SUGAR SKULL PAINT JOB! Bad Drawing #89 and #90!!!

Well I'm back from Mexico, and in full-on creative mode. I've been editing my friends wedding footage like a mad man, and starting on a few other projects. One of these new projects is likely going to be the most time consuming drawing job I'll ever have, and won't be able to reveal til January (where I will rip it apart in my own self-loathing way).

In the mean time I will actually try and put up other stuff I'm doodling away at, in a sad attempt to sharpen my skills...

Anyway... This isn't so much a doodle, but while in Mexico I did do a little art project. I'm actually sorta happy with this (which is rare) so I decided to throw it up on the blog

I'm a HUGE tattoo fan. I've got a couple myself, and more planned for the future (when I'm super wealthy and can afford it). One of the tattoos I would like to get would incorporate Mexican Sugar Skulls. I've been into the design of these skulls for quite a few years, so when I ended up in Mexico for the first time last year, I hunted one down to take home.

See the little floaty skulls? yeah, like that

You can find porcelain sugar skulls in pretty much any shop in Mexico. However, I was a little disappointed with the designs. I was so used to seeing them in tattoos, I guess I sort of expected to see designs closer to what tattoo artists were doing here in North America. Not quite.

This is the one I eventually picked up...

Yeah, I liked it, but not really what I was looking for.

So this year, when we went to Mexico, I decided to try again, and again I found more of the same so-so designs... not quite what I was looking for.

However, at the resort we were staying in, you could paint your OWN pottery, and THEY had skulls as an option. Arlyn suggested we do that rather than buy a finished skull. I agreed. I decided to to sketch out my design the night before, and then Ar and I would go down and paint our own sugar skulls.

This was my design...

These were Arlyn's...

When we got to the table to paint our skulls, Arlyn changed her mind and decided to paint a fish. We sat at our table and got to work. I should also mention we decided to do this THE MORNING WE WERE LEAVING. This made the whole painting experience super stressful. I was swearing like a sailor the entire time... sitting next to a 7 year old girl (who didn't seem to mind the swearing, and instead just stared as I shakily painted a rose on mine)

There were guidelines already drawn on the skull that I didn't want to use, so they had to be painted over first. I felt rushed and stressed out, but I eventually finished. Arlyn and I left our skulls with the guy running the stand so he could add little details, and then varnish. This was really cool as the brushes we had were thick and unruly... and my hands were shaking the whole time. Stress.

Here's the guy touching up Ar's fish

When we came back after packing up our hotel room, and having our last lunch buffet, our art was done! Actually, I shouldn't say done, as the varnish wasn't dry yet. But they now had their little, fine line details, and slightly cleaner lines.

Ar's fish had new little details (which you can kind of see in this pic... little green spots, some black line touches)

Mine had little lines added to the green leaves (the little light green flecks) and the lines on the teeth (not sure I would have done that... but still looked cool)

We were worried about the pieces not being dry yet, so I went to the resort gift shop to see if they had a cardboard box. Like a bull in a china shop, I smashed into one of the gift shop shelves and smashed a painted porcelain plate of some sort. It was actually because I stumbled on something they had left on the floor behind me, but they made me pay for it. It was only 4 bucks, but whatever. I destroyed someone elses painted work while looking to protect mine. Awesome.

'

They gave me a receipt... souvenir

Anyways, we spent the entire bus ride to the airport trying to air out our pieces, and then mad the plane smell like varnish, but the pieces made it home alive.

Long story... long, that's how I now have Bad Drawing #89 and #90! "Skully McSugarVarnish"