Page 28 - The Decorative Painter Spring 2014

ACRYLIC
Highlight the ground at the base of the main build- ings with a sideload of Medium Light Blue. Repeat two or three times, and then again use the dirty brush with a very small amount of Light Blue. Do this a little stron- ger and wider than the ground at the base of the distant trees. Paint the windows with the no. 2 flat sideloaded with a bit of Medium Blue.
DISTANT SCENE
Using the no. 2 flat and one value lighter than the background you are painting on, sideload and indicate the houses and windmills. Add one lighter value on top of the previous strokes. Add the darker side in the same way with darker colors. Add lighter and darker lines with short strokes and define the shapes a little. These are dis- tant scenes, so don’t add too many details. Use a light touch and loose lines.
BOTTOM FRONT GRASS
Lightly transfer the design for the flowers near the bot- tom grass area. Apply Plaid FolkArt Blending Gel to the area. With the no. 10/0 liner and very thin paint, draw thin lines of grass, starting with thinned Medium Dark Blue and adding the lighter colors. Paint with the surface upside down (see page 23).
When the landscape is finished, apply Plaid FolkArt Blending Gel. Then shade around the whole area with the no. 16 flat or wash brush and a thin sideload of Me- dium Blue. Add a little Medium Dark Blue, letting the paint dry between coats.
FLOWERS
TRAnsFERRinG: When you transfer the design for the flowers, draw only the basic forms (no details). You might have to move the design around to fit the space and frame the landscape nicely.
BAsECoATinG: With Medium Blue basecoat the flow- ers with C-strokes, comma-strokes, or S-strokes using rounds or filberts.
HiGHLiGHTinG AnD sHADinG: Highlight with a scruffy brush and a dry-brush technique using Patina. If the color loses intensity, let dry and repeat. Pick up a little Light Blue and highlight the small area where it is lightest. Shade the same way with Medium Dark Blue. Where the paint ap- plication is too pointed or narrow, use wash lines with the liner brush to apply a few gather lines (at the base of the tulip or bluebell leaf, for example).
sTRoKEWoRK: Apply strokework to the light side with thinned Light Blue+Medium Light Blue. Use the script brush for longer strokes and the no. 10/0 liner for thinner strokes. DoG RosE: After highlighting and shading, divide the outer area into five petals. Paint the three lighter petals on the upper side with S-strokes and C-strokes. Paint the darker petals with C-strokes. Put in some light and dark gather lines at the base of the petals, using light lines on the lighter side and dark lines on the darker side. Add dots with the tip of the liner brush and Dark Blue.
DAisY: Basecoat the petals with thinned Medium Blue in the center, adding lighter mixtures little by little to- ward the light side. Clean the brush, dress in Medium Blue again, and start adding the Medium Dark Blue little by little and Dark Blue as you move toward the darker side. Apply Plaid FolkArt Blending Gel to the surface be- fore stroking. Let it dry and then apply one value lighter, stroking over a smaller area so that the first strokes show around the second strokes. Using the top of the no. 10/0 liner, add dots with three values of blue: Dark Blue, Me- dium Blue, and Light Blue.
oTHER FLoWERs: Add any remaining flowers as seen in the design, or to fill space as needed. Tip: Try to make the strokes soft and loose. Practice on a blank paper first.
FINISHING
Observe the overall piece to see if there are any big, empty spaces. If there are, add thin lines of curlicues or small shadow leaves using thin paint.
Let the piece dry completely. Apply ten to twenty coats of J.W. etc. Right Step Matte Finish, following the manu- facturer’s instructions. Let dry between coats. Start wet- sanding between coats after the fifth or sixth coat.
artist’s sketch
Upon graduating from art school with a graphic design degree in Tokyo, Kaz Iwasaki mda, tda went abroad Design is 100% of original.
to further her studies in design in San Francisco and New York. Settling in southern California, she started deco- rative painting in 1987, and in 1989 she took over an existing folk art shop in Palos Verdes, Calif. She taught for fifteen years until she closed the shop in 2003. In 1991 she became a Certified Decorative Artist, and in 2003 she became an MDA. She raised three sons and now has five grandchildren, all residing in California. She currently enjoys traveling around the world and sharing her talent with other artists. You may email Kaz at kaz.iwasaki.mda@gmail.com.
26 The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 1, 2014
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