tutorial Archives - Page 40 of 61 - Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Painting a “Monet” (A Tutorial)

May 2, 2011 by Ashley Hackshaw

I love painting small pieces of artwork. They are quick, easy and a great way to decorate bare walls. The painting in this tutorial is inspired by one of Monet’s water lily paintings:

The finished “inspired” painting….it took about an hour from start to finish:

Materials needed:

Note: all of these materials can be found at most craft and hobby stores
9″ x 12″ Gessobord (or primed hardboard)
Acrylic craft paints (purple, white, mint green and slate blue)
Water soluble crayons (blue and green)
2-step crackle glaze
Willow or vine charcoal

**The key to a quick painting is to use your non-dominant hand. You will lose some control over your painting ability and the painting strokes will look better….promise!**

I broke this painting down into easy steps:

Step 1 & 2: Cover a piece of 9×12″ hardboard with purple acrylic paint. Work in long strokes….the coverage does not have to be perfect.
Step 3: Using willow charcoal (this can be painted over unlike pencil or graphite) draw out some circular water lily shapes.
Step 4: Using a mint green and a dry paint brush fill in the water lilies as best you can…..don’t try too hard to get it perfect….leaving some bare spots is preferred.

Step 5 & 6: Mix a blue-gray color and fill in the larger areas. Again, the uneven coverage of paint is preferred and using a dry brush will help get this effect.
Step 7 & 8: Using a blue water crayon (water soluble)….outline the areas of the water lilies focusing mostly on the bottom edges.

Step 9: The outlines of the water lilies.
Step 10 & 11: Using the water crayons draw some sweeping strokes around some of the water lilies.
Step 12: Mix a slightly later shade of the blue-gray that was used for the water and use it to fill the water lilies using an uneven coverage.

Step 13: Using the same color, fill in the rest of the water again.
Step 14: Mix white into the blue-gray color to lighten it and fill in the water lilies again to lighten them up. Uneven coverage will allow hints of the colors underneath to show through.
Step 15 & 16: Using the same color, switch to a smaller brush and some water, sketch the circular shapes of the water lilies to add some texture.

Step 17 & 18: Using a mostly white, paint in a few water lily flowers using a few thick vertical strokes.
Step 19: Sketch shadows underneath the water lilies using a blue water crayon.
Step 20: Sketch “water current” using blue and green water crayons.

I let Boo draw most of the water current…..if a toddler can do it, you can too…..so no “I can’t paint” excuses!

Step 21: Using a damp brush, blur the blue crayon shadows.
Step 22: Using the same shade of blue-gray for the water as before, paint over the “water current” sketchings lightly.
Step 23: Let the painting dry thoroughly and shake up your 2 step crackle paint to get ready for the next step.
Step 24: Apply the 2 step crackle finish and let dry.

Step 25 & 26: Once the crackle glaze has dried, mix a watery brown color (I prefer Golden Liquid Acrylics) and apply to the painting .
Step 27: Use a rag or paper towel to remove excess glaze.
Step 28: Let painting dry thoroughly.

A finished Monet-inspired painting!

Here are a few other painting tutorials I’ve done…..check them out if you get a chance!

Doodle Shoes (A Tutorial)

April 26, 2011 by Ashley Hackshaw

I’ve had this pair of bright apple green shoes sitting in my closet for almost 10 years! I’ve probably worn them a total of three times because they just don’t match many items in my closet…..so I thought I’d add some color!

My only supplies needed were Angelus Leather Paint and a very small brush (with half the bristles cut off for a finer point).

For my design I was inspired by Doodle Easter eggs made by Alisa Burke. I started with one flower….

….and then surrounded it with some doodles:

I just kept adding doodles, and more doodles….

….until the shoes were covered!

A tiny bit of blue design makes these shoes much more wearable!

They even look cute with my paint covered studio jeans:

But they look especially cute with Boo in them:

Doodle Shoe Update Tutorial DIY via lilblueboo.com

Do you have a pair of shoes in your closet that could use a makeover?

Glazed, Distressed Paintings (A Tutorial)

April 25, 2011 by Ashley Hackshaw

I was so excited when Kirstin and Jordan of Kojo Designs asked me to be a part of their “the sincerest form of flattery” series! I love a good challenge so I’ve been keeping my eye out for something on my “wish list” that would be fun to do!

I love these prints of glazed paintings from Ballard Designs and decided to make a miniature version of the beach themed one:

With a few simple steps (and an eager toddler), I was able to mimic a similar glazed effect to create my own beach painting! I use a paper mache layer underneath the paint so that I can get a peeling-paint-aged-look.

My family spent most of the summer at Debordieu beach (near Georgetown, S.C.) when I was growing up. It was so secluded and natural and peaceful…..just like the painting. Once distinct memory is my mother always warning us of large waves by yelling “WHOA NELLY!!!” I decided to add those words as my own personal touch to the painting instead of the “Beach” text:

Here’s how to make your own!

You’ll need:
Acrylic craft paints (I use the 99 cent bottle ones)
Art canvas
Newspaper or phone book pages
Matte Medium
Gloss Varnish

Step 1: I started with a plain gallery wrapped canvas….

….and covered sections with a generous amount of matte medium using small sections of old phone book pages and adhered them using the excess medium. You may have to add more medium as you go. It is similar to making a paper-mache layer (you can use newsprint as well, I just prefer the way the small font looks from the phone book pages).