Original Post (See Below for Update):
Hello All,

I recently finished a huge 6 foot by 18 inch painting of Rapunzel’s Tower. In my version, Rapunzel is a scrappy red-head that’s just short of some hair so the prince can’t quite reach. Maybe next year he’ll be able to save her! Click any of the images below for really big versions so you can see more of the details.

This image was the result of more experimenting- painting oils over sealed gouache on watercolor paper. I’m pretty happy with how this process is progressing and I’m excited to see where it will go in the future. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about how I’m doing it.

I’ve also updated the Kids and Young Adult Gallery to the left to include them also.

Update: I’ve gotten some requests for a larger version of the image. Here’s a link to a huge version that’s about 800 kb.

Hello All,

I’ve recently been experimenting with ways to mix the transparency of gouache with the opaqueness of oils. How could I get something like that? How about actually layering gouache with oils?!

It took a bit to figure out the best way to accomplish what I was going for. I started with watercolor paper and gouache but I had to seal the whole thing so the oil paints wouldn’t damage the paper. I tried a few things but the first ones I tried were soaking into the paper and turning cloudy, totally ruining all the painting I was doing in gouache. Eventually I stumbled upon Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating. A few thin coats of that and the paper was sealed. I was free to apply the oils.

Below is my most successful result to date. It’s an unused sketch for the role-playing game Shadowrun that I decided to finish off. The technique needs some refinement but I’m pretty happy with the direction it’s going.

I’ve also uploaded it to the color gaming gallery.

I’m currently working on this year’s Christmas card with this technique. Of course, the subject matter is quite different. More on that as I finish it.