Page 99 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2014

ACRYLIC
Snow White dot in the upper right area of the pupil. The eye will be shaded after head feathers are completed.
STEP 3: Refer to the Step-by-Step (page 93) and its ac- companying diagram on page 96. Using the no. 1 Dresden liner, stroke both long and short Snow White feathers over the basecoat, moving in the direction indicated by the ar- rows on the diagram. Various feathers should extend be- yond the basecoat. Apply several layers of paint to these feathers, allowing each layer to dry before applying the next. This creates the illusion that feathers are lying on top of each other.
Use the no. 10/0 liner with Snow White to create the fine ends of the head feathers that overlap the body feath- ers. Do not thin the paint for head feathers.
With the inky Lamp Black+Snow White (2:1), stroke in shadows throughout the white feathers, in the same manner used to layer them. Vary the shades’ sizes by us- ing the no. 1 Dresden liner for some and the no. 10/0 liner for others. While these shades are wet, overlap with more Snow White feathers. Do not apply too many coats with this wet-on-wet technique or the paint will seep through the feather, but continue in this manner until you have achieved the desired feather and shade look.
Design is 80% of original. Enlarge 125% for actual size.
For a free design at actual size, affix two first-class stamps to a #10 SASE and send to:
The Decorative Painter
Attn: GIFT OF A FEATHER
ISSUE 2 - 2014
393 N. McLean Blvd.
Wichita, KS 67203-5968.
Allow four weeks for delivery.
Float Lamp Black+Snow White (2:1) under the lower beak (indicated by Xs on the diagram).
Add a few more fine Snow White feathers above the eye, extending over the eye a tiny bit, using the no. 10/0 liner. These feathers, paired with the shading of the eye, will give the eye a recessed look.
STEP 4: Thin Lamp Black+Snow White (2:1) to a wash consistency and then float a shadow on the top half of the eye and above the eye. This shade begins in front of the eye, goes through the top portion of the eye, and ends be- yond the eye, underneath the eye ridge. Do not make this shade too dark. Allow the entire piece to dry completely.
FINISHING
Stand the feather in the ball of mounting putty, and spray the front and back with Krylon Clear Acrylic Matte Spray varnish. Allow this to dry for thirty minutes, and then apply another coat to both the front and back. Allow it to dry completely.
To protect the feather, it can be framed in a shadow box. Make sure that the glass does not touch the feather. Ensure that the frame is as airtight as possible. Keep the piece out of direct sunlight.
dEcOratIvEpaINtErS.Org
The Decorative Painter
• ISSUE NO. 2, 2014 97
artist’s sketch
Jan Handley vividly remembers that her desire for painting began at the age of five, when she loaded a brush and began painting for the first time. From 1965 to 1970, she helped paint sets for the theatrical group Phoenix Players at Texas Wesleyan University, where she majored in speech/drama and minored in art. She later used her artistic abilities to design and paint theatrical sets at the middle school where she taught speech, drama, and language arts for twenty-six years.
In the late ’80s, Jan discovered decorative painting. Classes at local shops in Fort Worth Texas introduced her to
both acrylic and oil painting. The classes, teachers, and fellow students inspired Jan to become part of the decora-
tive painting community and so, when she retired from teaching in 2009, she joined SDP. Jan is a member of Bluebonnet Chapter in Arlington and Fort Worth Decorative Painters in Fort Worth. You may contact Jan at jhandley123@gmail.com.