STROKE WORK ON METAL PITCHER

Susan Abdella, MDA ©

SURFACE PREPARATION

The pitcher comes already primed so just wipe to remove possible dust. Apply one coat of Multi Surface Sealer, dry. Mix Carbon Black with Dark Primer about ½ and ½ and base coat the entire pitcher. Dry and repeat. Give the pitcher a light sanding with medium-fine sandpaper, remove sanding dust. Transfer design, main lines only using light graphite. Use Scotch Magic Tape and tape off about ½ inch on the bottom of the pitcher. Mix Napthol Red + Raw Sienna (1:1) and paint the red areas, dry. Give the red areas a light coat of Extender. Brush mix Extender + Black and apply to the red bands. Use a damp paper towel and blot lifting off some of the Black. Dry.

COLOR MIXES (ratios are approximate)

White: Titanium White + RS + RU
Dark Blue: Raw Umber + Phthalo Blue (3:1)
Medium Blue: Dark Blue + White Mix (1:1)
Light Blue: White Mix + Medium Blue (2:½)
Dark Green: Raw Sienna + Raw Umber + Phthalo Blue (3:1:½)
Med. Green: Dark Green Mix + White Mix (1:1)
Dark Yellow: Raw Sienna
Med. Yellow: Hansa Yellow + Raw Sienna (1:1)
Light Yellow: Hansa Yellow + Raw Sienna + Titanium White (1:1:1)
Medium Red: Raw Sienna + Napthol Red (1:1)
Dark Red: Raw Umber + Napthol Red + Pthalo Blue (2:1:touch)

SUGGESTED PAINTING TECHNIQUE

Most of the design is painted with brush mixed colors. When painting a group or family of strokes, paint the largest stroke first using a darker value which is closer to the background. As the strokes become smaller in size the value will become lighter. If the background were a lighter color, the first larger stroke would be a lighter value and as the strokes grew smaller they would become darker. If a color appears to bright brush mix a touch of Raw Umber into it.

Step 1

Using shape following strokes base in the main paint of the flowers with Medium Red + Dark Red, dry.

Step 2

Use a filbert or a round brush and stroke in the mum type flower. Begin on the outside of the ball with Medium Red + Dark Red. Don’t clean your brush with water, just lightly stroke off any excess paint on a paper towel. Pick up Medium Red and pull the next stroke, then use Medium Red + Lt Yellow. The tulips are stroked with a filbert brush. Dress into Medium Red, side load into Dark Red for the outside edge. Wipe the dark from the brush, dress again into Medium Red and side load into Lt. Yellow. Palette blend the colors and pull the inside stroke of the petal. You may need to repeat the strokes on the tulips for nice gradation of color.

For the comma stroke groupings begin with the darker value first on the largest stroke. For the yellow family use Raw Sienna + Dark Red for the largest stroke. Work through Medium Yellow and then Light Yellow. For the Blue family use Medium Blue + Dark Blue for the darkest stroke, work through Medium and then Light Blue. And for the green group in the lower front of the pitcher, mix Dark Green + Medium Green. Work through Medium Green and lighten with Medium and Light Yellow.

All stem and scroll lines are Light Blue.

Step 3

Detailing and Over Strokes.

Overstroke the red flowers using lighter values of red. The lightest overstroke is Light Yellow + Medium Red. Pick up more Medium Red for the next stroke and use straight Medium Red for the darker overstroke.

Cross hatching lines are Medium + Light Yellow. Small sit downs are Light Yellow.

Dots at base of large tulip, stamen dots on the smaller tulip, the 3 dots at the base of the front yellow group, and the dots around the large center oval are White Mix.

Finishing

Remove any visible tracing lines. Give 2 or 3 coats of Satin Varnish.

For more information on JansenArt™ Traditions Programs and supplies

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