Learn to Paint A Simple Daisy

As promised, long ago, I am posting the how to paint a daisy tutorial.

This is part of the Learn to Paint series.  Click on link in navigational bar to see other posts in this series.

  I was working on a new chalkboard and thought the black background the perfect surface for some pretty summer daisies.  And since I was painting daisies this was good time to get the tutorial done.

This is a full shot of the chalk board so far. I may put a trim line along the side and bottom too or a daisy in each bottom corner. I am still deciding.



I also left the peek into my studio un-cropped, it gives you a quick idea of the “out of control chaos” goin’ on in there.

I will include links to several short videos.  The audio might not be the greatest but you really just want to see how I paint and not hear my yammering anyways.  They are short but many, I have not mastered how to splice videos together.  A techie trick I have to add to my ‘yet to learn’ list.

Now for the tutorial.

First off I have a drawing I work from.  Sometimes I don’t use one as I can just jump in and paint them but when you are starting out,  a sketch is good.  This came out of one of my painting books, I think a Priscilla Hauser one, not certain.



Since I will be working on a dark surface I will transfer the pattern with chalk instead of using graphite paper.  (there is white transfer paper but I am out of it at present)

I flip the pattern over and run a piece of chalk on the back surface mostly behind the drawing. 



Then I flip it face up, position it and take a pencil or pen and trace over the drawing. 

You end up with something like this.  I had hand drawn the circle in for the rose so I could position to daisies around it.



It is a bit messy with chalk dust but that dust brushes right off.
As is my usual practice I base in the leaves first, and the rose.  (to see how I do my leaves check this post: Leaves)



I undercoat the petals in an Vintage white.  I use a #6 filbert brush, Loew-Cornell. First I do paint in a small golden yellow oval for placement of the center.

Undercoat petals

When I am in a hurry I dry the separate coats with a blow dryer.  So between videos that is what I am doing.  If a coat is still to wet with acrylic craft paints it just pulls up the prior coat.

Once dry I apply the second coat to the petals in white.  You do not have to be perfect, if the undercoat shows around some edges that just gives it dimension.

Go over petals with white

Now for the centers. I go over the centers once again with the golden yellow color.

Shadow along the bottom of the center with a yellow ochre and along the top with a brighter yellow to highlight some.
You can tap it in or stroke it for whichever effect you wish.

work on centers

centers continued

centers dimple

finishing touches

Use a small flat brush to stroke in a small C stroke with Burnt Umber for a dimple. Seems I did not get a still shot of putting in that part but it is in the videos.

Here is the final result, some bright summery daisies on your chalkboard.



One final shot of the chalkboard.

That’s it for today folks.  Enjoy and happy painting. 






 
Share your cup Thursday

Hand Painted Signs going out the Door

I just sent out this Potting Shed sign.  The photo does not show up the pink rosebuds well but they are there.

I have been buried in painting up special orders as fast as I can.  I pop out of the studio here and there to grab a bite to eat and see to other necessary duties. 

My studio is crazy disorganized at this point but that is the way it goes when you have more items on your list than time in the day.
Another sign going out today.

Welcome to Our Cottage with Hydrangeas.  Love the colors together.
 
 
Between signs I have worked on the chalk boards a bit more.  I got the trim done on this one along the inside rim. I put chalk lettering on it so you can see it.



And I changed my mind on the frame for this one, I just painted a border along the edge and bottom though who knows I may decide to go ahead with the trim if I can dig out my table saw. 
 


I finally have gotten to that “how to Paint a Daisy” tutorial and will ‘hopefully’ post it on Monday, for those of you following my Learn to Paint series.

Here is a teaser photo. 



If all of that is not enough to keep me busy I have spent each evening learning how to make themes, child themes, writing CSS script etc. for my new website.  When I am done with all this I will be able to make anyone a website and/or edit pre-existing themes to my specifications.  (I hope)

Exercising my brain like this is good for it but I now have dreams about writing code, widgets and plugins. I have to keep reminding myself that Wordpress is my friend.

Actually, I have to commend all you out there that have posted videos and tutorials that are so user friendly in all of this stuff.  Especially the step by step screen shot videos.  They save me hours of work and frustration, for sure.
 
Okay, enough prattle from me, I am just checking in to let everyone know I have not fallen off this freezing earth.  At least freezing here.  A high of 32 degrees yesterday, brrrr.  A start of 25 this morning, it does take the studio heater a bit to warm it up at that temp. 

Back out to work I go. 
 
Happy Painting,

Chalkboard Art

Good wet Wednesday all.  It is a good day to spend in the studio painting, the rain pours and I have the heater cranked up to keep me toasty as I paint away.

I have a couple more sign orders to fill and in between painting the signs I have been working on some chalk boards.
I do love the way the colors stand out against the black chalkboard paint.  I bought a small test bottle but I have numerous ideas of things to turn into chalkboards so buying a quart of this stuff is on my list. 

This first one is a cabinet door, I have yet to trim the inside rim and I am thinking a nice soft gray to outline it the black. 
I should’ve written something on it in chalk for you. 
 
Hmmm…I always thing of these things a bit late.  
 


This next one is just a piece of plywood, I shall put a frame around it and paint it or stain it, I have yet to choose. 

I just love the lavender with the yellow.



These are both a good size to hang in the kitchen as menu boards or maybe to have a grocery list. 

I have a few clipboards I am going to paint up next.
 
Along with all this painting I am slowly working on my new website.  I no longer am completely overwhelmed with learning the new platform and am actually getting accustomed to it enough to enjoy the creative process. 

It will still be awhile before I have it running properly as I only work on it an hour here and there.

I am not only learning to build a website on Wordpress but how to create my own themes so I am not dependent nor restricted by premade themes created by others. 
 
I am told learning a new skill increases the synopsis in the brain and therefore keeps it sharp which (I hope) will offset the damage done by banging my head against my desk in frustration.

Enjoy your day!

We are Home again.

I think I have recovered enough from our trip to dig into necessary things around here. 

First I have to ship off this sign which was ordered while I was gone.

And I need to customize this one to ship out.

So needless to say I gotta get busy.

The trip home from Idaho was eventful.  More than we desired as we were so tired already.  The nasty rains that flooded the Valley here was in full force as we came over Donner Pass and half the time you could not see anything for the water covering your windshield.  Plus because of the late start we got it was 1:30am as we trucked on over it.

Then I got a blow out on my Burb, had to wait an hour and a half for AAA to get to me (I am sure they were extra busy that night so no complaints, just a statement of fact) and change the tire.  I did feel sorry for the tow truck driver that had to change it in the relentless downpour, first he had to dig out my packed to the gills backend of the Burb to access the tools while I sat in the dry and warm front seat.

My husband was ahead of me about 2 miles or so and since he was towing a huge trailer he could not get back to me.  Of course, all of this occurred in an area that is remote as could be but thankfully I did have cell service and my AAA membership paid for itself with that one call. 

We pulled in to our driveway at 5am in the morning, both of us had been up since 5am the previous morning so to say we were tired is a severe understatement.  We only grabbed what we needed before letting ourselves into our cold house and climbing into a freezing bed.  I did crank up our central heat and quite frankly we fell asleep so promptly that I don’t know that it made a difference. 

Until we got up and it was quite cozy about 4 hours later.  We could not force ourselves to sleep during the daylight hours so we got up and though we felt like we had been run over by the truck and trailer we bumbled around getting a few things unloaded and unpacked.

Do you remember this picture?

This is the trailer my husband drug home. On it is an airplane mold for a prototype plane our company was working on a few years back when the economy took a dive and it halted all our projects of the moment.

Following him and seeing the double takes countless people did as they exited buildings, or driving down the road etc was quite humorous.  It did not fail, we stopped to get fuel or to grab a bite to eat and we were approached by every tom, dick and harry plane enthusiast to ask about it.  We could over hear others taking bets on what it was, some voted for a submarine, another a rocket ship then they would approach us and ask. 

Now that November is over and gone, this moving is done we have to hit the ground running in December to catch up on our stuff. 

I have finally dove into the rebuilding of my website.  My website software I used is out of date and not compatible with Windows 7 and I have needed to learn a new software for ages but did not have the time.

I still don’t but it is a necessary thing so I must make time. 

Because my current website would be disrupted (therefore my sales)I have had to start from scratch with a new website and business name.  So far this is the header with the new name. 

The choosing of the name happened last summer during our yard sale.  I had a trio of ladies that came by during the last day and they were a fun group. 

They were laughing, having a great time and found tons of goodies to buy.  They loved my garden and requested a tour of it and my studio.  We chatted about what I did and what I would like to do and they decided between them to name my studio.  The one suggestion of branching out into garden accessories, offering seeds of my many flowering plants and letting folks tour my garden (which I could place my garden accessories that are offered up for sale in)was not a bad one either. 

But anyways they tossed about a batch of funny names and quickly dismissed them then someone said Flower Patch Farmhouse, it had a ring to it.

It fit with the garden theme and the old farmhouse buckets changed into planters, the farm house table I use for a painting bench and what I had in mind as far as where I would like to take the business. 

So it stuck, in my brain anyways.

And when I decided to start a website from scratch that is what I called it. 

My current website focuses on my paintings and signs but I have networked with friends and many have things to offer so this will hopefully be a boutique of a variety of hand made treasures. Vintage style aprons, crochet items, refurbished furniture and pillow covers. 

It could totally flop, or I may end up just using it as I do my current website.  But who knows, I won’t until I try.  So here goes.

Actually the website is live but it is a mess, a total and complete mess.  This new (to me)website platform (wordpress) is so foreign to me that I feel like a non-swimmer that has been thrown in at the deep end of the pool!  

Okay, time to get off of here and get to work. 

December is going to be a great month, I have decreed it!

POPT (power of positive thinking)