Decorative painting project - Pansies

It was time for another family 21st party and I always try to give them something memorable. Something that is personal and lasts, and something to ponder about!!! So I had one day to complete it, so what could I do? After much pondering in the wood stash, I found a really lovely turned powder bowl, that miraculously had already been base coated. What luck?

Base layer of flowers. Leaves complete

I looked at it and saw pansies, so that is what I painted. Quick and easy but the finished item would hopefully be elegant!!

Pretty Pansies Project

Started with blended leaves.

I use JO sonja's colours but you can use any acrylic colours you choose.

1. Paint base colour outlining sections with a comma stroke in Hookers green and raw sienna ( Raw sienna is a good toner that, if mixed with all the colours you use, will tie the whole project together.)
2. Begin highlighting by using a lighter green, toner plus dash of yellow or warm white to lighten, but not too dramatically.
When you paint over the previous comma stroke, don't completely cover it, simply shorten the stroke so that the base colour is still seen underneath.
3. Highlight again with another shorter stroke, either by adding more yellow or warm white. Keep the brush fairly dry when doing this final highlight.

4. Add vein with a liner brush using a combination of mid to dark greens. Also outline the leaves haphazardly, that is hit and miss. Dont' make the outline so constricting that it goes completely around. Leave gaps here and there and your eye will fill in the rest of the detail. You will find this looks more natural and gives you areas of light and dark.

5. Glaze with Red violet, and this is quite a watery mix. I glaze only one side of the leaf to create a natural shadow.

Lid complete - just have to rub some gold around the edge

Pansie are a yellow mix, pink mix and blue. I used Raw sienna as a toner with all these colours. Paint the petals in strokes curling towards the centre. Edge with Warm white on your liner brush and roll the paint off the brush here and there for a turnback of the leaf.

Centres and stamens are a black colour, I mixed blue and green together to get a browny black and then small yellow or red strokes, and two small warm white comma strokes for the stamens.

Don't forget the calyxs of the flowers too, for the three flowers that are reversed.

Voila, would any twenty one year old girl be disappointed with this as a present from ones Aunt? Well I hope not!!!
Something to ponder about...