Valentine's Day Decorating: True Love.

For some reason, Christmas seemed to go too quickly this year,

and the thought of taking the Christmas things off the mantel was disheartening.

I was ready for my everyday things I had in the summer.

So I thought we'd make the winter a bit more fun with some Valentine's Day decorations.

 I noticed that my kids seem to learn verses better when they see them around the house,

so I thought I would create something from some wonderful verses I wanted them to know in 

I Corinthians 13.

 

To create the verse hearts, I started by folding a paper in half

and drawing half a heart shape on it,

pushing the pencil hard so that the pressure of the line would go through.

I then outlined the lines of the heart to complete it.

Depending on the verse I was going to work on,

I used fatter hearts for ones that needed more wording in the middle of the verse,

or thinner hearts for verses that were shorter and could be broken up more.

I lightly drew some lines with a ruler to help keep me somewhat straight while lettering,

and began trying to place the wording in,

(this took several tries, not such an easy task)

 using letters at the beginning and end of words to make curls and swirls

to form the outside edges of the heart.

When I had the verse the way I liked,

I rubbed charcoal pencil on the back of the verse page,

laid it onto a larger sheet of good art paper,

traced the letters so that they would copy onto the good paper,

and then worked the lettering with red copic markers.

 

 The largest one, I did on a canvas with paints because it had a lot of wording in it,

and I knew it would be impossible for me to try to fit them all on smaller paper.

When finished, I took pictures of each so I could shrink them to whatever size I needed

and then printed them onto cardstock paper.

 

I had picked up frames from yard sales, the charity store, and an aunt who was getting rid of some,

so I used gold rub-on gilding paint from a tube to turn the two that were different colored into gold

and to touch up a few chipped spots on the others.

(I also rubbed it onto the decorative hearts also on the mantel).

 The other pieces on the mantel were all things we found at the second hand charity store for a very small price.

(I was actually going to paint the birds like peacocks since I have a thing for them right now,

but  my daughter liked them as they are.

It's nice to have the daughter's impute...sometimes. :) )

I have one more simple project I did to decorate the living room for Valentine's Day,

so I'll try to post that in a few days.

Thanks for stopping by!

(If you would like to use these verse prints below for yourself for decorating or cards,

I am happy for you to copy and print them;

just not for resale, please.)

 

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Art Lesson: Painting Outside the Canvas.

Hello again!

Today I am going to show you how fun it can be to use mixed media

as well as a recycled item to create a piece of art.

I did this project a few years back and took the photos with my old camera,

but I thought I'd  use it anyway.

Inspiration for a piece of art can come from life,

somebody else's artwork or technique,

or, in my case here, a vintage illustration in an old book.

The above illustration drew me in,

so I used it, but changed it with some elements I wanted different.

 I had some cabinet doors that an aunt had given to me,

so I sanded one, base-coated it, and used it for my canvas.

 Once the base-coat was dried, I sketched the adapted scene lightly on the wood.

I then used a permanent calligraphy ink and my dipping pen to sketch the scene

(the type of ink is explained >HERE<).

I let the ink dry thoroughly for a day, and then used some acrylic paints to create color.

I also used the calligraphy ink and pen to write a verse under the scene.

When I had everything painted the way I liked, I let it dry for a day,

and I then lightly stained the piece with some watered down brown acrylic paint to give it a slightly aged look.

I then varnished it to protect it.

The finished piece went to my sister who has a house full of sons.

It is always fun to create a piece of artwork on a different canvas.

Using mixed media can be challenging, but add different dimension as well.

Have you used a unique canvas to create a piece of artwork?

What did you use on it and how did it turn out?

Thanks for stopping by!

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Vintage Image: Foot Bridge Over a Summer Stream.

Welcome back.

Today I chose to clean up an image I found in a late 1800's book

of an inviting footbridge over a quiet stream.

I cleaned it and made it in brown and white for an antiqued look,...

 and I created a black and white image of it as well.

I thought for fun I would show what can be done with these images.

I colored one of the antique images with my Copic markers.

 (The fine detail in these old images never ceases to amaze me!)

To make cards, I printed up four of the black and white images and colored them.

(Once colored, it is easy to see by the two different images I colored
that the browned ink image definitely has a more vintage look,
whereas the black and white image has a more modern look to it).

 I wanted to add some messages on my cards since one was for a graduation card

and the other is a thank you card for a friend.

I used my fine tipped calligraphy pen and scratched some verses onto paper
(well, it seemed like my pen was scratchy today;
every artist can blame it on the pen once in a while, right? :)
More likely, I was not calm enough to attempt calligraphy;
but these will work for today).

 I used two verses on cards, and made another 2 cards with just the image on them.

Feel free to use any of the images for your own use,

including both the colored images

if you should want to.

(I explain how to use Microsoft Word to copy and paste images in a previous post
  >CLICK TO READ IT<,

if you happened to miss it and would like the help.)

Thanks for stopping by.

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Art Lesson: About Paintbrush, Pen, or Ink

My lesson for this week is a day late; I am sorry about this.

There is quite an assortment of options to be used in getting artwork onto the page
but also onto crafts as well.

I am going to share with you some of the methods I use and why

(not that you have to use mine because much of what an artist uses depends on what he is most comfortable with and the surface he is applying it to.)

First we have paint pens.

 Paint pens are a handy way to tackle those fine lines.
You can get a variety of these pens, oil and acrylic,
or a specialty type for glass.  They come in several tip thicknesses as well.

I have used them on signs and to draw on glass.

I do not prefer them because I don't feel like I have the control over the flow of ink that I like:

I find that as I write, the tip does not make an even line but becomes dry.
In order to get the flow going again, the tip needs to be pushed down upon.

This always seems to make a large puddle come out from the tip.
(I recommend pushing the tip down on a scrap paper, so that the puddle is contained there, but then I find I am going back to rewet the tip in that puddle since the tip stops flowing evening quickly.

Perhaps you can find an alternative to this problem, but I have not been able to.
Please share with me if you have.)


I have used them for certain tasks despite this problem.

I have used them on fabric:

For the horses on this seat, I used a paint pen,

using a scrap paper to re-wet the tip when needed.

(Images from the Graphics Fairy and transferred using the charcoal-transfer method)

I felt the pen gave me more control on the fabric to draw the fine lines that would have been much more difficult with a paintbrush.  I knew the ink would not bleed on the fabric because the fabric had been painted first, giving it a sealed surface.

This sign made from an old cupboard door center piece was done using the paint markers,

but I think I would have actually preferred a fine paint brush.  

This is  personal preference just because I like how easily paint on a paintbrush glides onto a soft, smooth surface like this was.  My paint pen needed to constantly be re-wet on a scrap paper and I find this more tedious than painting with a paintbrush; but again, this is a personal preference.  If you feel more control with a pen, you may like the pen method.

For doing drawings on paper, such as for a coloring page or a drawing for a card,

I like to use these art markers.

 I picked up the Prisma set at a Staples store,

and ordered the Copic markers through Dick Blick Art Supply.

These are nice because the ink color will not fade as cheap markers will;

these are alcohol-based so they can be painted over as well with paint or markers,

and they have various sized tips.

For this method, I generally start with a light sketch in pencil and then draw over the image with the pens, lightly erasing the pencil when the ink has set in.

(Sketching directly onto the paper with these pens is a great option, too).

They give a crisp, clean look.

(This is from part of a coloring page I am in the process of making.)

Another of my favorite outlining methods is using a dipping calligraphy pen with interchangeable tips

and dipping ink.

Here is a warning: the kind of ink that I find at the craft stores is Higgins.

It says that it is waterproof, but I have not found it to be.  I like inks that I can paint over, if I choose to, and I find that these inks bleed into the paint or wash completely off of crafts that I have used them to draw on.

When looking for an ink that will really be permanent and allow you to paint over it without smudging it,

I find that getting a shellac based ink, an Indian ink, or an acrylic based ink is permanent.

There are an assortment of colors to chose from; I purchase mine through DickBlick.com online art supplies because I also like to read the reviews; although much of what I have learned from these inks is from trial and error.

There are many different tips that may be used.

Be sure to clean them when done using them.  Using permanent inks will stain your tips.
 (Honestly, I actually just rinse mine in water right away.  I know that technically, mineral spirits or such should be used,
but I don't like to keep that sort of thing sitting around because I have young children, and I find water does a good enough job at rinsing if the pen is thoroughly whisked around in the water immediately after use.  If my tips get too abused, I just purchase new ones.  I have only purchased new ones 2 or 3 times in my 20 years of using my dipping pen, so it is not a real problem.  I use my dipping pen a good amount, too, as it is one of my favorite methods.  I suppose if I used an expensive dipping pen, I would take care of it properly, but I find this inexpensive version works well and affords me this easy clean up method.
If you are a real artist, please, find it in you heart to forgive me for this. :) )

I often use a piece of charcoal pencil (or sketching charcoal) to lightly sketch in my design before using the permant ink when using dipping pen and ink on crafts.  This wipes off easily after the ink is dried.


I use the dipping pen to paint on small large objects (like artwork done on a slab of wood or repurposed cupboard door), and small objects (like Christmas bulbs and gourds)

I liked to draw the image on and then paint it in after the ink has thoroughly dried.
This method is easiest for me to control,

but you may find you prefer something else...

like the simplicity of a fine-tipped paintbrush and paint.

The choice is up to each artist, and with the variety that is available,
there is always a method for each of us.

Let me know what your favorite is.
I always enjoy hearing different methods and tips we can try.

That is what is great about sharing our pails of paint.

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