PROJECTS
Wildflower Still Life
I am an avid gardener. The details I find in a garden are enough to keep me inspired forever. With a garden as a source of inspiration, there are endless possibilities for creating art!
STEP 1
With a pencil, lightly draw the shape of three vases or pitchers. Trace your favorites, or simply draw from memory, like Iâve done here.
STEP 2
With a large, flat-tipped brush, fill in the background with lavender mixed with periwinkle. This background feels more natural as a gradient of color, so donât worry if itâs not a perfectly flat finish. Go over the table top in viridian green or a deep emerald green mixed with some primary black to create shading. Paint the background two or three time to achieve your desired color.
STEP 3
Carefully paint your vases. Paint the rear vases first, and let them dry completely before adding details. With ivory paint, color the pitcher in the front. Let this layer dry, and then add a bee and a handle. Add more details using cream yellow and viridian green.
STEP 4
With a small, round-tipped brush, paint the flower stems. Use viridian green, ash green, and emerald green to paint the different kinds of plants. After the stems have dried, use a pencil to sketch the flower tops onto the stems, as well as any detail youâd like to add to your piece, such as butterflies, bees, fruit, and scissors.
STEP 5
With a clean, small, round-tipped brush, paint the details that you just sketched, being careful to cover your pencil marks. Let the layers dry before adding more detail to the same area.
Now you can add shading. For the lemons, I used cream yellow and mustard yellow to create shading. To add shading to the other elements, add a bit of white or primary black to the paint color you used.
STEP 6
Using your smallest brush, go back and add bits of tiny flora and extra flowers. With viridian green mixed with black, add shading around the background edges to give your piece a finished look. Add shading under and around each vase to finish your painting.
Songbird
Growing up, my mother placed birdseed around the garden to attract songbirds. We saw so many kinds of songbirds that I think they will forever serve as inspiration for me. My favorite, though, remains the iconic cardinal.
STEP 1
With a pencil, lightly draw the shape of a cardinal. Reference wildlife photos to get an idea of the sizing and placement of the feathers, beak, and belly.
STEP 2
Using a large, flat-tipped brush, paint the background a light, dusty blue mixed with a bit of periwinkle. Paint around your cardinal. Go over the background two to three times, and then let it dry.
Paint the cardinal using various shades of light, primary, and dark red with a medium-sized round-tipped brush. The key to getting the perfect cardinal color is multiple layers of bright reds and blending. Keep the darker shades of red on the cardinalâs wing mixed with a bit of black. Keep the lighter reds at the base by the belly. You can even blend a touch of coral here. Keep the edges soft, like feathers. Using a slate gray or black, paint the birdâs mask and any feather detail youâd like to add.
STEP 3
With a pencil, carefully sketch stems and flowers around the cardinal.
ST...