Summer 2015 Acrylic Class

Acrylic Project: TJ’s Bouquet Week 6

Mostly we worked on brightening and detailing the flowers in our bouquet. Because we are working on black it sometimes will take 2-3 coats of paint with gesso to cover the canvas.

I also went in and based in the ferns which I will add highlights and shadows in the next class. The base green I used was a mix of sap green, a touch of orange and gesso to dull it a bit then to lighten the green I would add yellow and gesso to lighten and blue to darken it it is the painting of the fern that will be the challenge here so they don’t look like green fish bones.

The one thing you need to do before you start painting is to LOOK at the fern to see their shape and their structure so you will understand my description and it is best if you practice on another canvas BEFORE you work on you painting. You will notice that each frond of the

fern has a basic triangular shape being wider at the top, branching out to smaller and smaller limbs to nothing at the end and they curve. Each of those limbs also branch out being wider at the point where they connect to the main stem getting narrower to the ends. You must see this to paint it even it is just a general wedge shape. Draw a guide if you need to with your chalk or charcoal so you have something to follow and be sure to look at the reference photo or find some asparagus fern and study it before you begin.

Using a smaller flat bristle brush – my #4, you may need to use a #3 or #2 if you are working on a smaller canvas – I worked the paint into the bristles by pushing it into the paint on my palette the wiping the excess lumps off on my paper towel. If you have an older, worn down brush like mine, it will be the perfect shape for this, if you brush is newer, you will need to use the corners of the brush.

I started at the top of the fern and worked my way down doing each limb by lightly taping my brush in a series of overlapping irregular dots. Think fuzzy as you paint so you don’t get a whole frond of neatly placed dots, your strokes should overlap, congest in places, thin out in places, the limbs themselves will over lap at times or be shorter than the opposite side pair and tap lightly don’t smash it into you canvas. As you do this you can add more green or blue to make it darker or yellow and white just by picking you those colors and tapping them into the existing color, but this is going to take some practice to understand and perfect so get out that spare canvas first.

We will be finishing up this painting on Monday our last class is Aug 24^th so you will have a week to finish this up or start your own painting. I know that people have been taking vacations and other various commitments throughout this summer session, just do the best you can and I will see you in class.