Thursday, January 21, 2010

JUST BLOW!

Here's a painting project—sorry, not mixed media—that's a lesson in color harmony!
Use watercolors or acrylics.

1. Sweep analogous color washes of juicy paint to create a background on paper or canvas. (Analagous means colors that are found beside each other on the color wheel.)

2. Allow the thin washes to dry. Then place a drop of dark paint or ink at the bottom edge and use a drinking straw to blow it upward in branch-like lines.
Just don't forget yourself and suck it up! Chase that droplet up the page with your drinking straw. Wiggle that straw!
3. When the twig-like lines are dry, paint in a few flower heads, leaves and buds.

Does this take you back to your misspent elementary-school youth? See, “blowing it” can be a good thing!