My painted scarf, Venus Falls Blue, has undergone the layering treatment. And, again the finished scarf is most definitely an improvement in my opinion.
I have kept and uploaded before and after pictures. These show how adding even pale dyes in large overlapping sections across the whole work can significantly change the look. In this case I used pale pink and pale blue.
Obviously, the second layer has knocked the original yellows back considerably.
Even though it is spring at the moment and there are yellow daffodils, yellow tulips, yellow forsythia, yellow mahonia, yellow primroses and even some yellow dandelions already out, I am not actually feeling it for ‘yellow’.
As you can see below, the yellow is slowly disappearing.
And, finally after steaming again, it’s finished and in the shop.
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Agnes Ashe 
I love this, and the video, which really shows the skill, labour and creativity involved.
Thank you – only wish I could actually work at the time-lapse speed!
You might just lose your delicate touch!
Delicate touch – just spent weekend painting a fence. Right arm doesn’t know what hit it.
Beautiful and what a lt of work!
Yes, technically double, but worth the effort in the end. And, thank you.
It has a much stronger presence I think now. Though I’m very fond of yellow I think this scarf has found itself. I love the richness the layering process brings.
Yes, the second layer has brought some zing to the more dull original. Not entirely sure how, but think it has to do with contrasts and yet at the same time using a single colour over various sections adds some tonal continuity. I find predicting the finished result not easy even after all the years of doing this!
I know just what you mean. I find that layers of paint influence each other, even if you think you can’t see them or have painted over them. Even if all it did was prompt you to make other changes in response. Nothing is ever lost in a process like what you are doing, I think – it all is there, whether overtly seen or a hidden memory.
Yes, it is strange, but also as we interpret colour by their boundaries to other colours, it’s not surprising that when we add new layers there are subtle changes and developments to the whole work even if entire sections are newly covered.
Yes. Though I always hate to cover anything, but sometimes it has to be – and then it looks good, but I still remember the previous version, too…maybe my way of saying, it wasn’t wasted, the beauty is still remembered.
Yes, it annoying when I feel I’ve wasted time, but sometimes my original design was obviously not working. I had a couple of scarves languishing on my shop for several years (!!!) then I added a complete second painted layer and sold them both soon after listing on the same day.
It’s funny how that happens, I have done the same thing with artworks I’ve reworked. I remember in one case I had done a collage on paper, even framed it, hated it but showed it a few times. Then I decided to cut it in half, framed both of them and sold them at the next show. I guess some pieces just want to be something else…
Oh yes. It really pops now.
Oh yes, doesn’t it just! 😊