I thought I would show you what I have been doing in the studio lately. This is a mixed-media beach painting that I absolutely love how it turned out and adorns our fireplace in our living room. I know I am an amateur on painting people with all the right colors for the flesh and then there is the proper lighting you want to show on the picture that I haven't quite got yet but you have to start somewhere right? Well, here is the process in making this painting. I call it down by the sea and of course since I am a vintage lover you know I couldn't do a painting or two with the bathing caps and swimsuits!
I started with one of my $2.99 canvas I bought at the Goodwill and put a fresh coat of Gesso on it. I just love reusing canvases not sure why but I guess that is part of who I am in wanting to bring to life something that someone has gotten rid of that I find still has value.
Next I decided to add some fabric to create texture to the background but later changed my mind on the bottom part of the painting.
I decided to use an old encyclopedia book pages to kinda give the rough look of the sand and water. Plus, you know because it is mixed media you can do anything that you want and any given time which I absolutely love because most of the time when I have a thought or design in mind I will have changed it a couple of times before its done. I also, used Distress Ink in walnut and ran it across the old book pages and then used a mister to get it damp and ran a sponge brush aross it to give it an antique look that will peek through the paint.
Here I divided it into three sections...one containing the sand, water, and sky. I used acrylic paints and a brayer for this step.
Then I went in there and used my paintbrush on the sky and an old credit card on the water.
I had always known I wanted to have a vintage lady with her swimsuit and bathing cap for this painting so I went to the computer and searched for different styles until I found something I liked and drew it out on copy paper. The reason I do this is because you can erase easily until I get just the right look and size.
Then I cut out the shape and mod podged it down and painted her suit pink of course! Added some waves on the shore and some shading in the water.
Here is the finished piece and I just loooove it. I wrote down by the sea in a heavy coat of mod podge and when it dried I used my brayer to add the sand color and added black paint to the indented letters after it dried.
I was so excited to show my hubby when he came home and when I did guess what he said? Wow, you can see a dolphin in there....and when I looked yep I saw it too....right in the waves on the left. It wasn't intended but cool non-the-less. It kinda reminds me of the highlights book I would look at at the dentist when I was a kid. What's cool about it is that we do see dolphins while sitting on the beach sometimes so I love that it was in there.
Since I love vintage things I thought I would show up close what's next to the picture. I have this vintage camera which was my mother-in-laws and to the right of that is a vintage metal frog with a vintage photo I got at an antique store in Griffin, Ga.
Cool right?!! I always put this out in the summer.....but not easy to find in the antique stores. I am always looking at the old photos for these kinds of pictures and buy them when I see them. Do you see the lady on the right she has a bathing cap on...well it looks like it to me....got to love it.
Here is the other one on the left side of the painting and how cool is this one! It looks like they are on a dock sun bathing and socializing. It is held up by another vintage frog and this one is long and square.
Well, that's one of the paintings I finished and proudly have on display. I am currently working on another one which is much larger and has four ladies and their vintage bathing suits and caps and that one is going to be hung behind our love seat. I will show you that when I finish it too. I know I should be focusing on fall but since it is so warm I still find it hard to put out my fall decor so I will enjoy this alittle longer.
One of the reasons I decided to do these kinds of paintings is because when I recently painted our living room in this pretty grn/blue color it just felt so cottage to me and since we live 15 minutes from the ocean I thought it was fitting. So, thank you for stopping by and seeing what I have been up to in the studio. I hope also that it may inspire you to make one.
xo
barbara lynn
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