Superstition - Knock on Wood - Process

[Elinore Eaton]

I just posted my entry for this month's "Superstition" contest, "Knock on Wood" and I thought some folks might want to see my process for the work.

I started off with some very messy thumbnails and researching superstitions until I find a concept I really like. Knocking on Wood is one of history's most enduring superstitions. It comes from thousands of years of mythology, folklore, and religious beliefs that trees are sacred, and believed that trees housed gods and nature spirits. People have laid hands on the trunks of a trees to seek favors from tree gods and nature spirits, and have believed that knocking on wood would wake up and shake out mischievous tree sprites and fairies. I love painting nature, fairies, and spirit, so this was a good choice for me to play with.

From there, I create a finished line work.

Then, it's time for watercolor!

Finally, I do clean up and a little "digital magic" to finish things up.

I think these little tree sprites would happily stay napping if it wasn't for that pesky woodpecker!

[MichaelaH]

@Elinore-Eaton It is wonderful, here we have also superstition to knock on wood if we wish taht nothing bad happends and if you don't have wood handy, you can knock on your teeth (of they are still real). It looks really nice

[eroomba]

Very cool! I actually like the line work as much as the finished piece.

[lmrush]

Gorgeous piece! Your line work is phenomenal!!!!! I realize it is a finished piece but have you thought about trying to keep that fabulous line work throughout your whole process? just a thought, you are welcome to tell me to mind my own business Lol

[juliepeelart]

Beautiful! This piece feels like childhood magic!

[Elinore Eaton]

Thanks for the kind words an insights y'all!

Interesting that a couple of you are remarking on my line work. I am playing around with incorporating more line work in my finished pieces, but haven't found the right balance yet, without it looking too "comic-booky" I love Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen and they both use line work in their art, but I feel like when I've tried to do it, it doesn't really look right. Will keep trying to find the magic balance!

[Chip Valecek]

@Elinore-Eaton I think you have a great balance here. I would like to see the green lines glow a bit more to make it really magical. Great work.

[demotlj]

@Elinore-Eaton When you figure this out, let me know. I too have been trying to incorporate line into my watercolor because I love that style but it’s hard to keep it from becoming too dominant or, as you said, leaning toward a more cartoon look. Your piece, by the way, is beautiful.

[Elinore Eaton]

@demotlj Will do and back atcha, it's definitely tricky to figure it out exactly as you'd like. Thank you so much!
@Chip-Valecek Thank you so much! Yeah, maybe next time i do magic lines, I'l go super glow! Thanks!