The Jellulele... almost done!

Don't worry, he doesn't sting! But he loves to watch you play!

Rainbow Fish

This was actually the idea I've had in my head from the beginning and I finally made it a reality.  And what made this fish particularly unique is that it's mixed media: acrylic paint, pastels and marker.  This will definitely not be the last of this style!

Here he is...

My Octolele!  

After I took this picture I realized that he had only 7 tentacles, so I added one more.  I couldn't have him swimming around with a missing tentacle!  ;)

In an octopus's garden...

in my studio. ;)

A work in progress, but I'm branching out with my sea creatures.  This is a bare bones first coat, but I'm excited to see how this lil' guy transforms. I'm also extending the size of my canvas to the sides of uke.  My ultimate goal is to paint the entire body someday.  But you have to start somewhere, right? =)

This guy's angry...

I had a request to paint a fish that was a little more in touch with his tough side.  You know, a little grittier, maybe for the hardcore ukulele player.  But beware!  This guy bites.

Still not quite sure what I'm going to do around the sound hole.  I'm considering doing a dark blue wash and then add some bright scales.  Either way, this guy can't look too sparkly... remember, he's supposed to be a rough 'n tough Trigger fish.  Takin' names and bitin' fingers.

My school of fish...

I took a few pictures of my projects thus far.  Most of them have yet to be restrung, but I'm impatient and couldn't wait to do a mini-shoot with my fish.  

Right now, I'm studying up on how to do a 'pro setup' on each uke before it's sold.  It pays off to show each one a litte TLC before sending it off to a happy, new home.

Work in progress

Currently reproducing the first Fishuku design...

 I want to get it very close, without being exact.  This way each ukulele is still unique.  Since I use a lot of dots in my designs, I suppose the chances of them being in exactly the same place are pretty slim anyway. =)

Back to work...

Patience and Art

We all know the saying... Necessity is the mother of invention.  Today, I put my own twist on the old proverb.

Patience is the necessity of art.

This is a valuable lesson that I am still learning with each new canvas.  My latest ukulele is an example of applying patience.  I started by painting a bold streak of yellow down the middle.  Then I stared at it for a long time.  And decided I couldn't stand it.  So then I stared some more, trying to envision how I could possibly fix this disaster.

I had recently spoken with a local artist, who's paintings I admire very much.  He said he likes to water down his acrylic paint, creating a thin wash rather than the thick, goopy (yes, goopy) layer that can sometimes result from using acrylics.  At this point, the paint essentially becomes water color.  And here is where patience comes in.  Because I'm dealing with a pre-painted canvas (bright blue or green), I have to apply layer after layer to get the desired effect:  a deep, rich hue that doesn't look washed out.

So after several hours of staring, contemplating, walking away, staring and finally painting... here is the finished product:

This is probably the most far out Fishuku I've painted.  But I had a lot of fun creating it.  And I intend to use the technique again and again.