Page 21 - The Decorative Painter Winter 2014

MOUNTAINS
horizontal shadows on the snowy ground. Allow the surface to dry (use a hair dryer, if desired), and then wet the area again with clean water. Now apply water- thinned Blue Mist horizontally over the base of the fence by sideloading the 1" flat. While the area is wet, add a bit of the Lavender mix to the blues to darken the shadows here and there.
STEP 2
SUNSET
With clean water, dampen the area of the sky that lies beyond the mountains behind the barn (the light sun- set colors that appear in the rest of the sky have already been established). Apply Cadmium Yellow to the tip of the Crown. Create streaks of sunset in the sky by pulling the brush horizontally, just above the upper mountain ridge. Soften this application by lightly dragging the 1" flat across the wet paint. Next, add a small amount of Burnt Sienna to the same area, in the same manner. These two colors should be intense. Now warm the color a bit by adding a touch of Cadmium Red in the same way. To intensify the sunset, it might be necessary to dry the surface, dampen it again, and apply the Cadmium Red a second time.
BACKGROUND TREES
These are located behind the house, barn, and sheds (in front of the mountains). To create them, use the tip of the Crown and very little paint. Begin by creating the leaves; the branches and trunks will come later. The first layer of color for the leaves is the Lavender mix, and is ap- plied to the dry surface. Next, add a bit of Burnt Sienna throughout the Lavender, and then add a bit of Evergreen throughout. The last color used for the leaves is Burnt Umber. The colors get progressively darker as you work toward the buildings, with the darkest areas being those that lie immediately next to the buildings. Leave plenty of the background sky showing through among the leaves. When the leaves are complete, use the same technique to add Baby Blue tints of snow here and there. Now create the delicate trunks and branches using Burnt Umber on the mini liner. For better control of the brush as you paint the branches and trunks, tap off excess paint onto the palette.
FOREGROUND SNOW
The following instructions illustrate how to create the snowy area that begins at the front fence and extends to the front edge of the wicker tray. This does not include the snow lying on the road; that will be applied later. Begin
The mountains are the three Lavender, purple, and light blue hills behind the farm. All are done with the same brush, using a dirty brush technique. Dampen the moun- tains with clean water on the 1" flat. Now use the 1⁄2" an- gular to apply the previously mentioned Lavender mix to the lower mountain ridge. This coat will be applied hori- zontally, and will be applied over the background fence and around the buildings. Add a touch more Baby Blue to the Lavender mix, and use the same brush to paint the center mountain. The top mountain ridge is painted with Baby Blue on the same brush.
BUILDINGS
Using the no. 5 round, apply the Lavender mix to each rooftop. Remove the Lavender mix from the round, and use this brush to apply a layer of water-thinned Pale Yellow mix to the bodies of the house, barn, and barn shed. Allow these to dry, and then repeat with a water- thinned layer of Raw Sienna to darken. If this paint has accidentally made its way onto the windows and door, be sure to gently remove it.
MISCELLANEOUS DETAILS
To create the following details, use the no. 3 round for small items and the no. 5 for larger ones. They are all transparent applications. The sleigh and woman’s dress are water-thinned applications of Cadmium Red. The blanket in the sleigh and the woman’s hat are created with water- thinned Evergreen.
Dampen the pathways and road with clean water. Use the 1⁄2" angular to apply a water-thinned, horizontal layer
of Raw Sienna here and there along the edges.
MIDGROUND SNOW
The procedure that was used for the sky is also used to create the snow that lies be- tween the buildings and the front fence. With the 1" flat, wet the area with clean water. The following technique starts just under the buildings, and extends down to the front fence. Using the Crown brush, first apply Hi-Lite Flesh, followed by Blue Mist, and finally the Lavender mix, one color directly over the other, but allow- ing each to show through here and there. This technique will form the
ACRyLIC
The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 4, 2014 19