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GloriaDei — Mother of Good Counsel
Published: 2012-06-03 01:18:56 +0000 UTC; Views: 1885; Favourites: 24; Downloads: 0
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Description
Here is the piece that distracted me from my other work for the past three weeks. I meant to use it for the cover of Mothers' Day cards, but completion was...delayed.The image is based on a medieval fresco, originally housed in a chapel in Albania, but now in Genazzano, Italy. For reference I used a photo of the original that was distributed at the church I attended in Kansas several years ago.
On Wikipedia: [link]
I loved the rich colors in the original image, as well as the tender pose and expression of the Mother and the Child. This was a challenge in colored pencil; I employed the technique of complimentary underpainting for the first time here, and that was rewarding though unfamiliar. I like the results all right, but I'm ready to go back to a graphite piece for relaxation.
Prismacolor pencil on Canson drawing paper.
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Comments: 17
Yes, the mentioning of Albania with the painting stored now in the legal boundaries of Italy reminds me of ancient times of eastward bound trade coming off the Venetian shores.
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Thanks so much! Are you familiar with the original?
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[link]
Madonna del ponte
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Really great job on this piece and wonderful use of colored pencils
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Thanks! I'm glad the pencil worked out for doing a rendition of an old painting.
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Yes I think it worked very well!
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Wow! You did an absolutely gorgeous job with this! It looks exactly like the original!
So for the underpainting, what did you use?
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Thanks! Underpainting in colored pencil just means establishing values using the compliments of the actual local colors--it's done with colored pencils, not paint--I think the term was borrowed from painters, though. To help me draw this piece, I was reading "Masterful Color," a colored pencil book by Arlene Steinberg who studied oil painting in art school, then transferred those techniques to colored pencil later.
So for this picture, e.g., for the Child's red shirt, I first put down dark green in the darkest shadows, light green in the midtones, then put red over the whole thing. It was different, but effective and kind of neat.
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Wow, I've seen the original in Genazzano. Did you know it was a miraculous image?
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Yes, the story behind the image was distributed along with the picture. I had never heard of Skanderbeg and the Catholics in Albania prior to reading it, but it was most interesting.
I have not seen the original, but the photo I worked from was taken by a couple from my church who went there on pilgrimage.
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It was a very cool experience being able to pray there. Did you know that Pope John Paul II was there before the conclave that elected him Pope? And he had to race out of there to get to Rome in time. Good thing he made it in time!! 
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this IS gorgeous! the colors are rich, but there is such softness in the skin tones. i really like this piece! i love how the child has his hands placed, its beautiful.
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I see some black letters here (child tunic edge) its: AN SAT
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