Thyme for Tranquil Times.

Today 

I want to show you a

Memory Box

that I painted for our chapter

 Cape Cod Mayflower Decorative Painters

This box will be donated to a local 

HOSPICE

Step inside my STUDIO and lets get started!

I used a design

by

Rebecca Trimble 

for this project.

The original design 

called 

Tranquil Times Portside Clock

appeared in the 

August 2010 Issue 

of

Quick and Easy painting

I adapted the clock design to fit my surface.

MY PALETTE

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Antique Green, Antique White, Asphaltum, Avocado, Light Avocado, Black Green, Black Plum, Blue Chiffon, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Yellow, Camel, Cocoa, Driftwood, French Vanilla, Gingerbread, Hauser Medium Green, Light Buttermilk, Neutral Grey, Plantation Pine, Raw Sienna, Rookwood Red,  Snow ( Titanium) White, Soft Black, Soft Sage, Williamsburg Blue

Let's Paint

I began by base coating the top of the box with a mix 

of 

Multi Purpose Sealer

plus

Light Buttermilk (1:1)

I let the first coat dry completely then I based with a coat 

of

 Light Buttermilk

I use a foam applicator brush to apply the second coat.

Once I dip it in the paint I use a "press and lift" method to apply the paint.

This gives your surface a slight texture.

**** To do this use the FLAT side of the foam brush (not the chisel edge).

Repeatedly press the loaded brush down onto your surface , and then lift brush straight up without bending it. Continue to cover your surface in this manner. When complete you can go back over your surface with the same brush ( do no wash it) to refine the texture some.

This technique makes painting small detail easier.

I first painted in the sky

 then 

based coated in the water

I use

DecoArt Traditions Angle Brushes

for base coating in small areas.

I have these in several sizes

I use Lowell Cornell Ultra Rounds quite often to shade with.

I "mop" with Maxine Mops

Brushes always come down to personal preference 

BUT 

it is really important to buy the

BEST quality brushes you can afford!

Good brushes really do make a difference in your painting!

Here I have added some shading details to the hills in the distance.

I have painted the ship in the background.

I base coated the cliffs in the foreground with Cocoa.

I used a large #14 Lowell Cornell Ultra round brush for the shading on the cliffs.

This brush holds a LOT of water

 and 

can create some nice affects when shading along with your mop brush.

I do most of my highlighting 

using a 

DecoArt Traditions Dome Blender Brush

I have these in several sizes and love the soft affect you can achieve with them!

After I base coated the tree trunks I added the foliage 

with a 

SPONGE.

I cut my sponge into 

small wedges.

It adds a nice "airy" look.

I have started base coating the houses in the distance.

I have now started adding the details and shading to the small houses

I have painted the lighthouse

I randomly added the bricks to the lighthouse.

After base coating the house on the right I began to work on the stones

I have now begun to work on the foreground shrubs

I have now begun working on the foreground ship

I painted the bottom of the box Light Avocado

Ready for varnish!

I used 

Dura Clear Ultra Matte Varnish

to 

finish my box

I apply the first coat of varnish with a brush.

I let that dry well before applying several more coats of varnish with a sponge.

Let each coat dry completely!

I applied 4 coats of varnish to the cover of the box

Completed Memory Box

DecoArt

 provided me with the paints to complete this project

as part of their

Helping Artist

and

Blogger Outreach Program

Thank you DecoArt for all the wonderful products to create with!

I hope that you have enjoyed watching me paint this Memory Box.

Happy Painting!

Lynn

Thyme to tell you how to make a LONGITUDE and LATITUDE sign

Today I wanted to show you

 how to make

 a

 longitude and latitude 
sign

First a bit of Geography!

Latitude 

is

 an angle which ranges

 from 

0° at the Equator to 90°

 (North or South) at the poles.

 Lines of constant

  latitude, 

or parallels, 

run east-west as circles parallel to the equator. 

Latitude

is

 used together 

with

  longitude 

to specify 

the 

precise location features 

on the 

surface of the Earth

I began by first finding out exactly where my town was!

West Barnstable

41.7064° N, 70.3740°W

I wanted 

a

  LARGE sign !

I cut a piece of board 39" long.

I printed out the longitude and latitude on my computer.

I then cut a stencil for it.

I began by first base coating my board 

with 

Lamp Black

I then brushed 

on

  One Step Crackle 

lightly in random areas on my board.

I let the One Step dry.

I then mixed two

Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints 

together to get my desired color

The colors I used

 were

  Legacy and Serene

I used a chip brush 

and

 applied the paint so that some

 of the 

Lamp Black 

showed thru .

I brushed it on so that it appeared STREAKY!

After applying the blue paint the ONE Step Crackle began working!

Tiny little cracks began appearing in the paint!

Because I hand cut the stencils they weren't "perfect" which was more the look I wanted .

I wanted the sign to look hand painted.

I sanded the letters randomly to distress them.

I used an awl and hammer to further distress the sign

Next I spattered the sign.

* To SPATTER*

Dip a large stencil brush in water. Next dip your brush in thinned paint. Circle your brush on the palette to work paint up into the bristles. Hold the brush over your piece . Repeatedly flick some of the bristles, pulling them towards you with the palette knife.

Let dry completely!

I then lightly sprayed 

with

Americana Matte Sealer /Finisher

I used a soft clean cloth to rub on some 

Americana Gel Stain

for a further "aged look".

I finished my sign by spraying it with a couple coats 

of

Americana Matte Sealer/Finisher

DecoArt provided me with the paints and products for this project as part of their

Helping Artist and Blogger Outreach Programs.

Thank you DecoArt!

I hope you have enjoyed this sign tutorial!

Happy Painting!

Lynn