painting – Page 2 – CatChick6 Creations

Chalk Paint…

I have seen a couple of different craft sites that talk about chalk paint…it sounded interesting, so we thought we would give it a try!

It has been extremely hot around here, so I made sure we did the project early in the morning, before it got too hot!

The recipe called for 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1/4 cup of water and some food coloring. The recipe warned to make sure you put in the cornstarch first, then the water..so that is what we did! Then we got started painting……

River had a great time..but I must say, I was a bit disappointed….it didn’t work that well….our sidewalk/driveway is very rough..so maybe that is why it didn’t work.

River painted the driveway, the sidewalk, the fence, the stones, and then she started painting the trashcans! She wanted to paint the house, but I said no…so she started painting the plants….

I think River’s favorite part was rearranging the paints and moving them all over..trying to find something new to paint.

She had a great time and didn’t complain about the paints one bit….she only complained when I said it was too hot and we had to go back inside! She did get it all over her dress…and I’m assuming it will come out in the wash….I’ll let you know!

Painting….

Pretty much EVERY day River paints. She either paints on her easel or she paints on her desk. She usually paints for about ten minutes. It takes about five minutes to get everything set up and it takes about twenty minutes for me to clean up….somehow, I think something is off here…..

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Painting a Mural…..

My latest mural is coming along quickly. It is so much smaller than the other one…..I can do just a bit of work and it makes a difference (have I said that before?)! Did you ever want to paint a mural on one of your walls, but thought you couldn’t do it? Well, you should just go for it! I start out by thinking about which wall I would like to paint..maybe start off small..in a bathroom or somewhere like that. Then, I think about what I would like to paint. Usually, I find a picture in a children’s book or magazine….there are so many incredible images!

Then, I scan the image and load it onto my computer. I have a Panasonic LCD Projector that I use…but you don’t have to use one of those…you could use a simple projector..I have one of those too…a Design Master Projector, which works great. The only difference is that I can use the Panasonic LCD projector in the daytime..I don’t have to wait until it is dark outside, which I have to do with the Design Master projector.

Then, I set up the projector and my laptop and position the picture. And I draw out the design using a pencil…very lightly. This sets your mural up so that you are ready to paint.

Then you get started on the painting, which I think is the fun part…seeing the mural come to life! Sometimes your pencil lines disappear when you paint, but they are meant as guide lines only. When I am finished painting, I usually outline everything using black paint, or my new best friend….a Sharpie paint pen!! These things are my new best friend!

I’ll keep you posted with my progress on this mural!

Also, don’t forget to enter my latest giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to my Etsy shop!!!

Small transformations…..

River had her old crib still in her room….I had changed it into a day bed….it was mostly a stuffed animal bed! I had been contemplating taking it down for awhile. …but couldn’t figure out if I wanted to or not….then I saw that ALL Simplicity cribs had been recalled, all makes and all models….and we had a Simplicity crib….it said that all cribs should be returned to the store where you purchased it…..so that made the decision easy for me! She loves dress up and we needed a place to put all her dress up stuff….so we dragged an old chest out of the basement…..

And of course it needed a coat of paint! And of course River had to help paint it!

Which of course, made things a bit more interesting…she wanted it painted then and there…and was very upset we didn’t have any pink paint…she had to settle for baby blue. I promised her that during the summer we would paint a beautiful pink design over the baby blue…..

By today, the chest was dry…so we took down the crib and moved in the chest….of course, we had to rearrange a few other things…and read some books in between and play with Barbies here and there…and get out all the stuffed animals….vacuum out the cobwebs……you know how it is…..

But finally things were all back together…and River seemed pretty happy with her room…..

Excuse Me..Are You a Witch Mural….continues…

I’m slowly making progress on the new mural. It is nice to be doing a smaller mural. I can see the progress much faster…….not that I’m progressing that much faster..but even when I do something small, it seems like more.

The problem with this area is that it belongs to the dogs, literallly. It is the only spot in the house where they like to sleep. They aren’t allowed on any furniture, so this is their way of thinking they are on the furniture. So, while I am painting, I have to shoo them away. Then, when I am done, I have to put something on the window seat, to keep them away, until it is dry!

After the mural is finished, I need to get new cushions and sew new covers and pillows!

Watercolor Sandwiches….

River loves going to art class, but during art class she is supposed to eat lunch. Sometimes she is so excited about the class, that she forgets that it is important to eat the lunch. And then she gets hungry…..and grumpy..which isn’t good. So, I try to do whatever I can to make her excited about her lunch. She loves the concept of eating her lunch at the class, but actually eating it, is another thing!

So, to make her sandwich extra exciting..we make it into a watercolor sandwich! We make her sandwich and then River picks out a cookie cutter design. This time she chose a butterfly! Then, I take a glass bowl and add a few drops of food coloring and add a few drops of water. I have a special paint brush that is used only for food coloring. Sometimes I paint the design for her and sometimes she wants to do it herself!

If she is doing it herself, I have to make sure she doesn’t use too much “paint” or the sandwich may become a bit soggy! If it does get a little soggy, I just leave it out for a bit and it dries quickly. It is a simple thing that just takes a little bit of extra time. And it involves River in making and getting her lunch together and packed, which I always think is important….and a good motivator!

Sneak peek….a new mural begins….

I know it isn’t much to look at yet…but I started a new mural…hopefully I’ll get all the drawing part done today……more pictures to come….

Starry Night officially completed…at least for now….

No, I really am declaring it done…really. At least for now. I have to…it has taken me about a year and a half to complete it. Some months I didn’t work on it at all…and others I seemed to never stop.

I always loved the book ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey. It has been one of my favorites, especially since we are vegetarians. I loved this particular drawing and I always thought it would look great on a wall..a big wall….so, I looked at our stairway going up…and figured it was the best wall. And I had been wondering how to paint this wall. It had been unpainted since we moved in four years ago. I never painted such a large mural before. First I decided on a base color and painted the entire wall that color. Then I started with the tree…I don’t know why, I just wanted it to be the central item. I figured this drawing was inspired by Starry Night and I love that particular painting..so it just evolved into my own interpretation of The Starry Night.

It took a bit longer than I anticipated, but that was my own doing. It was a lot of fun to watch it progress. I took a million photos of each stage..sometime I need to put them all together in a little montage or something…

Now, I need to get onto the next mural project…. something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time in our living room.

I will keep you posted on the progress of the next mural……

Still painting Starry Night…..

Yes, I am still painting the Starry Night mural…but it is coming to an end…if that is possible…not sure when an artist every considers something “finished.” I’m not sure if the painting looks any different from the last time I posted pictures. I’m working on the texture of the mountains and the starry night areas. I am also working on the outlining. My new goal is to be done this mural by the end of the month. I have so many other things I want to get started, but I must finish this first!

Starry Night Still Continues….

For a little over a year now, I’ve been working on a mural that goes up our stairs. I am trying to finish it by the end of this month. Getting up to the higher parts of the mural is a bit difficult. It takes a bit of creativity to reach all the spots. I took these photos myself using the timer…but I really should have someone take some more of me….climbing along the wall as best I can with my paint brushes taped together for extra length!