Page 90 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2018

easy blending. You also will be able to save a lot of money from using much less paint.
TRACING: I learned from many mistakes in the past that tracing is another special step for beautiful results, or not. Before I use any graphite paper I wipe the trace paper with paper towel to remove the excess and to avoid extreme dark lines that might still appear later. After that, I still test it before I accurately use it on the project I am working on. Last and definitely not least, the pressure you apply to trace the design lines is essential to make sure that no marks will be left indented on the wood surface. If not, it will show up on the final painting.
CREATING HARMONY WITH COLORS: To create a more interesting painting project, parts of each subject have a touch of color from another subject. For instance, the leaves have a touch of the orange yellow tones as well as the red tones from the peaches. The peaches have the touch of green tones from the leaves. The butterflies have a touch of yellow and red from the peaches as well as a touch of the green from the leaves. The scrolls have a touch of white for highlight on the large curves, and a touch of the yellow tone from the peaches on the small curves. It creates balance and harmony on the overall painting. The colors are applied only on the edges using a dry-brushing technique.
TECHNIQUES
GENERAL PAINTING TECHNIQUE: Always use a small amount of paint when working with oils. When you change color wipe out the brush on a paper towel, remov- ing as much as paint as you can gently. Only use the clean- ers at the end of your painting day. For the entire project start by blocking in the colors from the mixing brush tech- nique. Blend the colors by using wet-on-wet technique. When the painting is all finished use the dry-brushing technique to reinforce the darks, the highlights, and the accent colors.
VALUES: When placing the colors on each subject as Mid-Value, then adding the Light and the Dark values next to each other we can judge well if there will be contrast be- tween them. Once the colors are blended, only where they meet, another value is added. This helps to create dimen- sion, interest and harmony within the painting as well. SIDELOAD BRUSH TECHNIQUE: In this project I only use this technique for the petals on the roses. After placing the colors for the background of the entire rose, as described later, do not wipe the brush at all. Use only one side of the brush – the upper side where the highlight will be – picking up a small amount of Titanium White. On a
practice board draw a small stroke lightly just to take the excess of the Titanium White off. You can always highlight it later. Make sure you do not lose the dark colors on the other side of the brush.
MIXING BRUSH TECHNIQUE: Pull the first color down from a puddle. The plus sign (+) means to pick up more of the color described into the same mixture. Do the same with the next color and mix them with your brush. The first color described for the mixture is the predomi- nant one. The next colors use less amount and the last color described uses just a touch of it.
WET-ON-WET TECHNIQUE: Used when the basic val- ues are applied. Blend the basecoat colors together. Use very soft motion only where the end of each color touches each other. This technique allows the value tones to be well defined. The entire project is done with this technique. DRY-BRUSHING TECHNIQUE: It is used to strength- en the darker and lighter values when the paint is finished and dry, and also to add accent colors. Use a very small amount of the color needed, wiping any excess off on a paper towel. The brush needs to be dry. Strengthen the values by using a circular motion to blend them together. I like to start from the darkest color to the lightest. The pres- sure of the brush is also important so on the darkest part I apply more pressure on the brush and then slowly I release the pressure for a softer look.
TERMINOLOGY
BLENDING: Using light pressure on the brush move it short strokes, mixing the blocked colors only where they meet.
VALUE: Defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. Value creates contrast and dimension, allowing the painting to have dimension and not appear flat. When blocking the colors with three values – light, medium and dark – and blending the colors where one touches an- other, it creates another value between them. Highlights and darkest colors can be applied with the dry-brush technique, finalizing the format, shapes and dimensions of each element.
ACCENT COLOR: The mid-value of an object in parts of the painting. The use of an accent color from one ob- ject onto another part of the painting creates harmony and balance to the overall artwork. It is important to use the accent color randomly and only in a few areas of the paint- ing with the dry-brush technique.
TINT: The definition is “a shade or variety of color.” For this project the tint used is Cadmium Orange+Burnt Sienna, which creates the rich, red interesting colors on the overall painting.
88 The Decorative Painter • SUMMER 2018
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