Tarot and Deer Skulls (9/10/20)

I am very interested in tarot cards and witchcraft, so I figured what better project than to make my own interpretation of my favourite card: Death. Death in Tarot does not necessarily mean literal death, but more death of a perspective or ideology. Death of a path you're on. Death of a relationship. It shows increased self-awareness. I began with a sketch on a canvas.

The bird was by far the hardest thing to plan out, so I began with the skeletal structure. This made it significantly easy to draw and eventually paint the bird. The skull was also quite difficult, it being such an abnormal shape.

Then came the painting. I make it no secret that I hold a deep hatred for acrylic paints. I find they dry too fast, don't go on smooth enough, and are difficult to mix. Unfortunately, oil paints cost an arm and a leg, so hellish acrylics it is. I began by painting the skull. I realize now that I should have done the background first but hey, you learn as you go.

I am quite proud of my painting and shading of the skull. I would like to point out that I only used white, black, red, yellow, blue, and gold paints to paint this piece. I learned quite a bit about blending through this.

After the skull, I forgot to take a picture of the finished bird and background, but here is the finished result! I had some trouble with the water reflection, but I think I managed. The bird was a tad fatter than I wanted but hey, that's life. In conclusion: I still hate acrylics, birds are weird, and flowers are difficult to paint. I am considering getting a bunch of small canvases and doing a painting for each card in the Tarot deck, so we'll see what becomes of that. Thanks for tuning in!