I am a member of Tole Town. It is a fun place that offers 3
patterns a month and a line drawing challenge.
I have a friend who is always the first to post hers, and once someone
posts, it is difficult to think of something different, because your mind is focused
on the cuteness of your friend’s creation!
I always feel that I have to put this disclaimer into every pattern I share on my blog, lest someone think I am hiding some deep dark secret~~no secret. DecoArt is the Best in my opinion, so, here goes: I am also a member of the DecoArt Helping Artist program
that allows me to get some free products, but mostly, I buy things at a
discount, which is great for me, because I LOVE to try new things. I have used DecoArt Americana paints for over
20 years, so obviously, I use them because I love them.
I am fascinated with Mixed Media and have spent quite a
while learning how others use these products.
I have to admit, I am not a fan of gluing things on things, but I LOVE
the process of using textures and building layers and colors. SEE—if you look for something you like, you
will usually find it! If I do start to
glue charms on top of charms and fake flowers, PLEASE form an intervention for
me. And, by all means, when you see me
painting a skull, you best fall to your knees!
LOL
As I was chatting with my friend who finished her line
drawing challenge, I left with some good ideas.
THEN, as I was doing another scroll through fb-land, I saw that DecoArt
Media was having a Mixed Media Challenge called “Under the Sea.”
Ok, those who follow me KNOW that Mother did NOT believe in
coincidence!! SO, I grabbed a piece of
paper and sketched something really quickly…honestly, I did it in about 10
minutes. Yes, it might actually look
like it took me 10 minutes, or less…that is ok. As long as you don’t tell me
that, I can live with you not appreciating my silliness! Chances are, even if
you do tell me, I will probably get over it, too…
It would be politically incorrect for me to share that my
mermaid looks like a drag-queen mermaid, so I will not say that, because I will
NOT be unkind, and what? Me? Make fun of
my own skills?!! Ne-va!!
I have been sharing some step-by-steps of the process in
this post. I’m not going to type instructions, because hey, I’m not getting
paid to make a pattern!! (she says
giggling…) I am amazed at how something
so simple can use so many different products…how do I keep doing that. I am going to do a self-challenge one day and
do something with only 4 or 5 colors.
Sooooooooooo….here is a list of the colors I used to paint
this on an 8x10 Canvas board.
BUT FIRST, I want to give credit to Lorrie Weber for the
cute little jelly fishes…Thank you, Lorrie…this was fun. She owns the copyright to them, and it is
only nice to give credit when you use someone’s drawing.
I made my FIRST print using my gelli-print that I won over
one year ago. To make the paper, I used
the DecoArt Americana Colors: Citron Green, Boysenberry Pink, Tangerine. This paper was used to make the banners, the
table and the jellyfish. Honestly, the
banners look just like I painted them. I
am thinking I might not be a good gelli-print Ambassador—Sorry, Geli Print
People—others do AMAZING things with them, and I am in awe.
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Translucent White, Carbon
Black, Yellow Green Light, Viridian, Diarylide Yellow, Raw Sienna, Burnt
Sienna, Metallic Gold, Dioxazine Purple, Cobalt Blue Hue, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt
Teal Hue, Primary Magenta and Green Interference.
DecoArt Media White Gesso, DecoArt Media Matte Medium
DecoArt Metallic Lustre, Majestic Purple
Just a few hints of the process:
I used a piece of Punchinello to stencil Gesso onto the
background. For some reason, when I
think of doing something with the sea, I think of bubbles, which reminds me,
saying BUBBLES is hard when you are angry, and I have been angry today, so once
again, ART is just what the Doctor ordered.
The background was created using Translucent White and
Cerulean Blue in the middle and working Cobalt Blue Hue around the edges into
the lighter background. I seem to like a
lighter center with a darker edge.
What I forget about when I use these wonderfully pigmented
Fluid Acrylics, is their translucency.
It is so fun to build colors, but when I did my turquoise fish, I laughed
as the Purple I added turned into a dark blue!!
I had visions of a purple/turquoise fish, but that is ok…I am capable of
powering through. I could have changed
it, but he just seemed that he was meant to be...it had NOTHING to do with my being lazy~~maybe...
I added Green Interference on top of the Mermaids fish
suit. It looks really cool in person…
The sand is Metallic Gold instead of a traditional sand, because, isn’t the magic of the sea, the treasures she hides? Who KNEW there was a Popsicle Bar under the
sea? Perhaps I should learn to dive,
after all… (nope, not happening, I hope…Another Mother saying, “Don’t say what
you are not going to do, because you will end up doing it!” Yikes…better not chance this one…)
I added Translucent White to tone down the colors and to
make them more pastel for the popsicles.
Also, I based the fish with Translucent White, before I painted them.
Oh, I forgot that I used a Fudeball pen to outline the
banners, table, and jellyfish…I have to admit, that I am enjoying how easy they
are to use, and I might be getting lazy by using them…that is ok. Something in
life should be easy, right?
I finished by adding Majestic Purple Metallic Lustre around
the edges.
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| This is what my pallet looks like after this was painted...see the little dots...it takes very little paint! |
AND, by all means, don’t waste paint! It drives me crazy to watch videos where
paint is wasted. It take a VERY small
amount of paint to create any of these objects…just put a small dot onto your
pallet, and add to it if you need more.
 |
I think everything is just straight up painting…If I can do
it, then YOU can do it…just have fun!
Life is too serious and unkind, so doing something for JOY is such a
gift…I do not take this gift of art for granted, one bit. Will my art change the world? Absolutely not, but it does CHANGE ME, so that is a good thing. I am simply blessed to create~~charlotte♡
