Bonita Bacalhau (Cod project) as of Apr 19, 2025

Here is Bonita Bacalhau, my codfish-in-progress.  When this is finished, it will be my entry for the Marblehead Cod Auction 2025.  My design is inspired by Portuguese tile, hence the name.     Since finishing my blue and white sketch on paper, I applied gesso to the wooden cutout,, and when that was dry, added the background color.  This color was a bit darker and bluer than the color in my original sketch, but at this point, I didn't think that would matter. (Turns out I would change my mind about that.) Anyway, this photo shows that I had copied my design onto the wooden cutout, which is always a bit of a challenge.  My design is geometric and linear, but it needs to fit the rounded and irregular shape of a fish, so lines become curved and sizes shift in some places.  I used colored pencil (white and then blue) to lay out the design over the background color.  (I have learned from previous projects to avoid pencil over acrylic paint, especially not on wood. ) Anyway, I was happy to be underway.