COCOA SET: FINAL THOUGHTS

ARCHES VERSION

Here is where we left off:

I wasn't happy with the handle, and I wanted to make the gold line clearer.

Here is a way to "erase" mistakes by lifting a fine line. This is also good for cleaning up edges. Cut a piece of masking tape the shape of your line. Tape the left side of the tape to the left of the line and the right side to the right side of the line. Then gently "lift" with a brush or Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. 

(to lift paint, wet a clean stiff brush and gently wipe it over the area to be erased, blotting with a kleenex as you go, until as much has been erased as you want.)

The bottom of the saucer in front looked odd, so I added some dark blue to straighten out the saucer. 

I used a white pen to go over some of the details on the gold rims. You do not have to do that. Because this is my great-grandmother's set, and because the painting is a gift for my mom, I wanted those details to be as accurate as possible, and they are white. But you do not need to do that. 

I also outlined the grapes with white pen, then put a white dot in the center of each one, another detail you do not have to do.

I wanted a little more background color, so I wet the paper around the tea cups and painted in a very light red. I extended that around the bottom of the cocoa pot also. 

I lifted a little white on the inside of the tea cup rims. I also lifted some white hilites on the cup handles. (Also used a bit of gouache where lifting didn't work)

THE MASA PAPER VERSION

This is where I left off:

To finish, I outlined some of the details in white, as in the Arches version above. This is only because that's what the original cocoa set has.

I couldn't "lift" my whites out, (masa paper is too delicate for lifting) so I used a little white gouache on the inside rims of the cups (they were too dark) and a few details on them. I darkened the shadow underneath with a little purple. 

For some reason the masa paper version doesn't photograph as clearly as the other one, but I am pretty happy with the way they both turned out.