Today for the art lesson, I am going to show a simple vine, leaf, flower combination I have painted on tables and chairs and other surfaces that I have sold.
Each person has their own style and ability, so I am sure there is a million ways to do this.
Here is how I went about it.
First I measured the top of the surface I was painting.
This, generally speaking, is the hardest part for me,
trying to figure out exactly how many inches to put in each section so it is even.
Eventually, it gets figured and I step back and look at it to make sure it looks like it is supposed to.
I used chalk to lightly draw the lines.
Once I had the lines right, I started laying down the Frog tape.
(Frog tape works great because it makes a very clear edge without bleeding
and without pulling up the paint underneath).
I find this can be tricky because there are two sides to a line so one has to either lay the tape right down the center line or choose one of the sides to lay it on.
When chosing a side to lay the tape on,
there are points the will have to be adjusted,
such as the smaller squares on the inside of the larger ones here.
I just add a slight layer of thickness because I felt the squares would look slightly off if I laid the tape right down the middle.
Of course, there is probably some mathematical way to fix this,
but I figured my vines and leaves once painted would hide any slight differences.
I gathered the acrylic paints that I needed and mixed up some brown for the vines.
For the vines, I begin painting "C" shapes and curly cues in a grouping.
I have found that less is better because if it seems empty later, more can be added.
Too much is harder to remedy.
(Some of the vines are more red and some are more green, depending on how well I mixed the paint together, but I don't let that bother me too much...
I tell myself it looks more realistic if the vines have variation of color.
Please tell me I am not the only one who talks to themselves while painting.)
Next I take a light green and randomly paint leaves along the vines.
By the time I get the leaves done,
there are usually some dried ones to start with when I am ready to paint some flowers on.
For flowers, I start with a circle of dots for the petals.
Once the petals are dried, I go back and paint in the centers,
yellow or orange or a dirty yellow brown for some.
To give the leaves dimension, I go back with a slightly darker color green and dab a little in the center or to one side of the leaf on some of the leaves.
I step back and look as I work, adding more vines, leaves, or flowers wherever I think some are needed until it looks done.
After waiting twenty-four hours, I then take a rag and dampen it with stain.
With gloved hands, I wiped it onto the surface. I then rubbed it around,
being sure to cover the entire surface and edges,
and then wiped it off.
I sometimes use a brush, but this usually gives a much darker look to the stain,
and I wanted a very light look for this piece.
This piece is going to be used to hold all the videos and DVD's we have for the television.
I love how they stack up so nicely on their sides and are easy to locate and to put back.
It is nice to see some progress in this room and this piece really gives some good storage and charm that the pressed board book shelf that was here before did not.
Here is a video of painting the vines, leaves, and flowers
if you are life me and enjoy watching things done
(Sorry about the jarring ending...I am still trying to figure out the videoing on my camera).
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have some fun renewing a piece of furniture or something creative for your home or room or wherever you are.
Sharing at these blog parties:
