sample sketch

Love the way you have drawn the tree. Very Japanese like. Suggestion about putting one or two small birds in the branches. Like the idea of gold paint in with the picture. I did it a few years ago when painting angels. Worked well and reflects the light. If you keep to a limited colour range the picture won't be too complicated either.

Its lovely and love too the idea of the gold paint will enhance it.

thanks both of you ~ i like the birds idea ~ goldfinches? or maybe a wren cos they are my favourites

Your welcome Stickitoffe good idea to add little critter would be lovely.

if you added goldfinches you could add gold to them too.

thats what i was thinking lindak :o))

Two artists one mind. :0)

I like that very much

thank you!
the painting is not doing so well!!!

I got some acrylic gold paint ( daler/rowney)-- the only problem I found was that you had to build up layers to get the effect I wanted but you can buy gold or silver paint pens which can give more control for really detailed work

yes i used the pens on that sketch ~ for some reason the acrylic paint is not blending to make the sunset. is that normal for acrylic?

gold on the pears sounds lovely sticki, nice sketch to ;o)

thank you ~ i need your art class to help me get better now tho

i have to say its a great help going there, cant wait for tomoz then its closed till newyear i think, hope to finish my mountain exercise painting, its been fun ;o) do you have an art society near you its only £20 a year and the painting classes are free then

ooh i didnt realise that ~ that is excellent value ~ i shall have a look! thank you

your welcome, you pay £5 memebrship to which is 25 in all but then 20 each year, cause i joined late i just payed £10 till next year, you only pay if you go to life classes after that, but painting is free, good luck

thank you!

with acrylic you seem to have to build up layers or water it slightly to get it to 'run' also you can buy a tube of retarding gel which stops it drying so very quickly ( totally opposite to San's experience with oils, it looks as if it may be watercolour paper Sticki-- you can buy acrylic or paint on to canvas or board but it will need ' priming' with a cuple of coats of a neutral colour first ( maybe Santa could bring you a book I find them very helpful)

thanks pam ~ the sketch was in a watercolour book ~ you are right, the painting i am trying is on a board ~ ready primed.
i tried adding a little water to the acrylic paint but it still hasnt helped it to blend. i shall have to have a look at a few books, i can try the library too ~ they are quite good round here.

Nice picture ST have you tried pastels? I find them easy to use great for blending colours, although Oils is my favourite medium it is quite messt too and you need a special area to do it in;0)

i have probably had a little try with them all, pastels are great for blending i know, this was done with aquerelles so the idea was i could blend with water later??

Sticky
If you are referring to blending the background,make sure what you have done is totally dry, put a good amount of white out on your pallet plus small amounts of the colours you want to blend,you want a fairly stiff brush about an inch wide.and a damp sponge wipe the the sponge over the whole board to damp it,Using your brush pick up your white paint starting at the top paint side to side and add very small amounts of the colours with the same brush and rapidly blend them with the white you should be able to achieve a good blend.
possibly try it on a spare piece of board,also avoid working in a hot room,turn the central heating down. lol
I know how to do it weather i can explain it is another matter
how about gold foil you wont get a better colour, bit dear but you would not need much.

thank you for that ~ i think i can see what you mean but may be better to practise as you suggest! i like the gold foil idea ~ id really like it to catch the light and im sure that would! thank you Bjs

I think I used a miniature tin of gold paint that the model makers use and blended that into the picture. The actual tin is only about an inch big.

i know the one you mean lindak ~ thank you! ive done the background now ~ but only on a small board ~ if it was to be any real use i should have done something like A3 but thats too scary!!

I did 4 paintings for church a few years ago for CHristmas and used the gold paint from the little tin with acrylic paints and it turned out good and shines. They place the canvasses up against the windows and the light shows through the paintings. They put them up every year.

oh how lovely ~ have you got a photo ~ light fascinates me

Gold paint really jolly's up a picture!! Acrylics is the only paint I know apart from inks which fade, which is sad because ink has such a vibrancy. Lovely tree, good luck with it!!

thanks lulu

I'm working through your photos from the back forwrad, Sticki - did you finish it, and if so, have you posted a pic??

no fran, i think they call it 'work in progress'!!?

lol okay, i'll keep watching and hoping ...

I think it should be the tree of life with birds and insects in.

That would be nice Linda, I can't draw birds though!

well, idealised or stylised birds, just to be reocgisinsed as such?

*s* I tried to draw a barn owl once, to go with a poem I'd done; turned out easier to draw the background and leave an owl-shaped space in the middle! not a very good one, though.

But that was full-page, you only need tiny ones to go on y our tree; at least, I'm presuming the birds don't need to be huge. Is that an A4 sketchpad?

*s* if it comes to it, do what we used to do as kids, a stylised curved-V-shape to represent a bird's wings in flight!

Just cut out bird shapes and paint around the edges, or cut them out stick them on and make a collage.