Art Party Types

Art Parties I've been itching to host! Which means, it's time for me to make some samples and get creative! It feels like it's been too long!

Simple analogous color wash background with a single color detail and layered line design mandala. It's so cute with so many possible variations! I'd love a lime green and yellow with a orange or purple mandala! Or gray and white with a red/maroon design.

Fun variation on all the melted crayon art that's out there, play with heat and color mixing, and while the dreamcatcher design isn't very true to form - it's easy with lots of tear shapes radiating out of the center point!

I'm sure there are more out there that I want to do and make, but those are the ones that jump out at me as I scroll through my pinned materials on pinterest. Thank you pinners of the world who lead me to these images!

Chelsea *

Tutorial: Abstract Geometric Wall Art

This weekend I hosted an art party (more on that later), but the inspiration for the supplies and basic direction of the party came from a few pins I had come across on Pinterest. One of those inspiring pieces is here and the other is to a dead link but I'll post the picture below. 

Although she does a great job of explaining the process (and includes a good step about gesso-ing the edges of the tape for a cleaner line, especially with wilder or younger painters), I wanted to show how I tackled the exercise. This project is great for beginners and creates an interesting piece without needing to grab the rulers and be too careful with your paint along the straight edges - all by using painter's tape!

• Canvas (12in x 12in or larger)
• Paint and Paint Tray
• Brushes or Sponge Brushes
• Water
• Towels
• Painter's Tape (I used both the 1 and 3/4 inch width tape)
• Scissors (optional)

Place the tape on the canvas, remember as this is a "resist" wherever the tape is will remain the color of the canvas, in this case, under the tape will remain white. Press the tape down firmly on the canvas, especially if you are going around the corners. Small pieces of tape are not recommended as they are easier to lift while you are applying the paint with the brush.

Pumpkin Painting Party!

We are less than a week away from Halloween and it's high time for the pumpkins to be carved, decorated or arranged. I have taken my pumpkins to my office job to greet the passerbys and liven up my space.

The neat trick I worked with in this mini painting session with my friend Liz was to use blue painter's tape to block out the spaces for the jack-o-lantern faces and then we could paint the rest of the pumpkin with acrylic paint, however we pleased! This proved to be a bit less stressful then designing a full face with just a paint brush and way less clean up than if we had carved!

The pumpkins had a couple of tricks to them - we realized bigger pieces of tape were a bit better, a clean press down and light sponge brush movements near the edges were important. and careful removal of the tape was crucial to the overall effect. I found that after it was all dry, I wanted to add details in black glitter paint to give it some more dimensionality. The acrylic paint could use a clear coat to give the seal more durability but I enjoy the matte effect of the black contrasting with the glitter.

Such happy faces at the office!

What have you done for your Halloween decorations? Do you want to give this a try? If you are in the Jacksonville area, I have some availability for the afternoon/evenings of this week. Contact me! Let me know if you try something similar, I would love to see other people's examples!

Happy creating!

Chelsea Rose