Katha Magazine asked me to contribute original art to be auctioned off, with 100% of the proceeds going towards The Philippine Red Cross to benefit survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Despite not having worked much with acrylic paints, I pledged to contribute a set of matryoshka dolls but painted with a Filipino flavor. I worked on these dolls slowly and on and off for about a month, learning to paint with acrylics in the process (thanks to Google and About.com).
Check out my blog post on the making of these dolls for a full process post: http://regsilva.com/arts-crafts/tres-marias-art-up-for-auction-for-the-benefit-of-the-survivors-of-super-typhoon-haiyan/
Chalkboard matryoshka dolls from Muji. I decided to paint just three dolls for this project.
My preliminary sketch. Matryoshka dolls are Russian in origin but I wanted to give these dolls a native, Filipino twist by depicting your normal, everyday Filipinas: the happy tindera (vendor) selling fish at the market, your über religious, rosary-clutching lola (grandmother), and the young schoolgirl with big hopes and dreams for our nation.
Priming and sanding the dolls
Sketching out a concept for the dolls' backs
The finished dolls: front
The finished dolls: back.
I chose the predominant colors of red, blue, and yellow-- the colors of the Philippine flag.
