Saturday, September 24, 2011
Autumn Days in Pretty Ways
Ok, everyone. I have painted the project and taken photos. I will be back in a couple days with the written instructions. I had them typed out here twice and have lost them when almost done both times. I am going to take a rest and be back. No point stressing over something that is supposed to be fun. Get lots of leaves drawn so that we can practice, practice, practice when next we meet.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I've been gone...
I am soooooo sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been trying to work on several projects while working on a typography class. My final is turned in and I am hoping for the best. I will just say that I am better at painting than I am at typography!
Autumn is a great time to begin painting and we will start our painting class with fall leaves. If you are anxious to begin, collect some leaves. Watch for various shapes and sizes. They don't have to be perfect and they don't have to have already changed colors. You are wanting them as examples of shape and size.
The first step in any project is selecting an object to apply the paint to. That can be almost anything. I would suggest that a good surface for right now, especially if you have never tried painting before, would be a sheet of poster board. You should apply a good coat of DecoArt Americana Buttermilk acrylic paint with a sponge roller. You can get one fairly inexpensively at your local discount store or hardware store. The small one works very well. Once it dries, you can cut it into manageable pieces for several practice sheets. Most of the craft stores sell DecoArt products. If you are like me and live in an area with no craft stores, you can buy these paints online. Michael's and Hobby Lobby stores often have great sale prices on these paints and a good choice of colors as well.
Once you have the size pieces you like, you can then draw or trace your leaves onto one. You can arrange them in an interesting group or just lay out several, one at a time. I would seriously recommend one at a time if you have never painted before. It will allow you to focus on the technique we are learning without the added need to think about depth. We will work on that in another lesson.
You get that far and I will be back with photos to guide you through how to float the color onto the leaves in our next session. You can be prepared by coming to class with your base coated sheet covered with leaves, paper towel, your paints and brushes, a palette and two small containers of water. You will find that a small, disposable apple sauce cup works well for the clean water. For the water to wash your brushes, any jar or cup will work. A Hefty type plate works well for a palette at the beginning. Below is a list of brushes and paints that will help you select what to purchase.
BRUSHES:
I like brushes that can be mail ordered through The Artist's Club. You can also purchase them at your local Hobby Lobby or Michael's stores or the like. I would recommend that you have at least these sizes, but sometimes you can buy sets at a good price. Keep in mind these are your tools. You will never be able to paint better than your brush will allow. You need to buy the best you can possibly afford. It will be worth the price and last for a long time if you take care of them properly. You will need a number 8 flat shader or a 3/8" angle shader, a number 10 flat shader and a 0 script liner. If you can, get them all. If not you have to have at least one of the flat shaders and a liner brush. You need one that will actually hold paint and the short liners, just don't hold much. It is actually easier to paint with the script brushes even though they look a little scarey at the beginning. My advice is, "Fear not!"
PAINTS:
I like DecoArt Americana acrylic paints. I will not say that some of the other brands are not good, I just like the feel and coverage of these. They are not all created equally even though most of them come in the 2 oz. bottles that look similar. If you would like more information, feel free to e-mail me and we will talk about it. These are the colors you might like for this project...
Buttermilk--base coat
Santa Red
Cranberry Wine
Cadmium Orange (Or any of the other oranges they have)
Tangerine
Burnt Orange
Moon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow
Hauser Light Green
You do NOT have to have all of these colors. These are simply suggestions for autumn colors. You may select what you like. You will use only a drop or two at a time, so these will go a LONG way except for the colors used to base coat projects.
Have fun getting things started and I will be back. I hope to have photos take by Friday and post again on Saturday. I have hurt my back, however, and can't promise. Some days it is all I can do to sit upright! The future will be brighter and the sun will shine again.
Autumn is a great time to begin painting and we will start our painting class with fall leaves. If you are anxious to begin, collect some leaves. Watch for various shapes and sizes. They don't have to be perfect and they don't have to have already changed colors. You are wanting them as examples of shape and size.
The first step in any project is selecting an object to apply the paint to. That can be almost anything. I would suggest that a good surface for right now, especially if you have never tried painting before, would be a sheet of poster board. You should apply a good coat of DecoArt Americana Buttermilk acrylic paint with a sponge roller. You can get one fairly inexpensively at your local discount store or hardware store. The small one works very well. Once it dries, you can cut it into manageable pieces for several practice sheets. Most of the craft stores sell DecoArt products. If you are like me and live in an area with no craft stores, you can buy these paints online. Michael's and Hobby Lobby stores often have great sale prices on these paints and a good choice of colors as well.
Once you have the size pieces you like, you can then draw or trace your leaves onto one. You can arrange them in an interesting group or just lay out several, one at a time. I would seriously recommend one at a time if you have never painted before. It will allow you to focus on the technique we are learning without the added need to think about depth. We will work on that in another lesson.
You get that far and I will be back with photos to guide you through how to float the color onto the leaves in our next session. You can be prepared by coming to class with your base coated sheet covered with leaves, paper towel, your paints and brushes, a palette and two small containers of water. You will find that a small, disposable apple sauce cup works well for the clean water. For the water to wash your brushes, any jar or cup will work. A Hefty type plate works well for a palette at the beginning. Below is a list of brushes and paints that will help you select what to purchase.
BRUSHES:
I like brushes that can be mail ordered through The Artist's Club. You can also purchase them at your local Hobby Lobby or Michael's stores or the like. I would recommend that you have at least these sizes, but sometimes you can buy sets at a good price. Keep in mind these are your tools. You will never be able to paint better than your brush will allow. You need to buy the best you can possibly afford. It will be worth the price and last for a long time if you take care of them properly. You will need a number 8 flat shader or a 3/8" angle shader, a number 10 flat shader and a 0 script liner. If you can, get them all. If not you have to have at least one of the flat shaders and a liner brush. You need one that will actually hold paint and the short liners, just don't hold much. It is actually easier to paint with the script brushes even though they look a little scarey at the beginning. My advice is, "Fear not!"
PAINTS:
I like DecoArt Americana acrylic paints. I will not say that some of the other brands are not good, I just like the feel and coverage of these. They are not all created equally even though most of them come in the 2 oz. bottles that look similar. If you would like more information, feel free to e-mail me and we will talk about it. These are the colors you might like for this project...
Buttermilk--base coat
Santa Red
Cranberry Wine
Cadmium Orange (Or any of the other oranges they have)
Tangerine
Burnt Orange
Moon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow
Hauser Light Green
You do NOT have to have all of these colors. These are simply suggestions for autumn colors. You may select what you like. You will use only a drop or two at a time, so these will go a LONG way except for the colors used to base coat projects.
Have fun getting things started and I will be back. I hope to have photos take by Friday and post again on Saturday. I have hurt my back, however, and can't promise. Some days it is all I can do to sit upright! The future will be brighter and the sun will shine again.
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