Wednesday 28 November 2012

Double ended brush


I might have mentioned this before.....or did I only 'think' about doing this particular post item!?!

Anyway, bear with me  - Here's one of my cheap brushes, I wouldn't recommend doing this with expensive Sables!, but this particular brush comes in handy for so many different areas of a painting...


I sharpened the other end of it with a pencil sharpener...






when I need to add some trees, fences, posts etc. to a landscape

just turn the brush round -
you don't have to go searching for 
the right tool, you have it there already



Depending on the effect you want ...

   If you go straight in on the wet paint (as with the example above) you get
a darker outline (basically the paint fills in the lines you have drawn)
 If I had waited a bit longer I could have got a whiter outline 


A useful brush to have if you are out and about painting and want to
keep your supplies to a minimum

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Monday 26 November 2012

Mixing Greens


We all know that Yellow and Blue together make Green, but I have experimented with some combinations of these just to see how different they might be:

 1.
                                   Aureolin                Ultramarine Blue

2.
                         Cadmium Yellow           Ultramarine Blue


Changing the Yellow, altered the Green - that was using the Yellow as the first colour with the Blue added to it.

but what happens when I use the Blue first

3.
                         Ultramarine Blue              Aureolin


4.
                              Ultramarine Blue     Cadmium Yellow


Subtle changes but certainly changes.

I then tried a different combination - this time with Prussian Blue.....

5.
                             Quinacridone Gold    then added        Prussian Blue


6.
                              Prussian Blue   then added   Quinacridone Gold

Quite a significant change with this.

So the moral of the story is - Try different combinations of colours - Experiment and have fun with them - make notes of what you have used, that way you have some useful colours to instantly fall back on when you are doing a painting.


Hope this has given you some ideas


Have a great week


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Friday 16 November 2012

Roses


Here's a photograph I took some time ago, but thought some of you may like to use it as a reference for a painting.....



not an easy subject, roses are difficult.      Hope you like the photo even if you don't use it for a drawing.


Hope you have a great weekend


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Tuesday 13 November 2012

Tuesday Tip - Christmas Chains


I reckon everyone has made their own Christmas Crackers at some time, or at least knows how to make them.  Get the inner of a kitchen roll - cover with paper - add what ever for the inside  (you can buy the pulling/banger piece in craft stores)- pretty up the edges - and you have your own homemade cracker!

Thought I would show you another Christmas idea - using the inner roll of either kitchen or toilet rolls



using some left over wrapping paper   
                                 

use a glue stick and cover the cardboard tube



and roll on the wrapping paper     



 when that's done, cut into varying sizes - wide and/or narrow however you want....



like this...


 and make a few...



Cut some Whole....but also cut some to join up with each other....this next video may help show you what I mean...




 (before someone says, I know I had the Top still on the Glossy Accents!....I was just showing the idea)



You can make the chains as long as you like...




Varying lengths can be hung up around your room, or added to your Christmas tree - How about adding extra Sparkle too here and there



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 This could make a very good project to do with the kids during the holidays
or when you are watching TV




So start saving those inner tubes


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Monday 5 November 2012

Fir Cones

Having found some very large fir cones, I was busy deciding what to do with them....







when a certain lurcher called William came up to see what I was doing.  

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with my camera to capture the expression on his face as he looked at these weird objects

 ...so instead I did a quick sketch, hopefully capturing that look....




he wasn't sure if it was going to move


One of those hilarious moments!