It's thyme for Captain Jack to take his seat in the dining room

Aunt Sophie

was a

 18" x 23" primitive portrait

 that I painted.

After I finished painting

  Aunt Sophie

I started the companion portrait 

called 

Captain Jack.

Both designs 

are by 

Cynthia Erekson

You can view the progress photos

 of

Aunt Sophie

HERE

The warmer weather brings with it LOTS of thyme spent in the gardens

and

therefore not as much thyme in my STUDIO

I finished painting Captain Jack several weeks ago

 but 

I had just not gotten around to painting the frame for him.

Lets step inside my STUDIO and check the progress.

My desk is cleared so with coffee in hand I can now BLOG about Captain Jack!

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Gingerbread, Brandywine, olde gold, Milk Chocolate, Mocha, Shading Flesh, Dove Gray, Neutral Gray, Lamp Black , Graphite, Khaki Tan , Burnt Umber, Antique White, Raw Umber, Emperor's Gold, Light Cinnamon

Let's prep the surface!

I cut a 18" x 23" piece of masonite board for my surface. 

I used a sponge brush to smooth on one coat

 of 

DecoArt GESSO

I let the first coat of GESSO dry completely before sanding lightly.

I then applied a second coat of GESSO.

After the second coat had dried completely I lightly sanded the surface again.

GESSO is a ready mix acrylic primer for many painting surfaces!

The surface is now properly prepped so now it's thyme to PAINT!

I began by painting the panel with two coats of a 1:1 mix 

of 

Gingerbread and Brandywine.

I sanded lightly between each coat.

I then thinned

  Americana Gel Walnut Stain

with some water.

I used a slip slap motion and a 2" bristle brush

 to 

quickly cover my surface.

I then used a scrunched up piece of an old cotton shirt

 to 

"rag off" the thinned stain.

I pressed lightly into the stain all over my surface

 which left a mottled look 

with 

no visible brush strokes.

Work quickly!

I let my surface dry completely 

before 

proceeding to the next step. 

When the surface was completely dry 

I spattered it

 with 

Lamp Black.

** SPATTER TIP**

 Dip the bristle tips

 of a large stencil brush into water

 and 

mix in a dime size puddle of the Lamp Black paint.

Hold the brush over your surface 

and 

pull a few bristles toward you 

with a palette knife

using some pressure.

Occasionally turn the brush in your hand to access fresh paint.

Reload brush when necessary.

I then traced the pattern

 and 

transferred the MAIN design onto my surface 

excluding the details

I made some changes to the original design

of

 Captain Jack.

These changes can be seen in the face and hair.

I began by painting the chair using 2 coats of Olde Gold.

I then shaded using Raw Umber.

The hands and face are base coated using 2 coats of Mocha.

The hair is base coated with Burnt Umber and shaded with Lamp Black.

Close up view of face

Starting to paint the eyes

I have added some shading around the eye sockets and along side the nose.

I have also started to add some highlights to the hair.

I am continuing to add subtle highlights to the face.

I did this with several thin washes of color combined with using a mop brush to soften

I have now painted the shirt, ascot and pin

I have now added the shirt buttons.

I base coated the suit with Graphite.

I use a

 3/4" DecoArt

Traditions Flat brush

for most base coats

I shaded the suit by painting several thin washes of Lamp Black paint. 

I used my mop brush to soften as I went along.

I used the

  Traditions Dome Blender 

to further deepen and soften 

the shading 

on the suit coat.

I love the dome blenders!

Be patient with your shading and highlighting!

Don't expect to achieve it in one coat!

I have now added the buttons to the suit coat using Emperor's Gold.

I have now started to work on the 

leaf detail 

on the back of the chair.

I used a ultra round brush and a mop brush to shade the leaves. 

I used an ultra mini liner for the fine details.

Investing in good quality brushes, tools and paints makes 

all the difference in the outcome of your finished piece.

I brushed on one coat 

of 

Americana Dura Clear Ultra Matte Varnish 

on my completed piece.

Let dry completely!

I then applied a sparse coat 

of

  Antiquing Medium

The antiquing medium used to "mellow" 

and

 tint the colors in your painting. 

It is not used as a varnish 

so it is not important that it covers evenly.

I let it dry after the first coat

 then added more unevenly on the 

shirt and the chair to add a "stained look".

Now lets paint the frame

I first sanded then sealed my frame 

with

Americana Multi Purpose sealer

I then base coated the frame with 2 coats of Antique Gold

Next I painted

 on

  One Step Crackle

I apply this unevenly, some places heavier than others.

Let dry!

When dry I painted over the crackle medium

 with

Lamp Black

The inside of the frame is painted

 with 

Emperor's Gold

Lightly spatter 

with 

Lamp Black.

I then measured to find the center 

of 

each side of the frame.

I then pounced Emperor's Gold 

into the

 flower/stroke work stencil

Captain Jack

DecoArt 

provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their

Helping Artist

and

Blogger Outreach Programs

Thank you DecoArt!

You can view my DecoArt Profile

HERE

And so

Captain Jack

has taken his seat in the dining room next to Aunt Sophie!

I hope you have enjoyed watching me paint these primitive portraits!

Happy Painting!

Lynn