I was starting another of what I call "fresco fragments" today, reproductions of master fresco. The purpose is to develop my skills, but also to educate the public as to the subtle beauty and appeal of this medium. Few people will get to see the real master frescos of the world. For myself, the photos of the frescos only came alive when I started to put the same colors on fresh lime plaster.

So! This obscure detail by Tiepolo, from "Banquet of Cleopatra" caught my eye. I liked it but thought, with my building skills, that I would reproduce it at one third scale, to make it easier to manage. This was a mistake, the brush strokes were far to small and eventually I had to scratch (scrape off the putty before it fully set) the piece.

But now I like this piece, I am going to try at its 48"w x36"h actual size. I will use a concrete mesh, but will reinforce it with three strips of 2" wide galvanized channel steel, bolted through the mesh with stainless steel. My question is how would this typically be sectioned out or would it be painted in one day? Also the colors seem very simple, but are there any special tips or observations? I think the faces were hurried byt Tiepolo, this is minor detail of the piece, I may take a little more time to detail the faces. If anyone would like a higher resolution jpeg, please let me know and I will email it. Maybe we could all learn from one piece! All attempting the same from all parts of the world.