SCRIBBLES & SKETCHES

MIXING COLORS

March 2010 - by Tracy Meola

I recently showed off one of my new spring designs to some other painters. Their eyes lit up and they told me they LOVED the colors. This is always very good for the ego.

Thrilled by their response, I told them that I don't normally paint in pastel colors so it was a bit of a challenge for me.

They reassured me my pastel color experiment was a success by saying that the colors came out beautiful.

So I went on to tell them that the entire painting was done in paint colors that were MIXED.   They sighed and made faces and remarks that I won’t print here.

   I hadn't realized until right then, how much Color-Mixing was a dreaded thing amongst some decorative painters. I quickly reminded them that they said they LOVED the painting, especially the COLORS. Even with the hundreds of colors available in already mixed bottles, the colors I used aren't available in a tube or bottle, which is why I mixed them.   (Thank you ladies for being the catalyst for this article.)

   So, why is it that the thought (or act) of mixing colors seems to bring shock or fear into people?

   Okay, I can agree that mixing your own paint color is a slight bit more time consuming. (and maybe in the beginning, it could even be considered a “pain”)

My Confession: When I first started in decorative painting, I hated mixing colors too.

Back then, one of my favorite artists was Susie Saunders and she was a fan of mixing her own colors.   I was new at painting and just wanted to pump out as many of those beautiful paintings as I could, as quickly as I could. But as I grew as an artist and became more comfortable with the basics of painting, I came to realize that one of the reasons I liked Susie’s designs was because the colors were so wonderful.   The only way to get those wonderful colors that I was so drawn to was to MIX them.   What was my hurry anyway?

   I include color mixing in most of my pattern packets. It limits the amount of colors that I need to use for one painting, it creates harmony throughout the painting and it allows my paintings to be unique. It also teaches me more about color as I try to come up with a good color for shadows, tints, and highlights.

If you are painting from a lesson packet, the instructions tell you how to mix the colors that you need for the design. You don’t have to invent the design, or figure how to get the color, just reproduce what the instructions tell you. Color mixing from the instructions in a lesson packet, is a great way to become familiar with colors and how they work together. You are following instructions, but you are learning at the same time. It’s called a “win/win”.

   There is one issue with paint mixing. If you don't finish the painting right then, you have to try and mix the exact color again. But, you could mix enough in the beginning to put some in a container and save for later just in case. Once the painting is completed, if there is any paint left over, just clean the container out and it’s ready for next time.

   During those early years of decorative painting I soon learned that finishing the painting in record time wasn’t the best goal to have if I wanted to develop my artistic talent. Okay, at first it was all about getting paintings done for my home. As I accumulated finished paintings I began to relax more and my interest switched to learning the process and new techniques.

One of the painting tips that I give on my website page is quoted as follows:

“Take your time."   Slow down; enjoy the process as you look toward the end result. The slow process of layering your shadows and highlights will produce a much nicer painting than applying heavy coats to cut down on time invested and just get the painting done. Part of painting is learning, and every time we paint we can learn something if we slow down and work through the painting. My packets require layer after layer of applications. If I begin to mop a shadow on and it is too light, I don't stress and wipe it off; instead I let it dry and apply it again… & maybe again and again. My paintings are worked, not just painted. Constant evaluation is the key for this approach. Painting is fun, not just the finishing of a painting is fun.......so slow down and enjoy.”

   If time spent painting is only to get things finished, eventually we run out of places to hang the paintings or people to give them to. I hope you will get all you can out of the hobby; paintings that you are proud of and gaining personal growth and accomplishment in the process.

Jan 2010 - by Tracy Meola

ARTIST OUTLINE

Meet Christy Hartman, Artist & Teacher

Christy has enjoyed art since she was a small child. Her father was an artist that sculpted, and he began teaching Christy and her brother art concepts when they were very young. Combined with her mother’s love for sewing and needlework, creativity was a big part of Christy’s childhood years. She always thought she would go to college for art but when the time came to make the college decision, instead she opted to earn an elementary education degree. She has taught as an elementary teacher for twenty nine years and had found a way to include her art background by teaching some of her student’s private art lessons during summer breaks. But her love of art and teaching came together full-time seven years ago when she was asked to take over as the elementary art teacher at the school where she was working.

Christy began decorative painting thirty years ago out of the desire to decorate her new home. She and her husband were newly married and couldn’t afford to go out and buy a lot of things for the house. She found and bought books and paints and taught herself to paint through trial and error. Not knowing that bottled acrylic paints existed, she started out painting with the tube type acrylic paints that she had used in high school and mixed her own colors. She says that when she finally found the bottled acrylics, she was so pleased; they were much easier to work with for decorative painting purposes.

In addition to following the instructions in the books she bought, and muddling her way through the methods listed, she had some friends that had also taken up painting. She and her friends would all get together and exchange ideas, discuss techniques and share painting tips.

As it is with many decorative painters, things progressed, and Christy began selling her painted items at local craft fairs. She was designing her own patterns for the items she painted and sold, so when craft fairs lost their popularity, the transition from selling painted items to selling her designs in pattern packets was natural. She decided to try and market her designs and contacted a few retailers. She was limited to selling her patterns through retail stores until 2007, when she implemented her website www.Chartmandesigns.com and also began submitting designs to publications. She says “The website is a way to showcase your work and let others see what you are doing.” She is pleased with the response she has seen from it and plans to continue to expand it.

A future goal of hers is to take her art on the road as a travel teacher. She says that over the years she has learned how to adjust to meet each individual’s learning style. Therefore, with her education degree and her years of teaching experience, she feels she could be a great travel teacher. In addition, she would like to one day see some of her designs translated into stamps and stickers.

Christy works as a full time elementary teacher, which only leaves her with a few hours each evening to paint. But her painting and designing continues and is inspired by living in the Montana Mountains and being around children everyday. She feels that people’s lives, homes and surroundings are what give them inspiration. Her days are spent with children and you can tell that they have a big impact on her just by looking at her designs. Childlike characters are included in many of her designs. She says that children do so many funny things and that she can’t help but remember some of those things when she is painting. For instance, after showing her first grade class a design that she had published in a magazine, one of the students told his parents that Mrs. Hartman was famous and brought them in to meet her. Many times as she looks at her designs she remembers the story behind the painting. Christy’s work with children has expanded beyond the classroom. She is part of the SDP Junior Artist Club program task force which seeks to find ways to promote “the arts” to children.

Christy is a member of the Society of Decorative Painters, but the closest local chapter is a six hour drive which makes it hard for her to be a chapter member. But with the expansion of the internet, Christy stays connected to other painters and friends through email. She also enjoys her online painting groups, she says that they give her the opportunity to talk with other painters from all over the country and they are a great source for information. “One keystroke on the computer and you can be in contact with people who love to do the same thing that you do.”

Christy Hartman

www.chartmandesigns.com

info@chartmandesigns.com

This was a project that Christy designed for a magazine. She originally created the table runner and then decided that napkins would be a nice companion, followed by charger plates, then coordinating candlesticks. She says it was a very challenging project but ended up being a beautiful table ensemble, and it made the cover of the October 2008 issue of Quick and Easy Painting.

Jan 2010 - by Tracy Meola

Make a Great Finish

There is nothing like putting the last touch of a brush to a painting that you have spent hours and hours working on. You lift the brush from the surface, stand up and step just far enough away to make sure nothing else is needed, and then sigh, releasing the feeling of accomplishment and, okay, yes…. closure.

It’s the crescendo of the painting; as exhilarating as the climactic point in a musical passage or performance. But sorry, even at this point the painting isn’t really finished….

Finishing the painting requires protecting it so that it can be admired and enjoyed for years to come. Leaving the painting un-protected leaves it vulnerable to scratching and fading, and perhaps the inability to be cleaned if or when necessary. In addition to protection, the other benefit of adding a finish to your painting is that the color becomes more vibrant and true; as my sister in law, Karen, says “the color pops.”

When painting, our choice of materials can make all the difference in how easy the work is and the overall quality of the finished product. The same is true of what we choose to finish and protect the painting with.

Although every company tries to produce all the supplies necessary for decorative painting, we as painters know that we may love the paint of a particular company, but it doesn’t mean that we find their brushes to be as wonderful, and so on.

Finding the best products isn’t always one stop (company/brand) shopping. Often getting by with a particular product is fine, but then when we find an even better one that we hadn’t yet tried, one that makes things easier or has a certain look to it that we have been desiring, we are thrilled and can’t get enough of it.

After years of painting and trying out many different products, I have found a combination that works very well together and I have been consistent in using them. In fact, at trade shows I’m repeatedly asked about how I get the finish on my paintings, so much so, that I decided to start carrying the products in my booth, and now on my website.

The varnish that I prefer and use is Jo Sonja Water-based Varnish. If you get a little more in one area than in another, it won’t dry as a puddle, with a bump or a thick area, it evens itself out as you add coats. It is easy to work with and glides on smoothly (especially the second and third coats). It dries crystal clear and stays clear for years and it dries as a hard finish; it doesn’t feel like a rubbery poly when dry.

I generally use the Satin finish formula. It is a balanced blend of shiny and matte, so that you get a noticeable finish on the painting that encourages the color and depth to appear, without a high shine or gloss. I actually used to blend the gloss and matte together myself and make my own custom finish until the company started producing the satin finish.

(If you want a high shine use Gloss varnish and if you want the protection and the color brightening without the look of any finish on the surface, like for primitive or reproduction type projects, use Matte varnish.)

An important tool in varnishing, just as important as in painting, is the brush. When I first began painting, I used to varnish with a sponge brush, can you believe that? A sponge brush! And I would wonder how come I couldn’t get rid of the tiny bubbles that formed on the surface.

But once I found the Loew-Cornell White Nylon brush I have used it for years. This brush works well because the bristles are synthetic which makes them very smooth instead of hairy and it doesn’t shed like a regular brush does. It is a combination of soft but with the right amount of stiffness (it doesn’t go limp) as you get the job done. You can feel the smoothness as it glides the varnish across the painted surface. The bristle tips don’t fray easily, however, what may occur, which would occur with any brush, is the varnish settling and hardening in the metal ferrule and causing the bristles to separate. To avoid this, clean the brush well after use and don’t let it sit with varnish in it between coats. Clean it and let it dry after each application.

I use the Jo Sonja varnish and the white nylon brush products on most of my paintings, for general varnishing. Please note that this recommendation is for general varnishing but not an end all. There are times when the painting requires a specialty finish instead of the usual varnishing process, such as a super glossy or enamel appearance, super durability for exterior use, antique or reproduction waxing, etc. In those cases, I use the appropriate product to give the desired effect for that specialty finish.

Finish strong, make varnishing the crescendo of your paintings!

Varnish Bundle Set; Varnish & brush including varnishing instruction sheet is available on my website. www.thepaintingrag.com/tracy

When ordering, to receive the discounted price, be sure to order the varnish bundle SET, do not order items separately. click for VARNISH BUNDLE

Jan 2010 - by Tracy Meola

A Hard Lesson

Many moons ago, when I first started painting I was an avid follower of Susie Saunders designs. I bought and painted almost all of her early ones including a pelt board Santa. He had a long white beard that took many, many, many, many long strokes to accomplish (and in Warm White, no less, aggggghhhhhh).

He had large beautiful eyes and bright pinkish red cheeks that looked like half moons and the design offered two choices of color for his coat, green and red. I chose green. I was so proud when I finished him and couldn't wait to get him varnished and up on the wall. After I let him rest for a few days, I took out my varnish and began to smoothly brush it over the painted surface.....when suddenly YIKES!! I looked and all the beard began to pull off and was smearing all over his beautifull face and coat! Cry, scream, panick, unfortunately that was all I could do, there was no fixing or rescuing the mess. My Sister in Law stood looking at me stunned. I think she was waiting for me to have a complete mental melt down.

I soon learned that one coat of Jo Sonja Clear Glaze Medium would have prevented the damage. It creates a barrier between the painting and the varnish. Varnish has properties in it that can re-activate paint and cause the paint to move or smear. Just one coat of Clear Glaze Medium prevents that from happening.

Being the quick learner that I am, I have used Glazing Medium on every painting that I have finished since.

I DO NOT varnish without first applying a barrier coat of Clear Glaze Medium, and I highly recommend that you do the same. Hopefully you have never suffered such a horrible loss, and please take action not to in the future.

Believe it or not, I painted that Santa all over again on a different board and saved the smeared one as a reminder.

A very sad but true story. Tracy

SCRIBBLES & SKETCHES

Jan 2010 - by Tracy Meola

NOTEWORTHY