LEARN how to PAINT Presented by Willow Wolfe Surround Yourself Level: Beginner By Monica Martin with Step-by-Step Instructions Gather These Supplies Brushes and tools Princeton Artist Brush Co. Select Artiste #3750 #4 flat 1/4 lunar blender 1 oval mop #1 round 1 wash Surface 8 x 10 canvas panel or wood plaque Palette Deco Art Americana Acrylics Lamp (Ebony) Black DA067 Moon Yellow DA07 Slate Grey DA068 Snow (Titanium) White DA01 Wasabi Green DA296 Other supplies Catalyst Blade No. 1 Catalyst Blade No. 5 Modeling Paste Mod Podge Sakura Pigma Micron pen (black), size.05 No drawing or painting experience necessary! Basic Supplies Canson tracing paper Canson palette paper Palette knife Paper towels Pencil or stylus Scissors Transfer paper in white and grey Water basin princetonbrush.com Visit willowwolfe.ca for more ideas and free projects P.1
About Willow Wolfe Willow Wolfe is an award-winning artist, author, and teacher, proficient in oils, acrylics and watercolors. Over the past 15 years, Willow has taught seminars worldwide and worked with manufacturers to develop and test innovative new products, such as Select Artiste. She has written a library of how-to books, painting kits, and articles in the industry s best-known magazines. She has designed projects geared to artists of all levels, and her instructions are written in a beginner-friendly, step-by-step format. Brush Tips and Care Never allow paint to dry in the bristles. Continue to rinse the brush in water as you paint. Do not allow your brush to rest in the water basin. Laying the brush bristles-down in the basin for a period of time will cause the bristles to lose shape and will affect performance. Soaking in water will also loosen the ferrule and potentially cause a wooden handle to swell. Use warm, soapy water to clean your brushes. As you clean, blot your brush on paper towel to remove excess water and color. When the brush is completely clear of paint, use a bit of soap to reshape the bristles. Store your brushes upright. #4 filbert #4 flat #10/0 liner 1 oval mop #2 round Willow Wolfe presents Monica Martin I met Monica Martin at a craft and hobby show a few years ago and loved her combination of inspirational quotes and vibrantly stylized designs. Monica s work will make a memorable addition to your home and beautiful gifts. Monica is a licensed mixed media artist and the owner of The Artsy Girl Studio. Born and raised in Southern California, her love of art began as a child, with the simplest of supplies. She considers herself a lifelong learner and is constantly sketching and trying new techniques for her latest work. Combining vibrant colors and inspirational words is what inspires this Artsy Girl. To see more of Monica s artwork, go to www.theartsygirlstudio.com. 1 wash Visit willowwolfe.ca for more ideas and free projects P.2
Painting Tips and Techniques Basecoating Use the largest brush that will fit in an area comfortably. Rinse the brush in water and blot on paper towel prior to loading it in paint. Touch the brush into the puddle of paint and pull the color out from the puddle. Fully load the brush, ensuring there are no heavy globs or ridges. Allow the paint to flow off the brush using long, smooth strokes to fill the area. Make sure the first coat is dry prior to adding a second coat. Linework Use a small palette knife to apply water to your puddle of paint until you achieve a consistency similar to ink. Rinse the brush and blot on paper towel. Load the liner near the edge of the puddle and roll your brush to a point. Apply light pressure as you stroke or detail. The more pressure, the thicker your line will be. Wash A wash is a transparent layer of color applied in a smooth, even coat. To create a wash, thin the paint puddle with water, load the brush, and blot gently on paper towel to remove excess paint. Apply the color in a smooth coat. Let dry and reapply if necessary. Blending Techniques Drybrush Drybrushing is a blending technique where very little paint is used and the brush is drug over the surface in order to leave a textured effect, shadow, or highlight. 1. Load the brush (usually a lunar blender) with paint. 2. Wipe the brush on paper towel to remove paint from the surface of the bristles. 3. Drag your brush across the painting surface with light strokes, using very little pressure. 4. The more textured the surface under the brush, the more dramatic the effect. Floating/Sideloading Floating is a technique used to add shading or highlights to a design. It is a form of blending where the color blends right into the bristles of a brush, allowing you to shade and highlight quickly. 1. Ensure you have clean water in your water basin. 2. Always work with a fresh puddle of paint, and use the largest angle brush (many artists like to use a flat brush, and either one is fine) that will fit comfortably within an area. 3. Dip the brush in water and blot on paper towel to remove the excess. 4. Dip the toe of the angle in color (this is referred to as sideloading the brush). 5. Stroke the brush on the palette in the same place several times, blending the color into the bristles. This creates a gradation of color to clear water. 6. Apply the blended paint to the area on the surface you wish to shade or highlight. 7. Rinse and reload the paint as needed. Ensure the first layer of color is dry before deepening or applying another. Stippling Stippling is a blending technique used to merge values by tapping or pouncing with the tip of a brush. The look of stippling varies, depending on the type of brush used. A deerfoot will offer a soft, spread-out appearance, while a liner or round brush will have a much more defined appearance. Varnishing Use the 1 oval mop. Load the brush with satin or gloss varnish, and brush a thin layer lightly over the entire surface. Note: Your project may look different than those in the pictures due to variations in colors or techniques. Special Techniques Decoupaging Apply paper or other ephemera to a canvas by using layers of Mod Podge. Apply a layer under the item as well as over the top of the item to adhere it. Be sure to press out any wrinkles or bubbles. Depending on the paper type, sometimes it helps to lightly moisten the paper with a spray bottle for flexibility. Sponging Sponging adds interest and texture to a design. 1. Dampen a sea sponge, squeeze out the excess water, and load a small amount of paint onto it. 2. Dab onto a paper towel or cloth to remove excess paint. 3. Gently dab the sponge onto the background to give it a textured or mottled look. Stamping Stamping quickly and easily adds a design or lettering to any piece. 1. Load a stamp with Archival Ink in the color of stamp pad suggested. 2. Place your inked stamp onto the canvas where you like, and press down firmly, without wiggling the stamp, to get a clear image. 3. Rinse the stamp to remove the ink. Visit willowwolfe.ca for more ideas and free projects P.3
Surround Yourself How To Transfer A Design Enlarge or reduce your line drawing on a copier to suit your surface size, and position a piece of tracing paper over the line drawing. Use a pencil to re-draw the design onto the tracing paper. Having your pattern on tracing paper allows you to better position it on your surface. Step 1: Position the line drawing over the surface and tape it down lightly. Step 2: Slide the transfer/ carbon paper under the line drawing. Make sure you have the correct side facing the surface. Step 3: Use a pencil or stylus to trace over the pattern. Step 4: Check to make sure that you have transferred all the details before removing the line drawing. Learn to add texture with Catalyst texture tools, creating instant waves and swirls. Preparation Sand your surface lightly (wood or canvas) and wipe with a damp cloth to remove dust. background 1. Use the 1 wash to basecoat the surface with Snow (Titanium) White. 2. Using the Catalyst Silicone Blade No. 1, apply modeling paste or extra-heavy paint to the bottom-left corner of the surface (to about the halfway point horizontally), and smooth the paste up the board approximately two-thirds of the way. Leave enough thickness to the paste so that a tool can create a pattern. 3. Take the Catalyst Silicone Blade No. 5 and, starting at the bottom of the piece, create half circles. They should stack on top of each other. Let dry. 4. Use the 1 wash to paint the entire background with Slate Grey. When painting over the texture, don t forget to paint inside all the grooves. Let dry. 5. Drybrush Snow (Titanium) White with the 1/4 lunar blender over the textured area. 6. Transfer the design. painting Use the #4 flat to paint the petals white. Thin Wasabi Green and use the #1 round to paint the stem, grass, and leaves. Then, load the 1/4 lunar blender with Moon Yellow. Drybrush Moon Yellow over the Slate Grey background in the upper left-hand corner. Then add the center of the flower. lettering and details Use the #1 round to paint the words Yourself and lift with Lamp (Ebony) Black. Paint the line around the border of the entire painting to give it the look of a frame. Cut out the words from the line drawing. Use Mod Podge to adhere them to the surface. Let dry. Use the 1/4 lunar blender to drybrush Snow (Titanium) White in various places on the design. finishing Using a Sakura Pigma Micron pen, trace around the words. Line around all the petals, leaves, grass, and stem, adding additional curls and lines as you like. Varnish with the 1 oval mop or wash brush. Visit willowwolfe.ca for more ideas and free projects P.4
Surround Yourself Worksheet Step 1: Apply the modeling paste to the canvas with the Catalyst Blade No. 1. Step 2: Swirl the texture with the Catalyst Blade No. 5. Step 3: Drybrush white with the 1/4 lunar blender. Step 4: Using Snow (Titanium) White, fill in the petals with their first coat of paint. Step 5: Paint the flower center with Moon Yellow. Step 6: Trace with the black pen around the words, petals, leaves, and stems. Add additional curls and lines as you like. Visit willowwolfe.ca for more ideas and free projects P.5
Surround Yourself Line Drawing Visit willowwolfe.ca for more ideas and free projects P.6