Archive for the ‘Painting’ Category
As we learn to paint and make progress, we all tend to develop our own acrylic painting techniques. All popular teachers have their own methods and techniques of painting although many may be similar to others in some ways.
Quite popular during the last few years, Donna Dewberry has developed her own painting technique, known as One Stroke Painting. Priscilla Hauser, referred to as ‘the first lady of decorative painting,’ and one of my favorite artists, has her own methods, although I don’t recall that they are called by any particular names.
Do you remember William (Bill) Alexander who was quite popular and well-known in the art field a few years back? Even though he was not an acrylic painter (his medium was oils), he fascinated us by painting beautiful landscapes with large (2 inch and 4 inch) brushes and a palette knife. (I still have my brushes, but I’m quite sure I never became proficient with them!) If you do not remember him, I’m sure you recall Bob Ross who followed in Bill’s footsteps.
So although we may not go to that extent or be well-known for how we paint, we all tend to do it a little differently, in our own way.
I enjoy doing almost any craft project that comes along, but I think my favorite hobby or craft is painting. I’ve enjoyed painting with oils in the past, but right now my passion is with acrylic painting.
One good thing about being able to paint is that you can take a simple, even used, item and transform it into something totally new and beautiful with a little paint. ( It may have even been something that you would otherwise throw in the trash. ) You can take an article that is exactly like a hundred others and with a few brushstrokes, give it a whole new life and look. And how fun and satisfying that is!
Painting on glass is currently one of the most popular forms of art for gift-giving and home decorating. The technique of painting on glass is centuries old and seems to have developed soon after the appearance of sheet glass.
Because of its popularity, there are a variety of glass painting products and books available. With the recent development of new specialty paints, the glass painting process has been enhanced, and finished items are more durable. New paints, when dried properly, will withstand a great number of washings in the dishwasher and remain as beautiful as when first painted.
There’s Nothing Wrong with Some Window Dressing
The proposition of painting glass windows is a tricky one for several reasons. First, it’s crucial to select an appropriate piece of glass and a type of paint that will show up well and behave the way you want it to when applied to glass. In lieu of a palette, you’ll want to use a spare piece of glass – perhaps an old dish or glass cup. Test out your colors on that surface first to see the way they will appear on the glass window.
You’ll also need to decide whether to employ opaque colors or transparent ones. It really comes down to the question of whether you want to be able to see out the window at all. If the window is being used strictly for artistic purposes, opaque paints should work fine. The final consideration for painting on glass windows involves the issue of permanence. An air-dry paint might suit you well for the purpose.
With the development of new paints, painting on glass has become much easier. In the past, some of the glass paints were not permanent unless the finished painted glass item was baked in an oven. Other paints for glass required that a clear layer of some sort be applied to the surface before painting, and other paints were just plain runny.
While browsing Wal Mart one day, I happened to pass the wedding department and spotted these cute little goblet candles. They are about 3 to 4 inches tall and have a tiny white ribbon with silver bells attached. Well, I bought several of them ($4.99 for a set of 4), brought them home, removed the ribbon, and painted a small flower design on each of them. I then attached a small colored ribbon to match the paint of the flower. Now this is where the new paint came in handy. Can you imagine what would happen if I tried to bake these in order to set the paint? Melted Wax!
If you are interested in these, it appears as if Wal Mart has discontinued these. (They do have plastic ones – not as nice.) However, I did find similar ones in a craft store in the candle department. In fact, these were even nicer as the wax in the goblets comes in a variety of colors.
These make dainty inexpensive little gifts for a favorite waitress, friend, etc.
Painting on glass ornaments is a fun craft to do, especially at Christmas time. Being crafters, we’ve all visited a craft store and have seen all the plain frosted and clear glass ornaments, just waiting for us to add our personal touch. Just look around, and you’ll find all sorts of painting ideas to inspire you.
Paint a few every year and add them to your tree. Write the date somewhere on the ornament, and someday you’ll have fun recalling the time you had painting them.
I used acrylic paints when painting mine, but will have to admit that I cheated a bit. I found these neat fine point markers that will write on any surface, and used them for some of the fine detail work.
The best way to get started in origami is by following some easy origami diagrams. Once those folds and creases are learned, that is the time to move on to more advanced ones.
As a child, many of us learned to fold a sheet of paper into a pinwheel or perhaps a box, an envelope, a hat, a boat, or an airplane. (Remember writing a note on a piece of paper, folding it into an airplane, and sending it flying across the school classroom?) These were all simple items to make. By mastering the techniques we used for these projects, we are then in a position to learn new folds and methods and move on to more complicated designs.
Artists have been painting on glass for years. However, interest in this form of art has increased over time and currently glass is one of the most popular painting surfaces.
Development of specific paints has allowed us to transform glass items that would more than likely be trashed into beautiful, useable, decorative art pieces. Glass surfaces are readily available at very reasonable prices ( if not free) making this hobby very affordable for anyone. Large pickle jars and other bottles we find in our kitchen cupboards can be decorated with paint and made very attractive. We can find used items at thrift stores and yard sales, not to mention new items at the local dollar store.
With all the advancement in the manufacture of paints, it seems as if a paint for nearly any surface or project has been developed. One favorite pastime of mine is painting on glass windows. Using the transparent paint created especially for this craft, you can easily give your windows the look of stained glass. Though a little time-consuming, the results are really worth the effort. (And you don’t have to cut a single piece of glass!)
The photo here is of one of my two living room windows which I designed and painted. As unlikely as it may seem to one not familiar with this, an onlooker must look very closely to realize that this is not a real stained glass window.
If you haven’t tried pumpkin painting, now is the season of the year to do it. Halloween is nearly here, meaning that it’s time to get out the decorations – which certainly will include ghosts, bats, scarecrows, witches and most certainly a pumpkin or two.
We all know that pumpkins that are left plain are perfectly suitable for display, and pumpkins with the facial features cut out are very fun, especially with a burning candle inside – BUT have you ever gone through the effort of cutting out eyes, nose and mouth?
Why not take the easier route? Paint your pumpkins! The designs are limited only to your imagination – and after that purpose is served (if you do not wait TOO long and are so inclined), you can cook the pumpkin and make pies, cookies, or casseroles.
Be sure to guard your pumpkins from thieves. Quite a few years ago, when we were living in Ohio, my husband and I bought two very large pumpkins (probably 80 to 100 pounds each.) We put one on each side of our front steps for display. Imagine our surprise when we went out one day to find that one had been stolen.
I really hope this doesn’t happen to you!