Page 82 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2017

Bellona Metamark butterfly
Painter’s Checklist
SURFACE
Hyacinth Basket with 6.75" x 10.75" MDF lid (17.14 x 27.30 cm)
PALETTE
WINSOR & NEWTON ARTISTS’ OIL COLOURS
Kim Garwood, butterfly guide, photographing
butterflies on the Rio Barbas
Photos by
Sherry C. Nelson mda, tda
Burnt Sienna
Cadmium Yellow Pale
French Ultramarine Blue
Ivory Black
Phthalo Turquoise (
DELTA CERAMCOAT ACRYLICS (for Background Prep)
Dark Victorian Teal Cactus Green
BRUSHES
Laguna Blue
SHERRY C. NELSON BRUSHES
Series 303 nos. 0, 2, 4, 6 & 8 Red Sable Brights Series 312 no. 1 Red Sable Round
SUPPLIES
Basic painting supplies (page 96) Sponge roller
#330 wet/dry sandpaper
Liberty Matte Finish
Krylon Spray Varnish, #7002
Krylon Matte Finish, #1311
Artist’s graphite paper, dark, oil soluble Odorless thinner
Cobalt siccative (optional)
Palette pad for oils
Paper towels, Viva
SOURCES
Hyacinth Basket, SKU# 3473096,
with 6.75" x 10.75" MDF lid, available from Painter’s Paradise, www.paintersparadise.com; Jo Lutness, 302-798-3897; jodecart@aol.com. Brushes available at www.sherrycnelson.com.
80 The Decorative Painter • SUMMER 2017
DECORATIVEPAINTERS.ORG
Raw Sienna Raw Umber Sap Green Titanium White Winsor Red
I have traveled extensively in South America with butterfly expert and guide Kim Garwood. Here you see her dedication to getting a perfect photo for her field guides to the butterflies of the tropics. Traveling with Kim and learning about these remarkable creatures has been wonderful, and given me a huge reference file of great stuff to paint from.
These field photos were shot in Colombia, in some beautiful remaining areas of rainforest. Both the orchids and the butterfly reside in similar habitats, along the river shown. As you might guess, the patience required to get beautiful tropical butterfly and floral images to paint from is considerable.
All butterflies and moths belong in the family of Lepidop- tera. That word, translated from the Ancient Greek, comes from the roots “lepido” and “opteryx’ meaning “scale-winged.” The scales, which cover the wing membranes, are arranged in rows like shingles on a roof; thousands present on the two forewings and two hindwings of each creature.
Our challenge, as artists painting this beautiful Bellona Met- almark, is to mimic the amazing iridescence of the scaled-wing by using varied thicknesses and texture of our oils. When the rich oil paint is applied carefully and not overworked, it does a better job than any other medium of creating true iridescence. Enjoy the challenge!
PREPARATION
BACKGROUND PREPARATION: The original is painted on a Hyacinth Basket lid. It’s an appropriate woodsy choice for this rainforest scene, and the MDF lid is easy to prep. Refer to step 1 on page 82.
Wild Orchids in Reserva Mesenia, Colombia