It’s been over 15 years since I attempted a painting of a transparent wrapper. Capturing the crinkles and reflections of the delicate material is a technical challenge. I felt like I rose to the occasion on Day 29 with this Hostess Cupcake with Wrapper.
Day 29. “Hostess Cupcake with Wrapper” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches.
When I came downstairs and looked at the Strawberry Blackberry Cheesecake from Day 28, I realized what a tough act it was to follow. It was so vibrant and in your face. In retrospect, it was a good painting to save for the end of the challenge. This Hostess Cupcake painting is so much more subtle and full of nuances, but still striking in a different way.
I spent a lot of time studying the actual Hostess cupcake and the source photo. I wanted to make sure that I grasped the wrapper’s structure with all its folds and dents. It was important to identify the most prominent features that defined the image, and to differentiate the cupcake itself from its bold shadow that dominated the photo I was using.
To show you the process, I just took this picture, and I am struck by how different the wrapped cupcake looks against a teal background, with the white card becoming a major element. Something to contemplate for a post-Challenge world.
For the first time during the Challenge, I was tempted to stop after this preliminary sketch on the panel. I thought about simply darkening the cupcake so the squiggles popped, and adding the other shadows.
Then I decided I missed the red Hostess logos (forgetting about my red drawing pencils in the basement). I scanned and copied this sketch before moving ahead, just in case I wanted to go back to it.
Hostess Cupcake with Wrapper isn’t really about the food, it’s about the light – the reflections, highlights, shadows and contrasts. As an artist, it was about finding a way to depict the various whites and maintaining the luminosity that comes with a sunny day. I ended up adding a touch of lemon yellow to the background so the squiggle looked truly white. This painting is also about nostalgia over an American icon that almost disappeared when Hostess declared bankruptcy. Lucky for me, Hostess came back from the dead.
Since I let myself get sidetracked during the day, I worked on this late into the night. As the Challenge is winding down, real life is starting to creep back in. I’m not ready for it yet.
Thanks for stopping by. On to Day 30.
