Page 97 - The Decorative Painter Spring 2016

Certification Corner
To Embellish or Not?
LINDA SHARP CDA
The line drawing for the stroke design is drawn with basic shapes to allow the art- ist to be creative with flflowers, hearts, ovals, and any of the elements in the design. When painting your certification entry you may wonder whether you should embellish the basic shapes or not. Embel- lishments are not required; however, they can add dimension, carry color and light, and add interest to the overall painting. Following are some things to think about as you make this decision. Remember
this is a test of your stroke skills; therefore technically all elements should be applied in a stroke manner.
Flower elements in the design are
purposely drawn shapes to allow the artist
to be creative. Without embellishments the
flower will look like a shape i.e., ball, oval,
etc., instead of a flower. Strokes added to
these shapes help define the type of flower
it might be and can be used to create shape
and depth, adding character and interest.
For example, small oval flowers can be left
as an oval and just shaded and highlighted.
However, addition of a center, a petal, con-
tour strokes and dots not only give the element character, but can also help carry color and light. Dots should be well-rounded and graduated in size, as needed, for their placement in the design. Five petal flowers can be painted as drawn, or petals may be painted as circles. The use of embellishments can help to create highlights and shading, always keeping value, intensity and temperature and their placement in the design in mind.
Color repetition is important to help the viewer’s eye flow from one color to another adding balance and har- mony. Without color flow the eye will stop and search for that color again. Embellishments such as cross-hatching, small strokes in leaves and flowers, and line work all help to carry color and/or light through the painting.
Embellishments add interest and spontaneity. Cross- hatching adds interest and can add dimension and color
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❝ Embellishments are not required; however, they can add dimension, carry color and light, and add interest to the overall painting. ❞
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flow. Lines should follow the shape of the element and/or design flow. Line work can help move the eye through the painting using color and light. It also gives a clean line to shapes, such as leaves. Vein lines on leaves can also carry color and/or light/dark.
Light and dark values also need to be carried through- out a painting. Where light values are needed use embel- lishments to help the eye move around from light to light.
Focal areas are not a requirement in stroke designs, and can be distracting for the spontaneity of stroke work and flow. If you choose to add a focal area to the painting, the embellishments away from the focal area should be less interesting than in the focal area. Paint the elements several different ways using different color combinations to see what works best. These are some examples from my practice boards for my MDA Stroke entry.
Certification Practice Board Stroke Embellishments