My name is Jasmine Becket-Griffith, and I'm an artist.
I've been a professional painter working in acrylic paints since the 1990s. You may know my artwork from my lines of merchandising, my projects with the Walt Disney Company, collections through the Bradford Exchange, illustrations from books and magazines, and especially from my website Strangeling.com . Most of my artwork is in the fantasy, fairy, pop surreal, gothic and new contemporary genres.
A lot of fans, collectors, friends and aspiring artists routinely ask me about my painting process, how I work, what my methods are, etc. Those who come to my live events and shows often get the opportunity to watch me paint in person, but for those of you who have not - I have decided to use Wattpad as a platform to show how I paint step-by-step!
This first tutorial will feature my work on a painting from my Butterfly Fairies series (a commissioned illustration for the Dynamics Inc. Visa Card company) - a piece called "European Peacock". I will show every step along the way - from priming the panel to finishing touches. Please follow my story here at Wattpad to receive each new chapter. It will be serialized, with updates and photos appearing on a regular basis.
Thank you so much for joining me while I paint "European Peacock"!
PLEASE NOTE: Each installment has an accompanying photo! If you are using the desktop/PC/computer version of Wattpad, the photo will be on the "Media" section to the right of the story when you scroll down. To see the BIGGER version of the photo simply right-click your mouse on the photo and selecting the "Open in new window/tab" option. If you are using the Mobile App version of Wattpad, you can see the photo by first tapping the Cover image at the top of the story, and scrolling / swiping through to see the photo itself. Wattpad isn't a very visual setup, but the each new photo for each new update will show the next step in the tutorial (my paintbrush, mixing paints etc.)
Featured by @Romance
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"Why do you make these paper flowers?" He asked, looking at her through the mirror.
"They don't wither like the real ones." She replied, aligning the entire bunch of paper flowers.
"But they don't have the fragrance." He politely challenged her. He was a soldier. Chivalrous was his middle name.
"These paper flowers, they stay with you for as long as you want. You don't really have to throw them away like people discard the real ones. They pluck them for the fragrance and colors. But once that fades, they throw it away." She said, finally looking up at him.
"Not everyone!" He added almost immediately, taking one more step forward.
It could be his height or his longer stride, or maybe the room was too small as it only took him two steps to reach her.
"Yeah! Of course! Exceptions are there, like poets and people in love." She walked in a different direction, putting those flowers on the table.
He rolled his eyes with a defeated sigh. She was a teacher. Arguing with her was as futile as making a sand castle on a seashore.
"You know, gone is the era when people used to preserve the flowers of their loved ones. We don't have people like that anymore!" She said as she faced him.
"We don't have that kind of love anymore." He said looking straight into her eyes. She held his gaze through the mirror for a while, trying to read through him.
"I agree." Murmuring under her breath, she turned around.
Taking a deep breath, watching her retreating figure, he brought out his favorite poetry book from the shelf. After he was sure she was not looking, he ruffled through the pages till he found a dried Hibiscus. The very same one which had fallen from her bag when he first saw her. With a small smile, he cautiously caressed the petals.
He closed the book with a fond sigh and found her looking at him. She couldn't hold his gaze for long and looked down, crimson covering her cheeks. He shook his head with a chuckle.