Barrel Cactus Beginnings

Although drawing this has been a big job, I've enjoyed it.  This afternoon I finished the drawing and got the first layer of mask on the paper.  At this stage of a cacti painting, it doesn't look like much, but what you see represents about 4.5 hours of work.

The two tones of mask in the spine areas make it hard to see the network of lines moving across the paper, but they are there and ready to play their part in the drama. 

Once the mask is down for the spines, I start to get impatient to get painting.  The network of the lines makes a pattern that I can't resist.  Even though I'd like to start before the mask is even dry, I am restraining myself until I'm sure of the colors for that area and where the light source will be.  Barrel cactus blossoms around here range from a deep orange to a red/violet.  The fun thing is though, that I can make them whatever color I want!  And that, my friends, opens up a whole new range of possibilities.

Thanks for stopping by! Alice