PAINTING THYME NEEDFULS: It's thyme to show you an Americana Folk Art Pull Toy

Thursday, August 10, 2017

It's thyme to show you an Americana Folk Art Pull Toy

Today I wanted to show you a project

called

Yankee Doodlefish

The design for this project

is by

Cynthia Erekson

I was excited to paint this project because it is a

companion project

a couple of previous projects I have painted

You can read about

Yankee Fisherboy Primitive Portrait

HERE

You can read about

Glouster Goose Girl

HERE

Lets head into the STUDIO to see what I have been working on!

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Jade Green, Moon Yellow, Traditional Burnt Umber, White Wash, Deep Burgundy, Honey Brown, Lamp Black, Antique Green, Deep Midnight Blue, Bleached Sand, Heritage Brick, Blue Mist, Traditional Raw Sienna

Let's paint!

I began by removing the rope from the fish.

I used

wood filler

to fill the holes that were drilled in the fish for eyes.

I let the filler dry then lightly sanded the eye area.

I used a clean soft cloth to apply

Oak Gel Stain

to all pieces of the pull toy.

I applied a second coat of Gel Stain once the first coat had dried.

I then squirted a large puddle of Jade Green on my palette.

I used the broad flat side of my sponge brush to press a heavy coat of paint onto the fish.

( I removed the wheels and set them aside)

Press the entire flat side of the brush repeatedly onto the fish to create bubbles and texture.

Let one side dry then repeat on opposite side and edges.

I painted the wheels with Deep Midnight Blue.

The centers and dowel ends were painted with Deep Burgundy.

I let my fish dry completely before distressing it.

I used an awl and rasp for distressing.

When distressing avoid the design area!

I filed some areas on the tail, around the mouth, and along the top of the fish with the rasp.

Distress some areas down to the stain and some to the bare wood.

I used the flat edge of the rasp to dent the fish along the top, sides of mouth and tail.

I used the corner of the rasp to create some dings.

The glaze I did in the next step collects in the dings and dents you create to help age the fish.

I mixed a glaze

using

Traditions Glazing Medium

and

Burnt Umber (8:1)

I used a soft cloth to wipe the glaze mixture over the fish.

I made sure to get it in all the dents and dings I had created when I distressed the fish.

I let the glaze dry completely on the fish.

Next I poured some Lamp Black on my palette.

I dipped a stencil brush in the Lamp Black ,

circled it on my palette,

then repeatedly on a paper towel

to dry off most of the paint.

I used this "dry brush" to scrub around the edges

of the fish

darken and age the piece.

I transferred the main elements of the design to the fish and began painting.

I began by first establishing the horizon line and background.

I like to use Silver Micron Mini Brushes for small detail painting.

I then began shading and adding all the small details

which included the buildings, roofs, tree and sails.

Once the detail work was completed I painted the line work .

This included the fences, sail detail, lines on doors and windows, chimney smoke.

I added the comma strokes around design.

I used a scruffy brush to tap in foliage.

I add dots with stylus and end of the brush last!

Make sure they dry well before the next step.

Next I painted the wood flag.

I then spattered the flag on the dowel with Tradtional Burnt Umber.

I spattered the fish with Lamp Black.

*To easily spatter dip the bristle tips of a large stencil brush in water and then mix into about a dime size puddle of paint. Hold the brush over your piece and pull some bristles towards you with your palette knife to spatter lightly.