World Tapir Day Celebrations

Wow! I've just got back home and have been amazed and delighted with people's generosity. When I got to the MASC office there were people dressed in tapir gear ....... white T's underneath black tops .... then rolling up the tops to expose white bellies. Very cute ... I am so fortunate to know such great people! you can see some of them at:
http://tinyurl.com/2avob3f

Happy Tapir Day ... more to come

Nine days to go ... time for a box

One of the last jobs is to make a box - a box big enough to take 30 tapirs. I took a photocopy paper box and decorated it with stamps. I cut the shapes out of thin foam that I can overprint and overprint. The great thing about this method is the random texture you can achieve. Gives the whole thing a 'rough' look. I like the 'rough' typeface of the titling.

30 Tapirs just about ready to go

I've now got 30 tapirs all dressed up and looking smart. I'll package the pictures in a stiff cellophane I think and include details of the proposed project that's going to be funded ..... once I've finished 'dickering' with the pics themselves that is.

Brendan Wenzel

I came across this the other day. A fabulous illustrator ... and a great interpretation of a Malayan Tapir. See more of Brendan's work at http://www.brendanwenzel.info/blog

Towers of Tapirs

Once again, it's April and I have a studio full of tapirs! Towers of them. Seventeen days to go and the next stages are the best stages. I'll varnish each one and apply watercolour .... things can get really random when watercolour is applied to a non-absorbent surface.

28 Canvases - 2 more to find

The canvases will have a neutral colour .... unbleached titanium ... it's got a bit of character but not too dominant.

In regard to donations, Sheryl Todd of the Tapir Preservation Fund has suggested some projects where the money could be directed. I'm really excited about having a specific project to aim at ..... more to come as I get confirmation.

What to wear????

For all those concerned about what to wear for World Tapir Day .... a suggestion.
Don McMillan is modeling the lastest in 'tapirwear'. A spring number featuring a shortened black polo shirt over a white 'classic T'. So fetching!!!!!!

The process

The tapirs are beginning to take shape.

The very first thing I do is to set up an interesting 'ground'. I do this with some modeling paste and a comb like tool.

Next, I paint a colour background (in this instance - red, though later I will use yellow and maybe a blue/green)

Then, I put down the shape of the tapir ... simply, graphically.

The next step is to put in some background (I have a liking for Naples Yellow - always have, can't explain it!)

Then it's a once over with some sandpaper ... this bring out the background texture. This is the real fun part as it's where those accidental shapes, colours and textures happen.

So the next steps will be adding the subtleties like colour washes and varnishes.

What 26 canvasses looks like

Cleaned out the art store today. Twenty six 5" x 4" s was all they had. Four more on order - probably in store in the next few days. 28 days to go!
A big thanks to all the Tapir people from last year that have contacted me so far and are willing to join in on the celebration again this year.

Chunky canvases

With thirty 5" x 4" painting to produce, the challenge will be to have each one distinctive. One way I can acheive this is to use different colour base layers. The two pictures shown here have differing base colours .... one blue and one green. I like how a simple flat colour laid down as a foundation can influence the final image. I use sandpaper on occasions to bring that colour from the base to the fore, see Tapir A

You can also see the thickness of the canvases .... 'kinda chunky'. I will vary the colours here too.

A start, with 35 days to go.

These first images here are fairly abstract, simplified. I hope that in the coming 35 days I will produce some differing styles .... I'd like to produce some more realistic tapir pictures before I'm done.