Ruth’s Screwdriver Painting

Yep, I painted another screwdriver.  This one found its way into my art studio via my friend Sherwin.  As a result I named this painting after his wife.  I never thought I would be naming screwdrivers after dear friends but, I also never dreamed of painting dozens of antique tools either…and selling them to boot!

This screwdriver was fairly straight forward to paint.  After preparing my linen canvas my usual way with sizing, oil priming, and toner I transferred my drawing over and jumped right in.  I used my typical palette of earth tones and cobalt blue. 

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Because this tool had a darker handle I found myself glazing over the wooden parts with Vandyke brown.  This lent a nice richness to the wood that you’ll never really get to see in a photograph (all you painters know what I’m talking about 😉 ).

Even the metal shaft of the tool was dark in most areas.  This was due to the way the screwdriver hung against the wall; Its own weight directing itself towards the wall and away from the light.  That was fine by me.  This item’s predisposition to be in shadow only made the painting’s highlights sparkle that much more!  Have you any idea how much fun it is to paint those sparkly highlights?

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