Project | intermediate Acrylic - Society of Decorative Painters

Project | intermediate
The Decorative Painter
Acrylic
Issue No. 5, 2006
31
SPINE AND
INSIDE EDGE
DESIGN
A
Designs shown
at actual size.
A
Project | intermediate
Acrylic
Whether you teach
children’s painting classes as a
business or hobby, thoughtful
planning is key.We acknowledge
there are various ways to teach,
but to keep it simple we’ll share
methods that have worked well
for us.
Zoo Notes
DESIGNED BY ERIKA FREI & ELAINA APPLEBY
Incorporating skills and technique
instruction while painting a project together works better than
long-winded lectures. Most children are bursting with energy and
eager to start; having to sit and
listen too long will only frustrate
them.With that in mind, our
classes are two hours in length,
including a snack break, a game
(if time permits) and cleanup.
We choose projects that include
a few skills and can be completed
and taken home that day.As the
students continue to take classes,
they are exposed to and acquire
more skills along the way.There
are several advantages to this
method: unfinished projects aren’t
hanging around with the hope
students show up for the next
class, the classes include instruction and fun, and there is enticement to experience more.
Since we charge a flat fee that
includes all supplies, we carefully
select projects that are inexpensive (bricks, clay pots, fun foam,
paper mache, rocks, light bulbs,
etc.).“FREE” surfaces are a gold
mine! Plan in advance, search craft
stores and the Internet for colorful ideas and supplies. Keep it fun
with a theme for each class
(Safari,Aliens, Frogs, Pirates,
Princess, Girl Glam, etc.).
To help with time, find projects
that are age appropriate and that
can be completed easily. Prepare
supplies in advance such as cutting
and gluing. Cut basecoating time in
class by using sponges, stamps and
quick stroke methods. Remember,
a little planning will keep you
ahead and in the game.
—Erika Joanne Frei
Jac Splatter says,“Check out the
Junior Artist Club section of
www.decorativepainters.org”
Erika Joanne Frei and Elaina Appleby are
collaborating on their next Kids Painting book, which
will be released later this year through Kooler Design
Studios.They also have kid-friendly Beginner Painting
Kits available, which include a handy carrying case,
Loew-Cornell brushes and various supplies to get
started. Contact them for details:
Erika Joanne Designs, P.O. Box 630, Manchester,WA
98353, (360) 769-8870, www.erikajoanne.com or
Appleby Designs, (360) 990-3807.
Project | just for kids
You’ll Need
Provo Craft Wooden
Simple Shapes (Lion
& Elephant) found
at Michael’s,
www.michaels.com
Note Holder
(item no. 20-10534)
found at Viking
Woodcrafts,
(800) 328-0116,
www.vikingwood
crafts.com
SUPPLIES
Aleene’s Fast Grab
Tacky Glue
Delta Ceramcoat
All-Purpose Sealer
and Matte Varnish
Double-ended stylus
Gray and white
transfer paper
Sakura Micron Pigma
Pen (Black .03)
DELTA ACRYLICS
Black, Calypso
Orange, Dark Burnt
Umber, Golden
Brown, Hippo Grey,
Ivory, Lichen Grey,
Maple Sugar Tan, Rain
Grey,Terra Cotta
LOEW-CORNELL
BRUSHES
American Painter
3/4-inch wash, no. 12
shader, no. 3 round,
no. 10/0 liner
Chinese bristle
no. 6 round
PREPARATION
1. Important! Always have a parent or adult help
you every step of the way and be sure to read
through all the instructions before starting.
2. Use the wash brush to add one coat of
All-Purpose Sealer to each wooden piece. Let dry.
3. Lightly sand wood so it is smooth.Wipe away
dust.
4. Use a piece of tracing paper and pencil to trace
the tiger print background, lion and elephant
designs. Set aside for later.
LET’S PAINT
NOTE HOLDER
1. Use the wash brush to basecoat front, back and
inside the note holder with Ivory. Let dry.
2. Use the shader brush to basecoat stand at
bottom with Black. Let dry.
3. Cut tiger print tracing down so it easily fits over
front of note holder.
4. Hold tracing over front of holder and slip a piece
of gray graphite paper under tracing (darker side
down).Transfer the design by tracing over lines
with a stylus or sharp pencil.
5. Paint the tiger print with Black. Let dry and set
aside for later.
LION
1. Use the shader brush to basecoat the lion with
Golden Brown. Let dry.
2. Cut tracing down so it easily fits over lion.
3. Hold tracing on lion and slip a piece of white
graphite under tracing (lighter side down).
Transfer the head, mane, legs, and tail (you will
transfer the face details later).
4. Paint the mane and tip of tail with Terra Cotta.
5. Use the shader brush to float around the head,
Original background print was
created with now-retired Delta
A855E Tiger Print stamp. Design
courtesy of Delta Creative.
Acrylic
between feet and toes, bottom of tail, and back
leg with Dark Burnt Umber.
6. Use the Chinese bristle brush to lightly dry-brush
the top of each leg and center of face with Maple
Sugar Tan.
7. Use the Pigma pen to draw the nose, eyes, line
around face, lines on tip of the tail and mane.
8. Use the liner brush to paint lines on mane, ears,
nose and legs with Calypso.
ELEPHANT
1. Use the shader brush to basecoat elephant with
Rain Grey.
2.Transfer on all the design lines.
3. Use the shader brush to basecoat tip of tail with
Hippo Grey.
4. Float around ears, under tail, on tummy in front
of back leg and under trunk with Hippo Grey.
5. Float the tip of trunk and each toe with Ivory.
6. Use the Chinese Bristle brush to dry-brush front
of each leg, ears, top of back, and top of forehead
with Ivory.
7. Use a stylus to dip-dot eye with Black. Let dry.
8. Dip-dot eye again with a tiny dot of Ivory.
9.With the Pigma Pen, draw all the squiggly lines.
FINISHING TOUCHES
1.You’re getting closer! Glue elephant to front of
letter holder and lion to top of letter holder. Let
pen lines and glue dry overnight.
2. Brush on two coats of Matte Varnish on the
wood pieces (be careful not to smear the pen
lines). Let each coat dry before adding another.
3. Optional: Find some little paw print stickers and
put them on your note pad.
Write a Zoo Note to your friends!
Black-eyed
Susans
Developing Skills
Oil
A chieve a realistic black-eyed Susan
still life using Cheri’s pat-blend technique.
Cheri Rol MDA
BRUSHES
hese sunny petals of the black-eyed
Susans makes for a cheerful fall
bouquet. This wooden lid sits on
top of a cute crock bowl with a
spout that sports its own wooden handle.
Basic blending skills makes the enamel
pail look shiny and real. Remember,
there’s no shortcut for practice.
CHERI ROL BRUSHES
T
SURFACE
The cobalt-blue bowl shown has
been discontinued. However, an ivorycolored stoneware bowl with handle
(item no. 145-0021) and wooden lid
(item no. 145-0021A) are available
from Viking Woodcrafts, 1317 Eighth
St. S.E., Waseca, MN 56093, (800) 3280116, www.vikingwoodcrafts.com.
PALETTE
WINSOR & NEWTON ARTISTS’ OIL COLORS
Bright Red* (TCS RE-5-1-4)
Burnt Umber (TCS BR-7-5-8)
Cadmium Yellow Pale* (TCS YE-4-1-5)
French Ultramarine (TCS BL-5-1-6)
Raw Sienna* (TCS BR-1-2-5)
Titanium White* (TCS WH-5-1-1)
An asterisk (*) indicates that you may
want to use equal parts alkyd and oil paints
for faster drying.
Nos. 2, 4 and 8 flat blenders
Nos. 1 and 2 droplets
No. 2 mop
No. 10/0 liner
SUPPLIES
220-grit sandpaper
Graphite paper (white or gray)
Krylon Satin Varnish no. 7002
Palette knife
Tack cloth
Tracing paper
Winsor & Newton Blending &
Glazing Medium
BASIC COLOR MIXES
When creating any mix, note that
parentheses ( ) indicate that the color is
optional or that just a touch of color is
used in the mix.
Powder Blue: Titanium White+
French Ultramarine
Black: French Ultramarine+Burnt
Umber
Warm White: Titanium White+
Cadmium Yellow Pale
Yellow Tint: Warm White mix+
Cadmium Yellow Pale
Orange: Cadmium Yellow Pale+
Bright Red
photos/Steve Gerig
Painting Techniques
Pat (Pull) Blend Method
Blending skills, coupled with the
addition of glazes, are key to a
successful realistic painting. To paint
the pot in this lesson, for example,
you’ll place the values according to
the Value Placement Guide and then
pat (pull) blend between the values
using a flat brush. To pat (pull) blend,
straddle the line between value
changes and, with a swooping
(pulling) motion of the brush (similar
to an airplane landing or taking off),
pull down the line between values
with a fairly short stroke and light
pressure. By moving a hair at a
time with each stroke to the left
and then to the right and back
again, you can eliminate the line
while leaving the lighter value on
one side of the brush and the darker
value on the other.
PREPARATION
Sand the wooden lid, following
the grain lines, using 220-grit sandpaper. Sand the edges extra well
until they are smooth. Wipe the surface with a tack cloth. Stain the lid
with Raw Sienna alkyd+a little Burnt
Umber oil, thinned down to a stain
consistency using Winsor & Newton’s Blending and Glazing Medium.
Brush on and wipe off. Let dry.
Transfer the design to the surface
with white or gray graphite.
USING ALKYDS
To speed up the drying process of
oil, while still maintaining the
integrity of the oil paint, I use
matching alkyd colors. Both Titanium White and Raw Sienna come in
oils and alkyds, Cadmium Yellow Pale
oil matches Cadmium Yellow Light
alkyd and Bright Red oil matches
Cadmium Red Medium alkyd. Mix
equal parts oil and alkyd paint to
allow the paint to be workable all
day yet dry to the touch when left
overnight. Always cover your palette
at the end of your painting session
with plastic wrap in order to keep
the paints workable for days.
Back-to-Back, or Flip-Flop, Stroke
To apply a back-to-back, or flip-flop,
stroke, corner-load a flat brush with
the color to be added, having a lot of
paint on one corner blended over to
nothing on the other corner of the
brush. Pull through the center of
where you want to add color with the
loaded corner of the brush. As you
pull the stroke, the outside edge
blends into the basecoat. Then flip the
brush over and pull the same stroke
again with the loaded corner back up
to the first stroke. This will leave a
strong color in the middle, blended
out to either side.
—C.R.
38
The Decorative Painter
LET’S PAINT
Before you begin painting, read
Painting Techniques (at left) and note
that the light source in this lesson
comes from the upper left. This single
light source should be reflected in
every petal, center, leaf, on the pot and
its handle and in the cast shadows.
CAST SHADOWS
Place the shadows on the tabletop
behind the pot, creating a dark oval
area. Use Burnt Umber+Black basic
mix close to the pot, blending it out
into Burnt Umber and then finally a
lighter value by letting the background show through. Feather the
outer edge until it disappears into
the stained background. Behind the
flowers, add shading lighter on the
left to darker on the right; feather
Issue No. 5, 2006
the edge. Add a narrow line of a
shadow under the pot and petal as a
“sit-down” shadow. Soften the bottom edge of this line without drawing it down or forward.
ENAMEL POT MIXES
Beginning with the medium
value, mix values of gray as follows:
Highlight: Light value+Titanium
White+(Cadmium Yellow
Pale)
Light: Medium value+Titanium
White+Raw Sienna
Medium: Titanium White+Black
basic mix+Raw Sienna
Dark: Medium value+Black basic
mix+Raw Sienna
Very Dark: Dark value+Black
basic mix
ENAMEL POT
With the no. 8 flat blender, and
following the Value Placement
Guide, block in values on the side of
the pot, starting with the Light and
Medium values. Pat (pull) blend the
line between the two values (see
Painting Techniques.) Add the Dark
value and blend. Add the Highlight
value in the center of the light area
with a corner-load of the mix,
pulling a back-to-back, or flip-flop,
stroke (see Painting Techniques).
Add increased shading in the middle of the dark area using the Very
Dark value. Add a corner-load of Very
Dark across the bottom of the pot,
where it touches the tabletop. This,
along with the sit-down shadow, will
anchor the pot to the tabletop.
Add cool, reflected light of Powder Blue basic mix on the right side
of the pot. Float the Powder Blue mix
on top of the basecoat with a cornerload technique.
Basecoat the pot rim with the
Black basic mix. Using the tip of a no.
1 Droplet brush, paint a small, neat
outline. Pinch the brush to remove
the paint and to make it a small flat
brush. Corner-load it with the Light
gray value, then pull the length of
Developing Skills
Oil
Color Step by Step
LEAVES
ENAMEL POT
Block in.
Blend.
Block in.
BLACK-EYED SUSANS
Add details.
Block in.
Blend.
Add highlights, accents, etc.
Blend.
HANDLE
Block in.
Add highlights,
accents, etc.
Add highlights,
reflected lights, etc.
The Decorative Painter
Issue No. 5, 2006
39
Medium: Raw Sienna
Dark: Burnt Umber
WOODEN HANDLE
Block in the values on the wooden
grip and pat-blend. Increase the
highlight by applying the Light value
again, then top off with the Yellow
Tint basic mix. Add the Powder Blue
basic mix with a corner-load on the
bottom edge of the handle.
LEAVES MIXES
Beginning with the very dark
value, mix values of green as follows:
Highlight: Light value+Titanium
White+(Cadmium Yellow
Pale)
Light: Medium value+Cadmium
Yellow Pale+Titanium White
Medium: Dark value+Cadmium
Yellow Pale+Titanium White
Dark: Very Dark value+Cadmium
Yellow Pale
Very Dark: Black basic mix+
Cadmium Yellow Pale+French
Ultramarine
the rim with a back-to-back value to
create a highlight. When dry, drop a
Warm White basic mix sparkle in the
center of the gray area in the upper
left, pulling its edge down the center
of the light gray area.
BRACKET
Take some of each of the gray
mixes to the side, and add a touch of
Burnt Umber to each to make values
of warm gray. Block in the bracket
with the Medium value. Shade under
the hole with the Dark value as it
bends under the rim. With the no.
10/0 liner, add a line of Dark value
on the right sides of the bracket to
indicate the thickness of the metal.
With a no. 2 flat brush, cornerload the Light value of warm gray.
Apply with a curved stroke, up and
over the hole opening. Lighten this
40
The Decorative Painter
light area with the Highlight value
pulled on the same way.
PAIL WIRE
Basecoat the wires using the no. 2
Droplet brush and the warm gray
values. To make the wire look round,
shade the bottom and right sides
with one value darker than the
basecoat. Then add the lighter value
on the top and left sides of the wire.
Cast a shadow with a Very Dark
value to the right of the wooden
handle. Increase the light to the left
of the handle with the Highlight
value. Use a back-to-back stroke so
the highlight rolls into the basecoat.
WOODEN HANDLE MIXES
Make a value scale of browns as
follows:
Light: Raw Sienna+Titanium
White
Issue No. 5, 2006
LEAVES
Block in the Light-value areas first,
keeping in mind that the light comes
from the upper left. Add the Medium
value and pat (pull) blend. Then add
the Dark value and pat (pull) blend.
Gently mop with the no. 2 mop to
eliminate the brush marks.
Use the no. 1 Droplet brush to
draw on a neat and tidy leaf tip using
Light or Highlight values of green. Use
this brush to indicate a center vein
also. Add a little Raw Sienna as a
blush around the bug bite. Mop to
soften. You can add this as a glaze
after the basecoat is dry.
BLACK-EYED SUSANS MIXES
Beginning with the very dark
value, mix values of yellow as follows:
Highlight: Light value+Cadmium
Yellow Pale+Titanium White
Light: Medium+Cadmium Yellow
Pale+(Titanium White)
Medium: Dark value+Cadmium
Yellow Pale