Iridescent Peacock Feathers With Acrylic Paint

Iridescent Peacock Feathers are the feature of today's tutorial. Peacocks have been the subject for countless works of art due to their glorious plumage. Although I don't pretend to be a master painter, I can let you in on a little secret for how to get that signature peacock iridescence using a gold wash of acrylic paint.

I started with a wood model and an assortment of acrylics. I painted sample stripes of blues, greens, and browns on white cardstock. When those had dried I painted over them with stripes of metallic paint. The sheer metallics gave the colors an iridescent sheen and I had only to choose which color combinations I liked best.

For the body I choose Aqua and Blue, for the feet and beak, Brown. I painted the tail feathers in Blue, Brown, Green, Lime Green, and Antique Gold

 I carefully assembled the peacock and assigned colors to body parts. The original model planned for the eyes of the feathers to be punched out. I choose to leave them in but gave them an extra layer of paint to hold them there.

 Peacock wings, neck, and body alternate between light and dark blue. To get a similar look I painted the pieces with Aqua, let them dry, then splattered them with Blue. When those layers had dried I added a thin layer of Blue over it all.

 The base of the tail and back of the peacock I painted in Lime Green. I splattered the pieces with Brown to give the impression of multi colored feathers. A layer of Antique Gold added the iridescent look I had planned.

 The tail feathers took the longest to paint. I began with a layer of Aqua on the eye of the feathers and Lime Green on the rest. After a second layer of Aqua and Lime, I framed the eye with Brown and the outer edge of the feathers with Green. I added a dab of Blue to the center of the eye. The final layer of paint, Antique Gold, gives the tail feathers that iridescent gleam.

 I grew up with visits to Grandma's farm and her many types of fowl. Although the turkeys were my favorite, the peacocks were unmatched for beauty. I spent many long hours gathering peacock feathers from the pastures and woods. There is something so glorious about bringing in armfuls of blue and green feathers that flash gold in the sunlight.

This glorious peacock model was purchased off Amazon. The paints are from Canvas Corp Brands, and that amazing 3-D Taj Mahal was assembled by my daughter Lori.

Craft On

~charity~

Decoupage and Stencils Decorate a Dress Form

The perfect canvas for decoupage, stencils, paste, and metallic paint is a dress form. This beauty is 14" tall with a 5" vintage spool as a stand. My recent delivery of Calambour products give her an air of sophistication and charm.

My first step was to paint the form with Calambour decoupage glue. I ripped the rice paper into large strips and placed them on the wet glue. I applied another layer of glue over the paper. I only had one piece of the Victorian Cherub rice paper so I used Calambour Metallic Chocolate paint to patch over the uncovered areas.

 A strip of the Metallic Chocolate shows across the back as well as on the neck and shoulders. I was able to apply the paper to the front of the form evenly and fairly straight. The sections on the back didn't go on as well, but they give her a sashay so that's alright!

 Calambour 3D Glossy Gel in Ducat Gold is layered through stencils to create the fleur de lis on the dress forms left side and the paisleys on the right. Calambour Plaster Effect Mortar (paste) adds a series of leaves, dots, flourishes, flowers, and butterflies with the help of even more stencils.

 In place of a heart I have given this lady a blue butterfly. I stenciled on a butterfly with Plaster Effect Mortar then painted it with Calambour Metallic Tiffany paint. Given the curve, the placement of the butterfly took me a few tries. The resulting flutter of Tiffany Blue makes it all worth while!

My first dress form had a number of lessons for me. Some of those were about curves and letting go of perfection. The majority though, were about the fun of experimenting, taking chances, and creating for the fun of it!

Craft On!

~charity hotrum~

Valentines With Watercolors.

Today on the Canvas Corp Blog you will find a variety of watercolor Valentines card ideas. Be sure to stop by and see all the wonderful samples. Create your own and post it on the Tattered Angels Facebook page or on Instagram and tag us!

The Creative Studio

 Rather than a mixed media or layered paper approach, I went directly to painting. I've been practicing my drawing skills and am pleased with how this beauty turned out!

 The purple and green of her tail and hair are Tattered Angels Chalkboard Mist:Clover and Amethyst. The ocean is Tattered Angels Chalkboard Mist:Boogie Board and Blue Ribbon. The ocean didn't turn out quite like I had planned. Watch for more projects as I perfect my water technique!

The words are hand-lettered using a paint brush and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist:Mardi Gras. To give the card a splash of valentine shine I matted it with gold foiled paper from Rinea.

Supplies:

Tattered Angels Chalkboard - Clover, Amethyst, Boogie Board and Blue Ribbon

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - MardiGras, Vintage Pink, Tattered Leather and Sand

Recollections - Cardstock

Rinea - Foiled Paper Gold

Craft On!

~charity hotrum~