"What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come." ~ Oprah Winfrey
.: Craft Tip :.
Mirror Mirror
If you're interested in seeing your creations - graphic or otherwise - in an objective way, hold the item up in front of and facing a mirror from a distance of 3 to 5 feet.. You'll be better able to critique your item and tell where another detail may be added, or another color repeated, or an area needs to be broken up with an addition of something.I rely on this method with everything I make and it never fails to give me success!
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Shading and highlighting add dimension and depth to your project....without them your piece will look very flat. Shading is used to add shadows to a piece while highlighting adds light.
Choose the direction of your light source- if the light source is the left side everything should be lighter on the left side and darker on the right. Do everything the same .........the light only comes from one direction !
Use a darker shade of paint for shading and a lighter shade of paint for highlighting
The method I use for shading and highlighting is called "Floating" it will take practice to become consistent Steps to floating : Fold a paper towel ( I prefer Viva it has less lint) into quarters
Dip your flat 12 or larger brush into water the bristles will look shiny ..now blot on your paper towel until the shininess goes away
Dip the corner of your brush into a fresh puddle of paint tbe paint should cover about 1/3 of your brush
Blend on your palette placing your brush and applying pressure onto the palette....place each stroke on top of the last until the paint is well blended on the brush.......going from a dark color on one edge to nothing on the otherNow stroke the paint on to the piece where shading and highlight are needed.
If you shading looks too harsh and does not soften on one side you need to blend more
If you shading looks streaky you took out to much water on the paper towel
You may want to try extender if you have trouble with blending.....this allows you longer drying time to play with the paint
For more crafting tips and techniques visit us at Two Old Crows (www.2oldcrows.com)
posted by Debbie- Two Old Crows (www.2oldcrows.com) @ 3:15 AM
About Us: Two Old Crows was named for Debbie and Dean because we are old and grumpy. We enjoy scouring flea markets, antique shops and estate sales for vintage and antique items to mix with the folk art we create. See my complete profile
