Fig. 5 Add blue tints to the bunny s fur. Paint the bittersweet berries.

Transcription

1 Deb Henkener

2 Color Worksheet Fig. 1 Use masking fluid to preserve the berries and highlights. Paint the background with the dark blue colors of the palette. Fig. 2 Darken the background. Paint some blue shadows. Fig. 3 Glaze fur shapes on the bunny. Paint inside the right ear with Flesh. Fig. 4 Layer glazes to define the ears and other features on the bunny. Lift and paint the bittersweet and weed stems. Fig. 5 Add blue tints to the bunny s fur. Paint the bittersweet berries. Finished Painting Add Frosting and Spattering.

3 That Warm & Fuzzy Feeling By Debra Henkener Last spring, my husband and I were able to rescue a nest of baby bunnies from a predator. Holding a frightened baby bunny with a pounding heart was traumatic, but it was also a very tender moment a personal connection with one of God s little creatures. Knowing that we were able to save them was priceless! That experience gave me the desire to paint a scene with a bunny and try to capture That Warm & Fuzzy Feeling. I hope that painting this little guy will give you that feeling, too! Enjoy! Quote of the Month If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint. ~ Edward Hopper Surface* Arches 140 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper in Natural White, 15 x 11 (or quarter sheet) Ready-made frame or sectional frame and double mat of choice, 18 x 14 with a 13 x 9 window. Palette Grumbacher Finest Artists Watercolor: Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber Cobalt Blue Gamboge Pthalo Blue Quinacridone Rose Sap Green Ultramarine Blue Yellow Ochre DecoArt Americana Acrylics: DA164 Light Buttermilk (for snow on berries and spattering snow) DA59 Toffee (for painting whiskers and fur over the background) Color Chart (in order) Yellow Ochre Flesh Red-Orange Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber Gray-Brown Blue-Green Black Ultramarine Blue-Gray Thalo Blue-Gray Cobalt Blue-Gray Brushes* Loew-Cornell La Corneille Golden Taklon: #10/0 Jackie Shaw Liner (JS Series)

4 #1 Script Liner (7050 Series) #6, #8, and #10 Ultra Round (7020 Series) 1 Wash (7550 Series) General Supplies* Sharpie Ultra-Fine Permanent Marker: Black Small, old liner brush (for masking fluid) Grumbacher Miskit: Liquid Masking Fluid & Remover/Eraser 4H pencil & soft white eraser tracing paper ruler scissors masking tape light box (or use daylight window) cotton towel double water basin waterproof board spray bottle (wash out old Windex bottle & fill with clean water) watercolor palette (or use two divided Styrofoam trays) toothbrush (for spattering) *Most supplies are available from one of these fine companies: Cupboard Distributing, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or Dick Blick. Watercolor Techniques Masking Masking is painting a waterproof fluid over an area to protect it from the paint. It is used to protect the highlights in the fur, the stems, and the bittersweet berries. It is applied with a wet liner brush coated with a little soap. Wash brush out thoroughly with soap when finished. Test the masking fluid with a finger to determine if it is dry. When dry, it will appear shiny and feel tacky, but it will not come off on your finger. Glazing A glaze is a technique used to shade areas of a painting (such as the neck, ears, fur shapes, and along the bottom of the bunny). A glaze is painted over dry paper and can be applied in several layers (let dry between coats). It can also be used to add tints (such as blue tints in the fur). The shading color is applied along a hard edge and a water-damp brush is used to soften the paint on the opposite side of the shading. Gradated Background This term is used to describe the background painted from light (upper left side) to dark (upper and lower right side). Lots of dark paint is needed for this effect. Three blue colors are listed in the instructions. Paint quickly (in a slip-slap motion) with a 1 wash brush saturated with paint. Reload as needed. Two coats may be required. Snow & Spattering Use white paint to create the illusion of frost or snow on the berries & stems. With Light Buttermilk loaded into the tip of a damp liner brush, paint the frost or snow with small dots and dashes. When the painting is completely finished, use a toothbrush loaded with thinned Light Buttermilk to spatter paint over the design, creating the illusion of snowfall. Test the spatter pattern before applying it to your painting. Hold the brush over the painting, aim the bristles in the direction you want to spatter, and scrape the bristles with your thumb to release the paint. A nice pattern can be achieved by moving your arm in a circle over the painting. To create a few larger

5 flakes, dab some of the spatters with a finger. Preparation Trace the pattern onto tracing paper. Cut a piece of watercolor paper to size. Tape the traced pattern onto a light box (or a daylight window), and place the watercolor paper over the tracing. Lightly transfer the pattern onto the watercolor paper using the 4H pencil. If desired, secure the painting to the waterproof board with masking tape. Paint masking fluid over the areas that need to be protected: highlights on the fur, the berries, and the stems. Painting Instructions Note: While painting, use the brush that best fits the area. It is not absolutely necessarily to wash the brush out between all colors. Mixtures Mix a small middle-value puddle of each of the following colors on your palette, except the last three colors. Mix large, dark value puddles of the last three colors in preparation for painting the background. For all colors, add more water to create light-value colors or add more paint to create dark-value colors. The middle value is a starting point. (See Color Chart below) Yellow Ochre Flesh: Quinacrodone Rose + Gamboge + Burnt Sienna (1:1:tch) Red-Orange: Quinacridone Rose + a touch of Gamboge (3:1) Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber Gray-Brown: Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Sienna (2:1) Blue-Green: Ultramarine Blue + Sap Green + Burnt Sienna (2:1:tch) Black: Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (2:1) Ultramarine Blue-Gray: Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (3:1) Thalo Blue-Gray: Thalo + Burnt Sienna (2:1) Cobalt Blue-Gray: Cobalt Blue + Burnt Sienna (2:1) Gradated Background Use the last three colors of the palette to paint the background: Ultramarine Blue-Gray, Thalo Blue-Gray, and Cobalt Blue-Gray. Saturate the 1 wash brush with paint and reload often. Switch back and forth between colors, as desired, but begin with Cobalt Blue-Gray in the upper-left side of the painting. Coat the entire background moving the brush in an x pattern and carefully painting around the bunny. Keep in mind that the upper left side should be lighter than the right side. Let dry. If needed, darken the background with a second coat of paint. To lighten the left side more, dab it several times with a towel before it dries. If it has dried, wet the area with the wash brush loaded with plain water, wait about 30 seconds and dab with the towel. Do not paint a smooth background it will look more natural by leaving a few brush strokes. (Fig. 1) Let dry. Shadows The shadows are painted with middle values of Ultramarine Blue-Gray and Thalo Blue-Gray. Use the #10 ultraround brush. The shadows should be darker than the colors in the bunny, but not as dark as the background. While the paint is still wet, add a few tints of Red-Orange and/or Burnt Sienna into the shadows, if desired. (Fig.2) Paint bittersweet and weed stems before adding their shadows. Use the same colors as the other shadows. (Fig. 5) Bunny Use the ultra-round brushes andbegin to define the features of the bunny by shading the fur shapes with glazes of light value Burnt Sienna, and then light value Burnt Umber. Let dry. Paint the inside of the right ear with

6 light value Flesh. Darken some of the fur shapes and add the wavy hair on his breast with glazes of middle value Burnt Sienna and then middle value Burnt Umber. (Fig.3) Let dry. Erase the masking fluid with the rubber remover. Continue to define the features of the bunny and his ears with middle value Burnt Sienna, dark value Burnt Umber, and middle value Gray-Brown. (Fig. 4)Paint the eyes with dark value Black, and paint around a sparkle in the upper right area of the right eye. Tint the few areas of the fur with Thalo Blue-Gray and /or Ultramarine Blue-Gray. (Fig. 5) Using a liner brush, add some whiskers and tiny hairs to the bunny s face and ears with strokes of middle value Burnt Sienna. Also, use the liner brush to paint a few hairs and whiskers over the background color with thinned Toffee acrylic paint. Let dry. (See Finished Painting) Bittersweet & Weeds Lift the stem shapes by brushing over them with a damp ultra-round brush and then dabbing them with a dry towel. Repeat the lifting technique two or three times, if needed, but allow the shapes to dry in between and after. Paint some stems with middle value Yellow Ochre and others with middle value Burnt Sienna. Let dry. (Fig. 4) Tint a few areas of the stems with middle value Blue-Green. Let dry. Paint the bittersweet berries with middle value Red-Orange. Let dry. (Fig. 5) Use a liner brush and Light Buttermilk acrylic paint to add frost and snow to the tops of the berries, the weed cones, and some areas of the stems. Follow instructions for painting the snow under the Watercolor Techniques. Let dry. (See Finished Painting) Finishing Create snowflakes by spattering the entire painting with thinned Light Buttermilk acrylic paint. More instruction for Spattering is under Watercolor Techniques. Let dry. (See Finished Painting for reference.) Frame and display as desired. This design makes a great gift for a favorite family member or friend. It would also look great in a baby s room or reduced and painted as a Christmas card. No matter how you use this little bunny design, I hope you ve enjoyed your time with him. We both wish you a warm & fuzzy Christmas! By Debra Henkener Debra Henkener majored in Commercial Art at The Ohio State University and has studied decorative painting, photography, and fine art for more than forty years. She has written & published more than 300 packets, authored three decorative painting books, and has written dozens of magazine articles. Debbie is also known for her Art & Coffee watercolor column, which was a monthly feature of PaintWorks Magazine. Art & Coffee is also a series of classes that she teaches at Riverside Art Center, in Wapakoneta. Ohio. Debbie is a proud member of SDP, The Ohio Watercolor Society, Lima Area Watercolor Society, Heart of Ohio Tole Chapter, Ohio Heirlooms of Tomorrow, Riverside Art Center, and The ATC Trading Company. She has won many fine art awards. God has blessed her with artistic talent and a wonderful life with husband, Craig. They live in a log cabin in rural Auglaize County. They have three children and four grandchildren. Contact info: Debra Henkener, c/o Log Cabin Studio, Weimert School Rd., Wapakoneta, Ohio 45895, call , info@henkenerlogcabin.com, or website:

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