Imagine looking out your window at a beautiful flower garden. That's exactly what I did before painting this picture!
For those of you curious about how I created this, read on! First, I started by using gesso and a stencil to make a background flower that will act as a resist to paint.
Second, I used large Woody Watercolor Crayons to scribble on a range of colors that I thought would look "Flower Garden-ey!"
Next I used a paintbrush and water to blend the crayon into a watercolor wash. I loved the way the color sprung to life. Blending it got a little dicey - I learned that you have to wash the color first with a clean brush and then blend around the edges of the colors after both colors are washed.
Then I got creative! I used an old book to cut the "stems" and painted them shades of green. I used a stamp with various colors of ink to make the leaves on the stems. I used some flower embellishments as the buds.
Lastly, I added some vellum for the window pane and surrounded it with bright ribbon for the slats. The next fun part was making the drapes. I took a sheet of scrap-booking paper and again watercolor washed it. It was soaking wet and very pliable. I used matte medium to adhere the wet paper to the canvas and kind of let it drape on its own. It dried in a fantastic pattern that added depth and texture and looks like real drapery!
This was a fun and light hearted window to make....I hope you can almost smell the flowers!
This painting evolved from a photo I had taken of my Baby Grand. I was trying to capture the beauty and elegance of the keys. Right now, this piano is in storage due to flooding - and I miss my chance to play and sing on this beautiful instrument!
I love the look of collage! There are many layers here - paper, old music, old book pages, gesso, paint, fabric, ephemera, stamping done with handmade stamps, and my piano photo. Also, I used a textured thick gel medium to make the golden flower design stand out from the page. Enjoy!!
