A Mixed Media Rooster Painting For Yom Kippur!

Tonight we usher in the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which includes a mandatory 25 hour fast for all those healthy and over the age of bar/bat mitzvah, and in my case a day spent in the synagogue with our community, which is the only place I’d want to be on this day of atonement. Since my kids are also in synagogue with me and my husband, I no longer have to worry about them! Mothers with young kids try to come to synagogue for the evening service, which is very beautiful, and for the last service at the end of the day when the shofar is sounded and the fast is broken. I don’t usually invest much in crafts for Yom Kippur, as it isn’t a festive day, though crafting is important for all the holidays, so while I had originally thought of making some origami roosters to share with you, I instead delved into painting a quickish mixed media rooster painting instead! And yes, I did overwork it a bit more than was necessary, but trying to get to that really loose and quick results isn’t simple and does take practice. So this is rooster #1, and I have a feeling there will be more in my future, plus the rooster is a symbol for Yom Kippur, so a great thing to paint today! And a note to busy parents: let the kids make a mess, even today, it is an important part of their development, namely painting and creating, and a little mess is surely worth it!

Wishing everyone an easy fast and a meaningful Yom Kippur!

Given the many stages this rooster went through last night, I am happy with the results. I struggled the most with the shape of the body, and looking at photos of what roosters really look like only makes it more difficult! Next time I’ll have this one to use as a reference and things should go much more smoothly!
And in case you are wondering why this is called mixed media? The materials used were acrylic paint, paint pen, and a sharpie marker at the end. And that black sharpie at the end made all the difference, truly amazing infact! This rooster was inspired by the classes and tutorials/paintings of the amazing Amanda Evanston, specifically her disco chicken which employs sequins! I didn’t choose that route as sequiins and Yom Kippur don’t really go together. She has some great short tutorials on instagram, so check it out!