Page 38 - The Decorative Painter Spring 2017

VALUE MIXES
Note: tad = A very small amount. tch = Smaller than a tad.
BACKGROUND
Dark: Burnt Umber+Carbon Black+Permanent Alizarin Crimson (4:1:1/2) Medium: Burnt Umber
Light: Burnt Umber+Medium Beige (4:1)
YELLOW ROSE
Medium: Hansa Yellow Medium+Yellow Oxide (3:1)
Light: Opaque Titanium White+Hansa Yellow Medium (1:1)
Highlight: Opaque Titanium White+Hansa Yellow Medium (2:1)
Dark: Medium Mix+English Red Oxide (1:tad)
Low-Dark: Dark Mix+Hansa Yellow Medium+English Red Oxide (2:1:tad)
LEAVES & STEM
Medium: Hansa Yellow+Carbon Black+Titanium White (2:1:1) Light: Medium Mix+Titanium White+Hansa Yellow (2:1:tad) Highlight: Titanium White+Light Mix+Hansa Yellow (2:1:tch) Dark: Medium Mix+Carbon Black+Hansa Yellow (3:1:tad) Low-Dark: Dark Mix+Carbon Black+Hansa Yellow (1:1:tad)
BACKGROUND
ROSE
LEAVES & STEM
HIGHLIGHT
LIGHT
MEDIUM
DARK
LOW DARK
REFINE BLENDING
Once you have blended all the values and the surface is still wet, wash all the pigment out of the brush. Blot it well into a paper towel to remove all the water. Now put it into DecoArt Extender & Blending Medium and blot it again on a paper towel. With this clean brush that has a slight amount of extender in it, start at the lightest value holding it at a 33-degree angle, lightly skimming over the surface in a blending motion moving it toward the inner rose center. Before the paint dries take the appropriate size mop and refine any areas that need more refinement.
Hint: You can speed-dry the surface with a hair dryer. Any time a hair dryer is used, make sure the surface is back to room temperature before applying any paint, me- diums or tape.
Sometimes it only takes one application of blending to establish form and create a smooth transition from one value to the next; if not, when the surface is dry and back to room temperature, moisten the surface again and re- peat all the steps from above. Then do any refined blend- ing needed.
Hint: Think of water as our solvent or erasure. The only time water is used is to clean pigment out of the brush or to remove any unwanted paint on our painting surface. When I want to remove paint from the surface, I use a clean brush moistened with water.
Mix the values on a wax palette and then transfer onto an “Altered Acrylic” palette. Recipe for making “Altered Acrylics” is on page 39.
36 The Decorative Painter • SPRING 2017
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