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SARAH FINNIGAN

The Passing Gate

The Passing Gate

The Tower Stairs

The Tower Stairs

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The Passing Gate

The Tower Stairs

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There's not much more fun to paint in the world than twisty trees! I did a camping trip a few years back in southwest CO and the old (or sometimes dead) junipers everywhere stuck with me. We did also happen to visit the Great Sand Dunes...have you been there?
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#driftwoodart #deadtree #oldwood #oldtrees #beautifulwood #deadtrees #otherworlds #valuestudy #underpainting #underpaintings #magicalart #treesofinstagram #treebrilliance #treesofinstagram #interestingplaces #artworkinprogress #environments #environmentpainting #maquette #sarahfinniganart #woodensculptures #treeshapes #bonsaitree #bonsai #deadwood #artofbonsai #2dartist⁠ #womenartists #artupclose #artdetail⁠⠀
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I discovered a slight time-saver on this one. Usually I do my underpainting in washes, like watercolor, and slowly creep into where I want it to be. It turns out, my brain works much better with painting directly.

I ended up making a numbered value scale on a strip of paper, and then I numbered my digital mock-up so I could at least use landmark values to guess the others off of. I can’t go too dark on the underpainting because glazing color on top is going to darken it more later.
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#driftwoodart #deadtree #oldwood #oldtrees #beautifulwood #deadtrees #otherworlds #valuestudy #underpainting #underpaintings #treesofinstagram #tree_pictures #artworkinprogress #environments #environmentpainting #maquette #sarahfinniganart #treeshapes #bonsaitree #bonsai #deadwood #artofbonsai #timelapseart⁠⠀
#timelapsepainting #artvideo #artvideos #paintingvideos #paintingvideo #paintingprocess #processvideo⁠⠀
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Still working away on the underpainting here. Although I know I’ll cover most of the texture here in later color layers, I did it in greytones to practice.
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#driftwoodart #deadtree #oldwood #oldtrees #beautifulwood #deadtrees #otherworlds #valuestudy #underpainting #underpaintings #magicalart #treesofinstagram #treebrilliance #treesofinstagram #interestingplaces #artworkinprogress #environments #environmentpainting #maquette #sarahfinniganart #woodensculptures #treeshapes #bonsaitree #bonsai #deadwood #artofbonsai #2dartist⁠ #womenartists #artupclose #artdetail⁠⠀
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On to new things! What on earth (or not?) am I painting? I’m going to choose randomly from creative/entertaining/funny guesses and send you a sneak peek of the finished underpainting this evening! ⁠⠀
#driftwoodart #deadtree #oldwood #oldtrees #texture #beautifulwood #deadtrees #otherworlds #valuestudy #underpainting #underpaintings #magicalart #treesofinstagram #tree_lovers #tree_pictures #treebrilliance #treesofinstagram #interestingplaces #artworkinprogress #environments #environmentpainting #maquette #sarahfinniganart #woodensculptures #treeshapes #bonsaitree #bonsai #deadwood #artofbonsai #2dartist⁠⠀

This thing is up to my armpit when framed!
When I was sketching out what turned out to be the initial sketch for this, I had challenged myself to draw impactful scenes from the games that inspired me so much when I was young...without having looked at them in years. In this case, the opening location of Myst, with the tower and gear on a platform up some stairs. (The first three Myst games had a lasting impact on me and on my art.) The results of sketching something from memory, not in an attempt at accuracy, resulted in capturing the impression it made on me without producing something too similar in actuality. I thought I remembered a tower but when I checked...nope!
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#ruins #backgroundart #beautifulpainting #oldstones #workingartist #oldstairs #sky_brilliance #landscapeart #sky_clouds #sky_collection #interestingplaces #serene #peacefulplace❤️ #oldarchitecture⁠ #irishcastle ⁠⠀
#ig_captures_decay #oldthings #oldwalls #ancient⁠⠀
#castleruins #adventuregames #artdreams #environments #environmentpainting #irelandcastle #irishcastles #2dartist #magicalplaces #sarahfinniganart #fadinglight⁠⠀
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⁠Have you ever explored really neat stone ruins? I went to Ireland a few years ago with my husband's family, and I find myself constantly inspired by the longevity and mystery of the structures that still stand in defiance of time. ⁠⠀
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#ruins #oldstairs #irelandruins #irelandcastles #dunlucecastle #landscapeart #interestingplaces #paintingtimelapse #artworkinprogress #ig_captures_decay #oldthings #oldwalls #ancient⁠ #castleruins #artgoals #artdreams #thisisireland #paintingwip #discoverireland #environments #castle #environmentpainting #irelandcastle #ireland_insta #castles #magicalplaces #sarahfinniganart #castlelovers #fadinglight⁠ #castlelove ⁠⠀
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Do you have any fun art hacks? I use my paints and jars for a lot of things that they're not meant for. ⁠⠀
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#ruins #backgroundart #workingartist #oldstairs #landscapeart #sky_clouds #sky_collection #interestingplaces #serene #artworkinprogress #oldarchitecture⁠ #ig_captures_decay #oldthings #oldwalls #ancient⁠ #castleruins #artgoals #artdreams #paintingwip #environments #environmentpainting #2dartist #sarahfinniganart #fadinglight⁠ #problemsolver #lifehack #arthack #arthacks #castletowers #castletower⁠⠀

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