SUNDAE BEST

If I get a commission to do a subject that I have little visual reference on, or I choose a subject that I haven't previously researched, I search the internet to get some inspiration. Photographs of the subject are good but I prefer to see interpretations by other artists.  This doesn't mean copying an image, even if it is copyright free, but it gives you ideas for possible colour schemes, shapes and composition.

'Sundae Best' - mixed media on board (40cms x 20cms)

After looking at various images, I did some thumbnail sketches before deciding on an outline shape.  I then covered a background board with torn up pages of vintage magazines. As this artwork is a present for a friend, who is opening a vintage tea shop next year, I wanted that sort of feel to it. I used a selection of doylies for the sundae dish, thick acrylic paint and alcohol ink for the ice-cream and toppings with a flattened painted straw for the chocolate sticks and beads, attached with glitter glue, for the crunchy topping.  I added words cut from the same magazines and scribbled 'Sundae Best' as the final layer.