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Showing posts with label DIY décor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY décor. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Watercolor Pumpkin Patch

Hey everybody, Fall is finally here and no doubt your craft projects and art will be inspired by this wonderful season.  This is a watercolor painting project that I think you'll love. It's a pumpkin patch painting using one of my new 12"x12" stencils and Color Burst. 



I chose a Color Burst palette that's perfect for fall...Yellow Ochre, Orange, Burnt Orange, Burnt Umber and Lamp Black.  I love this color palette for fall...in fact, it's the first time that I've really focused on using Burnt Orange...the deep orange tone is wonderful!


And, here's the new stencil I used.  
It's 12"x12" and called Harvest Pumpkins.


To get started, I placed the stencil on top of one of my 12"x12" Mixed Media Art Boards, the front side of the board is covered with watercolor paper, so it's a great surface for this project.  And, as you can see, I've already used this stencil with black ink, It actually helps you to see the stencil image in this photo. 


With the stencil in place, I used a pencil to trace the outline of the pumpkins, and if you'll notice, I used the stencil to add an additional pumpkin...I simply traced the 2 pumpkins in the foreground, and moved the stencil over to add an additional pumpkin in the background on the right side of the composition.  Here's a tip, you do not have to "draw" this image with any exact precision...in fact, I just kind of scribbled through the stencil to create my "drawing."


Then, I started to paint the image with Color Burst Burnt Orange and water.  You may have seen Color Burst sprinkled and spritzed...painting with Color Burst is a little different.  Tap out a bit of Color Burst powder into a paint palette, then pick up the pigment with a wet brush and begin painting and blending.


From here on out, it's like paint by numbers, I completed the painting by filling in little sections, until each section was painted.  It's cool to watch it all come together.


And then, used Color Burst Olive Green to paint the leaves.


To paint the background, I create a muted wash with Yellow Ochre, Olive Green, and Burnt Umber.


And filled in the remaining areas with a subtle watercolor wash. You'll notice, I left the tendrils blank until the watercolor wash background was complete.  It's easier to paint them on top of the background rather than to paint around them.
To complete the painting, fill in the details, like the tendrils, pumpkin stems and...


some "straw" in the foreground with Burnt Umber. 


Here's a list of the supplies I used:
Ken Oliver Crafts Mixed Media Art Board 12"x12"
Ken Oliver Crafts Harvest Pumpkin Stencil 12"x12"
Color Burst Burnt Orange, Orange, Yellow Ochre, Olive Green and Burnt Umber
#10 Robert Simmons White Sable Round Watercolor Brush
Black Frame, Canvas Corp.

I didn't include links to the projects...please ask your local retailer to order them for you or do a quick google search if you don't have a local retailer.  You'll find lots of options.   

This little painting will look great in your home from now through Thanksgiving...and your friends will think you're a watercolor genius!

Thank you again for stopping by today, I hope you've picked up a little inspiration and will try water coloring with Color Burst and stencils.  

Til next time,

 


Saturday, November 28, 2015

DIY Color Burst Leaf Bowl


With online and social media sites full of great DIY inspiration Creative Team Coordinator Krista Riley used an image of a DIY natural leaf bowl and taking paper and Color Burst she created this amazing one of a kind bowl that is truly unique.





Check out Krista's blog here for instructions on how you too can make your very own.  The possibilities are endless.

Thanks Krista for sharing.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Color Burst Wall Decor Workshop at The Paper Boutique in Springfield Illinois

This week, I am in the Land of Lincoln, in Springfield, Illinois.  It's really beautiful, I'd never been to Springfield before, it's the state capital...


and as luck would have it, I stayed near the state house, so I had a great view of the state capital building...really wonderful architecture!  I always enjoy local history and today I may venture out to see President Lincoln's Springfield home. 

I came to Springfield to teach a couple classes using Color Burst.  It's a new watercolor product that let's you create beautiful art with just a little sprinkle and spritz.  If you've not heard of it before, watch this quick video so you can see how dynamic creating with Color Burst can be.  


The video was made during a trade show, so there's a little background noise...it doesn't really matter so much...you can see Color Burst at work!  It's a truly exciting medium to create with,  

One of the workshops we offered at The Paper Boutique was a DIY Wall Decor project.  Here are a few of the finished pieces from our workshop.  I gotta tell you, it was great fun.


We start with a Canvas Corp 12x12 natural canvas, paint a little background color on it,




 And then begin our colorful journey with Color Burst.  Here's the dealio...this class is intense, you get a big helpin' of color theory, water color technique, and collage techniques. 


We spritz and sprinkle...and add layers of gorgeous color...



 and use wonderful stencils from Stencil Girl Products to create beautiful


water colored, stenciled works of art, 


that we mount onto our canvases.  


It's really cool, because everyone's art is different, and expresses their own creative style!


 This sunburst is really cool.


And this flock of blackbirds is awesome!  


 This floral stenciled piece is really gorgeous too...you can even see the depth in the watercolor! It looks 3-D!


At the end of the day, everyone creates a unique piece of art...that they can display in their home and be proud of...it's a really fun workshop!  


Thanks again to The Paper Boutique, Corynn, Jackie and everyone who came out to create some art!  It was a fun weekend!

Would you like to own a set of the newest colors of Color Burst before they even hit the market?  Visit my Ken Oliver Crafts Facebook page to find out how, you only have to "Like and Share" and ask your friends to like Ken Oliver Crafts too.  



I am out in Illinois and Iowa this week teaching and I am looking forward to sharing Color Burst with everyone...Color Burst is really addictive! 

Til next time, 
Ken

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Spring Monograms-Moss Gardens


Monograms are everywhere these days, paper monograms, diecut monograms, painted and hand-lettered monograms, even lighted monograms are showing up in craft and decor, on every kind of project imaginable...I had a flash of a wild idea...to create a moss garden monogram.  They look very fresh, very springy and will make a cool Easter gift for my nieces and nephew. They're teens and tweens so it has to have some "cool" factor.


Making this project was a snap.  I got monogram letters from Micheal's, along with a bag of sphagnum moss from the floral department. 



Then painted them with Americana Multi-Surface Satin Paints from DecoArt...I used pastel colors since it's spring. 


I applied two coats of paint to each monogram.




 And, when they were dry, glued Sphagnum moss to the front of each monogram.


They turned out so cool! I had a pack of lichens too, so I added a few lichens, just for visual interest and texture. 






I really love how these turned out!  They're perfect for spring and let you bring a little nature indoors. 


Thank you for stopping by today, I hope you'll try this project for yourself because it's fun and it looks great in any room!

Happy Easter, 
Ken


Monday, March 23, 2015

Day One Stencil Girl and Ken Oliver Crafts Blog Hop





Hi and welcome to day one of a blog event that I know you are going to love...the Style Contributors for Ken Oliver Crafts and I have teamed up with the design team of Stencil Girl Products to bring you some of the most amazingly inspiring art all created with products from Stencil Girl and Ken Oliver Crafts!  

Our blog event is March 23rd through March 27th...so, check back with us every day this week!  You'll have the chance to win some incredible prizes from Stencil Girl and Ken Oliver Crafts. 

I'm first up on the hop this week and I can't to show you what I've made with Color Burst and 1 stencil from Stencil Girl. 


I've created a dramatic wall decor piece that will look great in almost any room!  And it's created




with

Color Burst from Ken Oliver Crafts


 and
from Stencil Girl Products

This is how easy it is...cut a piece of heavy weight water color paper to 11"x11", I used Strathmore 140lb cold pressed paper

I chose a warm color palette, Alizarin Crimson, Orange and Lemon Yellow.   If you haven't used Color Burst before, you're going to be in for a treat!  Color Burst is ultra fine paint pigment in powder form.  It's really fun to use because it's in a fine tip applicator bottle that makes the basic application as easy as spritz (with water) and sprinkle!  Then, I sprinkled Color Burst on the surface of the paper...a little goes a long way...


then spritz with water.



Immediately you'll see color burst all over the paper!  It's not just an art medium...it's an experience to watch the color develop as it interacts with water! 


 You can spritz a little more water to help blend in the color...and you can use a heat tool to dry the paper. 


You can achieve some really intensely colored backgrounds just by simply spritzing and sprinkling!  Make sure to use a heat tool to dry the paper in between layers of color.  As I started to build up my layers of color...I added some ultramarine blue and violet to really get those colors going.


When I got my layers of color how I wanted them, I mottled the background by adding big drops of water to the surface of the paper to "lift out" pigment.  Drip water onto the painted paper, then lightly blot off the water to reveal the mottled pattern you'll get from removing pigment. I even let a few drips run down the page.



Then to finish the composition, I stenciled the Celestial Grove stencil onto the paper by laying the stencil on the surface of the paper, then sprinkling Color Burst over the stencil, then lightly misting the stencil with clean water.  When you remove the stencil, you will be amazed! 



 To give this piece a finished look, I inked the edges of the watercolor paper with a Burnt Orange Click It Ink Pad. Inked edges look great.  


 The next step is really easy too...


Paint a 12"x12" artist's board with black acrylic paint and let dry, 


Lightly sand the edges of the painted artist's board with a sanding block, 


then affix the piece of watercolor paper to the artist's board by applying a thin coat of Mod Podge to the backside of the watercolor paper and placing it on the board.  Let it dry, and just like that, you've created a beautiful gallery style watercolor wall decor piece that will look great in any room! 


I was so excited about our blog event that I created a couple of cards with another stencil...



I used the same techniques, sprinkle and spritzing with a stencil them affixed the stenciled water color paper to a piece of coordinating cardstock and then glued it to a 6"x6"  white card base.  


I love the simplicity of these cards, they are very elegant and very artful.  



Make sure to visit the other blogs on the hop today...I think you're going to love what you see! 


Thank you for visiting our blogs today and I hope that you'll be inspired to create something wonderful with Stencil Girl Products and Ken Oliver Crafts! We have a crafty haul of prizes from Ken Oliver up for grabs, just leave a comment below and you'll be eligible to win!


Winners will be randomly selected from our blogs, just leave a comment to become eligible for a prize. It's easy!

We'll list the daily winners in the comments sections of our respective blogs so watch for the winners names.  

Here's what we're giving away!
12 Daily Prizes - 1 Pack Ken Oliver Crafts 6x6 Papers(24 pieces).
2 Grand Prizes on Friday- 1 Complete Set of Color Burst (6 Colors); 1 Complete Set of Click It Ink Pads (6 Colors); 1 Set Pegz Alphabet Stamp Set;
Leave a comment on each StencilGirl Talk post and the team members posts to be entered to win a $50 gift certificate from Stencil Girl!
Join us every day this week, you can enter every day...

Thank you again and

GOOD LUCK!

March 31,2015
Our contest is closed. 
The winners from day one are:

Heather G
Mandy Lewis
Linda Bagley
Tommy McDowell
Anita Houston
Kim S
If you see your name here, please email me at knoliver62@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll have your prize sent out to you ASAP.
Thank you again!