using the original graphic as a template it’s simply a matter of tracing off the image. In reverse.
With the help of my ’70s Industrial Animation light table, you gradually build up the black layer filling in from your outline trace. It creates an organic look and texture that will never be seen by the viewer.
Usually, 3 – 4 coats are more than enough for a dark acrylic fill for a solid base. This base, on the viewer’s side, appears as a solid vinylesque layer with no texture. Just a smooth fill. Like an animation cel.
Frames are primed and painted 3 times to ensure coverage. I use Interior Satin Enamel paint. These particular 105-year-old frames are in fantastic shape but they do need to be stripped, sanded, joints strengthen, holes & carves filled using wood filler and carpenters glue.
The background is relatively easy. I used a large chrome bowl to get the circular fade relatively correct.
The glass is secured by using a combination of a hot glue gun, carpenters glue and covered with latex chalking. Then covered with frame paint. It’s not pretty but once a layer of chalking is laid down and dried a sharp razor blade will clean up the glass. Always cover this up with a layer of frame paint before sealing.
You can see here the glass is already glued in place and chalking is sealed to the glass. This is 105-year-old handmade glass and since the frame has been reinforced it takes some convincing and last minute carving to get it back into its home.
Through many trials and tribulations over the years, getting the fabric to stay in place (airtight seal always helps) has me laying thin strips of electrical tape on top of the black paint layer. This reduces contraction on the glue drying. Glueing the fabric directly to the painted surface results in pulling the paint off of the glass. Creating air bubbles and imperfections.
My B signature has the frame on one side and the B on the inside. Once it is ready, the background is glued, screwed to the frame, sealed with chalking and then repainted. This creates an airtight seal. Wire and ready to hang. Super easy.
