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I used to paint a lot back in the day. Then I graduated from high school. It was never something I set out to stop doing, but like many things it was put on the back burner and eventually placed in a cool-whip tub wayyyyy back in the fridge and forgotten about; or at least ignored for fear of terrible smells. I kept my paints, mostly because I am the craft poster child for hoarders. A few weeks about I saw a GIANT canvas (4 ft x 2 ft) for really cheap at Hobby Lobby. Gotta love their ridiculous sales. I’ve been in the market for some GIANT wall art so bought it. Or maybe I just bought it because this house won’t get it’s self on TV (don’t judge, I don’t really want to be on hoarders).
Any way, this was supposed to be a tutorial but my original method didn’t work and my hands got covered in paint so I stopped picking up the camera. I know, I’m a terrible blogger.
I did the whole thing in one day, took about 4 hours, including drying time.
I started out with a whole lotta white, some deep blue, some cerulean blue and a tich of black for that steely grey winter sky look. I used acrylic paint that I had on hand, Americana and Apple Barrel brands. The dark blue and black are ‘gloss’ finishes but there isn’t enough of them to make it glossy, the finish is matte.
Mix the white and light blue and start slapping it down, use the water to make the paint go farther. I didn’t want a really saturated blue. Add in some dark blue and a teeeeeeeny bit of black to add dimension. Use the water to make all the colors blend (one again, I’m a terrible blogger and can think of no better way to explain that). The colors should be subtle but not flat.
Now comes the fun part. The trees.
Start the tree by making some random lines. Really, don’t over think it.
Fill in the ‘trunk’ with a medium brown. Add shading with dark browns and highlight with mustard. Use water to thin the paint for blending. Remember that the trees start with few thick lines and branch out into many thin lines. Try to keep going up and out. Cross lines from time to time. Keep it random and natural looking. Step back every now and then, don’t get lost in the details.
The finished project. So what if my painting is bigger than my dining room table? Ignore the mess, I do. Alfie has turned into a confetti maker so I have shredded paper everywhere.
Close up on the shading and branching.
He would sleep like this for hours if I’d let him.
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