Painting small figures with a knife

So, this week I wanted to make a birthday card for my Granddaughter who is two next week. I like to make a painting instead of a card because it's something individually special....so, next week in the Art group we are painting figures with knives and this today, painting my Granddaughter was practice.Mmmmm.

I like to paint small figures with a big brush or a knife, you can't fiddle then and it's the fiddling around that kills a painting , for me , anyway....much better to put it away for another day and do another one.....with that in mind, these were the ones that weren't too bad !

I wanted a brighter palette than I would use for my Northern figures. The colours of May. Gorgeous light olive green, beautiful pinks and as I started off I thought it might work if I did a little concertina book of sketches instead of the birthday card. The book could stand up with the cards on the day but then hopefully be kept as a painterly reminder of a second birthday. Well that's the plan. I haven't yet done it so will add to the post when I have made it.

The paintings are all small and those that are bigger I will crop them down, I think , to 15 cm sq.

Setting off on an expedition. They come as a pair, Granddaughter and Mabel bulldog.

Granddaughter in sandpit

Granddaughter in the wild garlic flowers

The girls are here for tea

Welsh poppy and buttercup. May flowers.

Sketch of wild garlic flower. I sketched in charcoal , painted over it with gesso with a bit of acrylic in and then tried to put the paint down with a knife. Mmm.

Finished sticking everything together. I used card blanks to make the concertina book, just adding a piece of card on the back to stick the card blanks together. Over many years of Community art with Bernardo's , I have so made too many concertina books and if I make them from scratch I just don't get all the folds precise. Much easier to use card blanks.

Stuck it all together but will wait for it to dry before  adding any words. 

I like it. Ok , I can critique the paintings and think I could have done better but the fact is, it's just a little painterly record of a lovely few weeks in the garden for my Granddaughter.