Thanks, thanks, thanks to Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ for putting up my banner (and for giving me the typepad upgrade as a birthday gift). And thanks to all the nice blogger friends who gave me advice and offers of help. Also, enough people emailed me to say that, yes, a lesson would be nice, so here are the steps I went through to create the banner. Just not the technical installation steps, you don’t want to hear about the hours of trouble I had with that. I think that the computer gremlins are after me.
How this banner was created:
1-
on Arches cold press water color, I drew a scalloped oval shape by tracing a pretty plate. I then drew the words where I wanted them and the little cottage to the side.
2- The center of the scalloped area was washed with water, carefully avoiding the cottage. While wet, I dropped in watercolor paints for the soft faded background.
3-When dry, I painted the cottage with watercolors too, keeping the color light.
4-the lettering was done in dark gold paint, highlighted with a shiny gold and shadowed with sepia, all acrylic craft paint, with liner brushes.
5- birds, nest, fairies, etc. also done with an acrylic craft paint on a 1/2 inch flat brush, details with a liner brush.
6- this painted scalloped piece was cut out and glued onto a letter sized sheet of card stock that I had collaged sheet music to. By the way, the music is "Moonlight and Roses"
7- after gluing down the scalloped piece, I painted the scallops with the 2 colors of gold and outlined it in sepia
8- Rose shaped blobs in dark red are laid out on winding vines in dark green, dark brown, and the leaves are painted a base color of dark green
9- highlights of lighter greens are used on the leaves and an azalea colored pink is swirled over the red blob roses
with a 1/2 inch flat brush
10- I added a pale pink, and bright yellow to my brush and swirled them on over the dark red and bright pink to finish the roses.
11- the vines were finished by using a small liner brush and lighter greens, taupe and white over the dark green vines I put down as a base. Lots of curliques and squiggles give them a flow.
Beautiful…and so distinctive!
Karla, Karla just beautiful !!!!!
Love it. You are soo talented !! Clarice
If you want to hear me swear and talk about gremlins, put a piece of watercolor paper and some paints in front of me and tell me to paint a banner- I break out in a sweat just thinking about it. It’s good when art people can work together with computer geeks! The banner looks great!
It’s lovely!
Just for fun, today I’m going to play in the paint and try some of your techniques. I’m in no way an artist like you, Karla, but I enjoy creating and playing.
Beautiful Banner!
~Jody
Karla,
It looks so gorgeous! Just perfect cottage look! You are one talented lady. Thank you for showing me how you do it.
Have a great day.
Shelley
Thank you for popping by my site… I love the banner! I love the ethereal quality of water colour, but can never manage to get it myself… I’m a straight-from-the-tubes-blocks-of-colour gal. Red. I love red.
Oh I love this banner, it’s so beautiful!!! The gold really sets it off, it’s very special! Natasha