No, not floating Chickens…..but floating Chickens….
If you are a Decorative Artist or would like to be one….. you more than likely heard the term ‘floating color’, it is a technique used by Decorative Artists to apply shading. To me….it is the most common and widely used technique for this style of Art.
A few folks have asked how I achieve such wide floats of color….and I would like to share with you a technique video. I have learned this technique many years ago (we won’t say how many), from one of my mentors and favorite painters, Maxine Thomas,(love you Maxine!) she’s the coolest, ya know.
The key to this technique is in the layer of ‘water’ placed down prior to floating….it allows you time to play, to mop and to clean up, before the paint drys. A three brush method….water brush, floating brush, mop brush. You may struggle at first to hold 3 brushes and then try to load your ‘floating’ brush with paint in hopes that your water remains wet….but it will come, I promise. Stick with it.
Watch and Learn
Practice makes perfect……Click the below link for a free pattern to practice!
‘Cluck The Chicken’ is a good practice piece….it has large and tiny areas and will make-up quickly…….sometimes we like to see the end result fast, especially when just learning!
Instructions are included to create the back of the tag as well.
Who knew that floating chickens would be so much fun!
If you’re local….and would like to learn Decorative Art, join me on June 28th at the Tamaqua Community Art Center to ‘Float Chickens’ ~ hands on!
And coming this Fall to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center ‘Brush~N~Hand’ Studio….a place to learn and grow in the Decorative Arts!
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Lots-a free patterns on my blog for you to enjoy….simply click on the category ‘Free Paint and Pencil Patterns’! Do you like what you see?….tell your creative friends and Chapter folks! Be sure to add your email address to the blog page to receive instant updates for every blog post!
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Up Next ~ Makin’ $5.00 Smiles, Chalkboard Cones, My Right Hand Man
Thank you for the pattern, Amy. Also, this is the best video I have seen on how to “walk a float” laying down water, first. I am going to share this with others.
I am a self taught artist, and I find it really cool to see others doing what I taught myself to do. I have been shading with a liner for years, since I taught myself to paint wet-on-wet, or the dirty brush method. Seeing y’all doing this, just confirms that maybe I did something right! LOL I so enjoy seeing how others do things.
Thank you for sharing. I believe we are all in this together.
Thank you so much! I just love the wet on wet process, the results are so much prettier! …yeppers, all together!
This was extremely helpful to me. I didn’t know about wetting the surface prior to floating but can see how important it is to do. Thank you.
I learned this technique from Maxine Thomas and have used it for 30+ years…..you will love it once you get going! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing Amy! Your pictures are always wonderful! Floating takes a lot of practice. I too always use a LARGE brush for floating , but I prefer a flat. I also float a lot using the Ultra Rounds. The pattern is wonderful!
U R Welcome Lynn! I learned on a flat and do not know when I switched to an angular…someowhere along the line LOL ! I to love a large brush….I do think it is ‘key’ along with the water! Happy Painting!
Great tips on floating colour! and the video is so clear, helpful and easy to follow. Thank you Amy for sharing.
Thank You Effie! Each video created gets a little easier! 🙂
Thankyou Amy for sharing your floating tips. Having a video gives us a place to go back to which makes it so helpful. Also love the floating chicken pictures.😀
who knew chickens could float! Thank you Jane 🙂