DIY Flower Painting
PAINTING CAN BE EASY IF YOU JUST BREAK EACH FLOWER DOWN INTO SIMPLE SHAPES. AS FOR PAINT, I MIX IT DIRECTLY ON THE SURFACE AS I GO. I’LL DIP ONE SIDE OF THE BRUSH IN ONE COLOR AND THE OPPOSITE SIDE IN ANOTHER AND THEN APPLY THEM.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
• Acrylic paint (I used Hansa yellow medium, green gold, sap green and titanium white) • A filbert (oval-headed) paintbrush • A surface to paint on
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
1. Paint a bumpy floral center using the flat of the brush. I tend to wiggle the brush a little up and down to achieve the bumps.
2. Next, use the rounded edge of your brush to paint a row of petals. You’ll face the rounded part of the brush down or up depending on the petal direction. The brush shape helps you create rounded petal shapes. 3. Add a second row of petals below the first row for a larger flower. 4. You can also add a couple smaller petals above the center with the rounded parts facing upward. 5. For leaves, use the edge of the brush to paint a thin stem; then press down on the brush and pull to create the curve of a leaf. 6. Add your own flair, if you like.
Next comes the “ditzy,” which is a small-scale repeating pattern. “When you pair a large-scale floral with a ditzy, you have a beautiful contrast,” Ackerman writes. Finally, add in other solids and stripes that will complement your florals. “Florals go with stripes, and leopard print goes with anything,” she writes.
STEP 3: EXPLORE
Use Ackerman’s formula to get started, but then deviate when something catches your eye. “Do what speaks to you,” she writes. “You’ll learn to refine and edit as you go along.” If you get a design together and find that you don’t love it after a few months in your home, try changing out one pattern to see if that’s the puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit right. In the end, it’s your eye that will be the best judge of what you love in your own home. In this kitchen, a stenciled floral pattern adds both color and texture to the room.