Angel Art

Hi all ,sorry for not posting sooner but I have been busy with some commissions for my "Angel Art"






This one is for a ladies granddaughter called "Grace", a new born baby girl,so pretty in pink.

Next is "Butterfly Angel",as you can see the name has to be inserted on the scroll,another lucky
girl.

Finally A beautiful Angel called "New Beginnings"
to be given by a friend to a brave lady who has

come through a very long illness.

True friends are wonderful!

Like to give you a tip about keeping your brushes soft.


After you have finished painting,wash your brushes in warm "sudsey" water and then put a little of your hair conditioner on ,leave for a few minutes and then wash off,you will find your brushes are so much better to work with.

Beginners Art,Canvas

When I began painting I used acrylic paper (which you see here on the left).After a few months I began using canvas board ,8x10ins was the size I started with and slowly I drifted on to a larger size and found it easier to paint my picture,you will understand this in time.

I then progressed to stretched canvas,and I was hooked,the paint seemed to glide on ,now I was an "artist".Well in my mind I was!

Keeping the paint workable!

I was then introduced to a "wet pallet".To describe it ,I would say it is similar to an oblong plastic container lined with a layer of "blotting paper"(named as such in Ireland),over that is placed a layer of "greaseproof paper" .This is wet with a small amount of water. This prevents your paint from drying up too quickly.

Place the lid on your container when finished working and your paint should be workable for a few days.

Etsy Treasury

Got a lovely surprise on Wed.11th August,I was included in an Etsy Treasury by
http://www.anewlife.etsy.com/

A big thank you ! It was such a surprise,please take a look its a real "yummy" page

Beginners Art,Brushes

As you can see these are some of my (well worn) brushes,my favourites!


When I give my Art Classes I advise to use good brushes.


Sizes I recommend to start with are ,

1ins Flat, 1/2ins Flat, no. 1 or no.2 Round

also a "rigger"brush is great for the likes of tree branches and grass.








Cheap brushes are fine to practice with, but as you progress you will find the hair is coarse and leaves brush strokes on your painting and you will find it hard to get definition . Samples of these brushes are in the photo below.

As you see here, you can pick up sets quite cheaply and good value in your art shop.
I prefer Daler Rowney acrylic brushes but that's just my choice.

Keeping Acrylics Wet.

Stay-Wet pallets are great for this.They come similar to a plastic container with a sheet of blotting paper on the base and a sheet of greaseproof paper on top,you wet this and it keeps your paints very use able for a week or more and it means you don't waist any paint.

I hope this has been helpful to you,if you have any questions please get in touch.

TREAD SOFTLY - POEM by W.B.Yeats

As I am a member of "The Crafts Council of Ireland", textile section,

I was asked if I would like to produce a piece of work relating to the poem

"Tread Softly" by William B. Yeats . A challenge for me indeed as I am not very familiar with poetry and their meanings, but I love a challenge and thought why not!

As I make hand embossed velvet scarves , I interpreted the poem ,(to my own meaning)on a deep blue velvet scarf.

I embossed the "Foot,Stars and Celtic Knot"on the velvet and embroidered the other designs in gold,silver and green threads and silk ribbon for the rose.

I have been working on this for quite a while now so I thought I would share this with you

"TREAD SOFTLY "

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

"W.B.Yeats"

Beginners Art ,colours

Hi all, if anyone is taking up painting as a hobby I thought you might like a few tips on colours to begin with. When I teach "Beginners Art Classes" these are a few suggestions I give to my group.

By the way may I add I am using Acrylics as my choice of medium ,did you know if diluted with water acrylics can be used like watercolours.

Primary colours are, as everyone knows, Red,Blue,Yellow.
My favourites are Crimson Red, Cobalt Blue and Process Yellow.

Daler- Rowney and Windsor & Newton are the most popular makes in Ireland but I'm sure whatever country you live in there are much more .

You probably know when you mix , red and yellow it makes orange, blue and yellow make green and red and blue make purple and also when you mix white to either it changes the shades, so you have to experience yourself. You can see these are just from the primary colours,can you imagine the choices you have when you start exploring colour.

Believe me this part you'll enjoy immensely

Sap Green is good to have because when you add yellow in different amounts you get a variation of greens.

Burnt Umber is a nice warm brown and great for darkening the tone of other colours. If you use a lot of orange get yourself a tube of Cadmium Orange. Also Paynes Grey is good to have and don't forget White, mixing white is usually the cheapest and as the name suggests it blends well with other colours."

Please don't forget these are only my suggestions .

Next time I will be talking about Brushes and advising on sizes.