ARTIST IN TRAINING. by Leslie Smith

Transcription

1 ARTIST IN TRAINING by Leslie Smith EXCLUSIVE

2 Artist In Training by Leslie Smith After all my years of practicing painting all my hard work and Lovey comes along and is a natural. She just jumps right in or is that on? No open container of paint is safe. No palette with wet paint is safe. Paws in and off she goes leaving her artistry everywhere my clean floors, the tables EEK! This project will use temperature to help establish depth and the focal point. Some paints, although similar in hue and value (dark vs light) are inherently and comparatively warmer or cooler. PALETTE DecoArt Americana Acrylics Bleached Sand #13251 Cashmere Beige #13091 Coral* #13294 Dark Chocolate #13065 Green Tree #13290 Honey Brown #13163 Khaki Tan #13173 Lamp Black* #13067 Light Cinnamon #13114 Moon Yellow* #13007 Natural Buff #13547 Plantation Pine #13113 Snow White #13001 Terra Cotta* #13062 *maybe a drop is needed for the entire project. SURFACE Large Painter's Palette #63162 MEDIUMS Multi Purpose Sealer #87392 Americana Dura Clear Soft Touch Varnish 8 oz #72013 DecoArt Paint Adhesion Medium 2 oz #84185 MISC. SUPPLIES Glue, tape, or other means to attach scruffy brush (see section on Finishing) Transfer paper, stylus, etc. Standard painting supplies (palette, water container, etc.) Fine grit sandpaper A scruffy old brush from your supplies at least 10" tip to tip BRUSHES Lowell Cornell Filbert Size 4 Fine liner Small flat size 4 TECHNIQUE AND THEORY Lovey is a ball of fur,and so, we will be painting mostly fur. She is painted with a filbert brush, loaded with very little paint on the very tip of the bristles. Keep the brush dry. The angle at which the filbert brush (sometimes called a cat s tongue isn t that appropriate?) is held and the pressure with which the paint is applied will create several different fur patterns. Figure 1 illustrates some ways in which the filbert can be used to lay down the paint. Starting at the top, each line consists of several strokes, side by side 1. held straight up and down and almost no pressure. It is almost a tapping motion and it leaves a short thin mark. This technique is used for the really thin, close stripes and soft, but fine, fur about her neck 2. held straight up and down and a small amount of pressure. 3. held at a slight angle, a bit more pressure, and dragging the brush a short distance; 4. held at a slight angle, more pressure and more drag. The bristles fan out a bit and form a tiny arch. This technique is used to create the soft downy fur of her tummy. 5. a combination with more pressure and longer drag used in the center strokes. This technique created most of Lovey s stripes. Lovey is an orange cat with some slightly darker stripes. Her fur has highlights. The light is coming from the upper left. So, she will appear to be warmer on the left than on the right. Generally, the fur on the left will be laid in with Honey Brown; on the right, it will be mostly Khaki Tan. The two are similar in value, but Honey Brown is warmer. For the lighter fur, we will use Cashmere Beige on the right and Bleached Sand on the left. Please note that the photos may not match up with the surface. I paint my design projects twice. The first 2 artistsclub.com

3 time, I work on the final surface. But, I may back up and repaint something because I have no pattern. It s still in my head. Once the piece is done to my satisfaction, I use my notes and Work In Progress (WIP) Photos to write a draft of the pattern. Then, I paint the piece a second time to be sure the pattern makes sense, and I correct the pattern as needed. Lovey was painted the second time on a piece of scrap wood. You get the benefit of the better photo from each of my paintings. PREPARATION Seal both sides of palette with DecoArt Americana All purpose Sealer. Sand lightly in direction of grain. Transfer Lovey onto palette, using your favorite method and very light pressure. Transfer a few of her stripes so you will remember which way they curve when you paint. INSTRUCTIONS Stripes and some Definition Using the filbert and Dark Chocolate, set in some (but not all) of Lovey s stripes. Have a scant amount of paint on your brush and note from the photos, which way the arc goes. Vary the width, thickness, and distance between the stripes so they don t look like railroad tracks. Switch to a flat brush, and still using Dark Chocolate, lay in some shading beneath her legs and paws in a few places. The idea is not to outline them completely, but leave open areas to make her look softer. Add some more stripes with Light Cinnamon, using the same technique. Extend the shadows under Lovey s legs/paws with Light Cinnamon. This lighter and warmer paint is walked out and covers a larger area than the Dark Chocolate. Facial Features Using a small flat brush, paint Lovey s inner ear with Light Cinnamon. The inside tip and two lower corners are triangles of Dark Chocolate. There also some creases and folds that are added with Dark Chocolate. Edge her ear and add some ear hairs with Bleached Sand. There is a tiny spot of Coral in the little pocket along the back edge of her ears. By the way, in cat anatomy, that hole or fold in her ear is called, Henry s pocket. Establish the line that comes from her nose, through her closed eye, and arches along her brow with Dark Chocolate. You may have painted this earlier when we painted in Lovey s stripes. Make this line heavier and darker in the area where her eye sits with a liner and a tiny amount of Lamp Black. Emphasize her eye with a artistsclub.com 3

4 As you work back towards her neck, pick up Khaki Tan or Honey Brown, to fill in more bands of fur. The fur on her neck is very tight and the bands are very close together. Refer to the photos often and remember that the temperature, as well as the value (darkness) and hue determine which paint you should pick up. For the medium value, favor Honey Brown on the left and Khaki Tan on the right. For the lighter value, favor Cashmere Beige on the left and Natural Buff on the right. tiny oval of Light Cinnamon, straddling both sides of the Lamp Black. Paint her nose with Terra Cotta (Dark Chocolate and Coral 50:50) and highlight with Coral. Her nostril barely shows and is nothing more than a line of Dark Chocolate along the left edge of her nose; edge the very top also with a line of Dark Chocolate. Fur Starting above her nose, use your filbert and Khaki Tan to start adding fur to her face. Tap in Bleached Sand to create a highlight. Don t forget the tiny piece of her back cheek that shows beneath her nose. There is no strict division or line between the warmer and cooler areas. The change in temperature is a gradual transition from right to left. Paint towards her tail, keeping your brush strokes consistent with the arcs formed by the stripes already laid down. Her tummy is first painted top to bottom with Honey Brown/Khaki Tan and then highlighted with Cashmere Beige and Bleached Sand. The area is so small that the paint will still be wet as you change from one paint to another. The paints will blend as you go and make her tummy look very soft. Paint Lovey s tail, using Cashmere Beige on the left edge and Khaki Tan on the right edge. 4 artistsclub.com

5 Because they come forward or outward from the palette, we need to create dimension. Reinforce the darker areas, such as under/around her paws if they got lost. Use a wash of Dark Chocolate or Light Cinnamon. Her legs, toes, and the tip of her tail are highlighted with Bleached Sand, regardless of which side they are located. When you think the fur is done, tilt your painting in the light. Is some of the wood unpainted? If it bothers you, add more paint until the wood is completely covered. Details If Lovey s toes are not sufficiently defined, go back and define them with Dark Chocolate. Her claws show on her two bottom (back) paws. They are a thin lines of Dark Chocolate and a tiny highlight of Khaki Tan. A final highlight is Bleached Sand. Her front paws are curled under so her claws do not show. Wash a tiny bit of Moon Yellow along her neck and the back of her head. Add a final highlight with Snow White on her paws, inside her ear (the tiny hairs), and the tip of her tail. Refer to photos for placement. Background/Spilled Paint The spilled paint helps define Lovey so she doesn t sink into the similarly colored wood of the palette. It can also be used to clean up messy edges. I chose green. Purple would be another good choice if you wish to experiment. Using a flat brush and Plantation Pine, paint the palette, edging Lovey along the left side. Walk the color out. If it doesn t move, wet your brush to create a wash as it gets further from Lovey. Apply a second coat of Plantation Pine near Lovey so it is darker and somewhat opaque. Dab Green Tree randomly to create highlights. Wash some Plantation Pine on her front paws and maybe her tail. It s your choice as to how messy your cat may have been, but this is one of those times that less is more. These areas can also be highlighted with Green Tree. Dip bristles of scruffy brush into Plantation Pine and tip with Green Tree. Glob the paint on and set the brush upright to dry. Wash along Lovey on the right side with Light Cinnamon. This is faint and only to create a subtle shadow and contrast. Use a liner and fur colors to create a few hairs that ex- artistsclub.com 5

6 tend over the background to prevent any sharp edges to Lovey s fur. Use Bleached Sand or Snow White to create one or two face whiskers. When you are happy with your piece, sign your name. FINISHING Apply two coats of DecoArt American s Soft Touch. Hook The length and weight of the scruffy brush will determine where the hook should be placed. The following instructions can only tell you how to make the hook, but not exactly where to place it. You may be able to figure out where by grasping the top lobe of the palette between your thumb and forefinger and letting the palette hang freely. When the palette hangs down straight, your thumb and forefinger are in the approximate spot where the hook should be. Drill two holes in a small piece of scrap wood. The sample was completed with a 1 square. Tie a length of cord through the two holes, leaving a loop that extends beyond the scrap. Glue the scrap square of wood to the back of the palette. This home made hook is one I use often when a project is made of wood too thin to accept a nail or screw. Once the glue dries to hold the scrap in place, the hook is very secure. In order to make it more visible, Figure 5 shows the hook prior to final painting. Brush You may decide to paint your brush handle. If so, consider what it is made of and whether or not you need to either prime it or use DecoArt s Adhesion Medium. The color is up to you. Also, depending upon the materials that make up your brush s handle, you may want to glue or tape it in place. I often use cloth adhesive tape, such as that used for first aid. It is comes in many widths, is available locally, good at sticking to many surfaces, bends and stretches well, and accepts paint easily. It is limited to light weight objects, but, held my paint brush well. 6 artistsclub.com

7 Pattern at 100% 1" x 1" To ensure your pattern is at 100%, this box should measure 1" x 1" when printed. artistsclub.com 7

8 Copyright 2018 by Leslie Smith and Crafts Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved. # No. *A332374* Artist s Club. All rights reserved. For private, non-commercial use only. Please see our web site for terms of use.