Kak Masnah's table ....

Alright ... ok ... it's done! It wasn't difficult when painting in the objects in the subject matter ... but it was stressful to make it look realistic! Another futile attempt at Trompe l'oeil. Pls take note that I have no formal training in this form of art, what I read and what I @think@ is right is what you see here hahahaha .... literally this is just painting from the heart :)) ... books are not enough for me... I need to see the masters do it :(

So finally ... it's done... and it's going to it's rightful owner later this afternoon *sigh of relief*

The Busy Counter Top :)

This is my current major project ... have been at it for the past two weeks putting in a lot of thoughts in filling in the space to create a lively corner for a rendevous with a loved one :)



The lady sipping tea as she attends to her letters whilst the master of the house having his morning coffee with crepes drowned in honey .... that's the story it's telling :)) Try to hear the lively chat between the two :))

It's not finished yet... still need to put in details on the plate of chocs and finale on the mugs of coffee and tea. Shadows and cast shadows are still missing ... nothing "sits" in as yet ... everything seems to "float" on the table ... so keep tuned in ya ... but currently I'm taking a break .... don't seem to have any ideas as yet on how to proceed :(

My UFOs

Guilty as accused...everytime I look at my unfinished projects I feel very guilty *sigh* but BECAUSE they are my own projects... that's exactly why they remain unfinished until the urge comes for me to complete them. When will that be??? One fine day....InsyaAllah (God Willing)...one fine day hehe.

This mirror took a long time to complete even up to the present stage. It's another trompe l'oeil and it was a major challenge because I wanted the "shelves" by the mirror to be filled with miniatures. The centre top shelf remains empty because till now I still cannot decide what to put there! Toyed with a lot of ideas but none materialised.... have a good mind to just leave it empty and have it varnished and done with!!!

This one I quit half way because I was angry at myself!! It wasn't a good day for painting...(I was in a rather temperamental mood)...but I just had to do something before I 'explode' hahaha. I was attempting the blended technique (with retarder and all) but somehow being in that mood I couldn't focus and made a mess of the attempt! Moral of the story is... when in a foul mood... never attempt anything tedious....makes you feel more 'retardered' at the end of the day.....yup!yup!yup!

With this clock... I couldn't decide on how to complete the crown! Toyed with various ideas... but ideas they remain hahaha! Anybody has any ideas there? And no! Aniza dear.... you cannot have this one... muahahaha (my wicked sinister laughter... which my kids say sounded like Scooby Doo hahaha)

So there you go... my unfinished projects....*sigh*

My Trompe L'Oeil

Trompe l'oeil is a French expression meaning simply 'trick of the eye'. It describes a visual joke: a painted illusion, specifically designed to fool viewers into believing that what they are looking at is real. Only when they come closer to inspect the work in more detail do they realise that they have been duped.

This style is my favourite but it is also the toughest to execute. I'm still learning and struggling but I am happy with my effort....especially when kids and adults do get tricked ;)

As I was painting this table, my husband kept on trying to reach out for the pen everytime he was in my studio looking for a pen! When I sent it to Kak Maznah, her grandchild tried to pick the glasses and asked, "Tok mummy, why can't I pick up the glasses?" You can imagine how proud I was to have my work tricking the eyes of both the young and old.

The most tedious to draw was the wooden ruler with all the markings on it. Trompe l'oeil drawings are tedious as one is expected to draw in the details to the T!!

Below is another trompe l'oeil on a coffee table also for Kak Maznah. This time I had a sprig of rose placed by a batternburg lace doily and small gift box next to it.

The difference between a still life and a trompe l'oeil is that the latter is drawn to actual size to make it look more real. It may be tedious but it is not impossible.... but you do need to have patience and a keen eye for detail and a lilttle bit of knowledge on perspective.