It's thyme to paint a portrait of Aunt Sophie

I really enjoy painting

Primitive Portraits

I have painted several of them

Today

 I want to show you my latest one

called

Aunt Sophie

Step inside my 

STUDIO

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Gingerbread, Raw Umber, Mocha, Shading Flesh, Neutral Gray, Emperor's Gold, Brandy Wine, Soft Black, Milk Chocolate, Light Buttermilk, Driftwood, Olde Gold, Lamp Black , Dark Chocolate, Dove Gray, Buttermilk

LET'S PAINT!

I began by applying 2 good coats of GESSO to masonite panel.
Be sure to let each coat dry well.

Once the GESSO had dried completely

 I base coated  the panel 

with a mix 

of 

Brandy Wine and Gingerbread

I applied 2 coats of this mix letting each coat dry completely.

I then thinned some Walnut Stain with water on my palette.

 I used a slip slap motion and a 2" bristle brush to apply to my panel.

I then took a scrunched up piece of old cotton t-shirt to "rag off" the stain.

I pressed the rag lightly and quickly over the surface to give it a mottled look.

Work quickly before the stain dries!

I let the panel dry completely before spattering the background heavily 

with

 Lamp Black

* To do this easily , dip the bristle tips of a large stencil brush into water and mix into a dime size puddle of Lamp Black, Hold brush over panel and pull a few bristles toward you with a palette knife, using some pressure. Turn brush to access more paint. Reload if necessary. Let dry completely!

It's now thyme to trace and transfer the main design.

Exclude the details for now.

Base coat the chair with 2 coats of Olde Gold.

I am now adding some shading to the chair with Raw Umber.

Base coat the dress with 2 coats of Soft Black.

I shaded the dress using a 3/4" brush to create a large float with Lamp Black

I also dry brushed using Lamp Black to soften the shading details of the dress.

The leaves on the chair are painted so to look like they were stenciled on.

Adding the line detail to the chair.

Chair detail is complete.

Base coat collar, face and hands

Shade face and hands.

I am now working on cheeks, lips and nose

I have now added the hair and the bow on the bonnet

I am now working on the bonnet

I am now working on the eye detail 

and 

adding additional detail to the lips.

I am now adding some highlights to the hair.

I am also working on the lace around collar and cuffs.

Close-up of detail

I have now added more detail to the eyebrows .

I have also added some "wrinkles" to the forehead, around eyes, chin and mouth

Next I cut a stencil of the knitted shapes.

I put a piece of screening over the stencil

 and 

pounced heavily into the stencil openings.

I then shaded the "knitted area" with Milk Chocolate then Soft Black.

I used Dura Clear Ultra Matte Varnish on my completed piece

Once my panel was completely dry I mixed some

 Burnt Umber

with 

Staining and Antiquing Medium

I applied this lightly to the background areas of the panel, 

wiping with a clean cotton cloth.

Aunt Sophie sitting waiting to be "framed". 

The finished piece measures

26" x 23"

My husband made the frame for this project

I first sanded then sealed my my frame 

with

  Multi Purpose Sealer

I then applied 2 coats of Antique Gold

I taped off the inner edges of the fame.

I applied a thick coat of One Step Crackle Medium.

 Let dry.

I then mixed some Lamp Black with the Staining and Antiquing Medium.

I brushed it on the frame and wiped the excess with a clean cotton cloth.

Now we have a crackled finish

 I measured to find the center of each side of the frame.

Using a stencil brush I pounced Emperor's Gold into the stencil.

I then spattered the gold edges  heavily with Lamp Black.

I then inserted Aunt Sophie in the frame.

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

Helping Artist and Blogger Outreach Programs

Thank you DecoArt!!!

I hope you have enjoyed watching me paint 

Aunt Sophie

I will soon be painting a companion piece to this project 

called

Captain Jack

Happy Painting!

Lynn

Thyme to paint with Lynne Andrews

I recently joined 

the

 Cape Cod Mayflower Decorative Artists Chapter

Lynne Andrews

recently came to teach

HARE'S Trouble

to

 our group

We could use a surface of our choice for the project

I chose this wood basket.

I have it base coated with the line drawing transferred.

Everyone is hard at work on their projects!

This is my project as I was working on it.

Lynne is not only a great teacher but she is also fun to paint with!

I did not complete my project in class!

I brought it home to complete it.

The lettering 

on 

Lynne's projects

 is 

always beautiful

but

time consuming!

After the lettering was complete 

I gave it several light sprays 

of 

Krylon Workable Fixative.

The "fixative" will set your lettering

 before you varnish 

and 

prevent any smearing!

I applied several coats

 of 

Dura Clear Matte Varnish

to my piece.

This is the finished top to my basket.

The saying on the top of the basket reads:

"Where is HEAVEN? Is it not just a friendly garden plot, walled in stone and roofed with sun, where the days pass one by one, Surely God is in this place, for I have seen Him : face to face. "

This is a side view of the basket.

Here my finished basket. 

This was a fun SpRiNg Thyme project to paint!

Happy Painting !

Lynn