Mother's Day on the Rocks/painted Rocks That Is.

Phillipcardjr
by Phillipcardjr
Mother's day is of-course a very important and special day. So why not put the love for her on stone. True it is not the same as the one who could write in stone but mom will likely love it all the same. I worked at keeping the painting fairly easy so that anyone interested could give it a shot. The detailed project is at the site.
This is the reference I worked from. I thought of including the other paintings as alternative paintings someone could do but there is enough in this Hummingbird painting to keep a person busy.
The paints I used for the project are Phthlo blue, medium yellow(this one here is a bright medium) Quinicridone red ( magenta works well too/I use it and the crimson with blues to make violets purples and lavenders). Zinsser primer was used for the base coats . I also use this white primer to tint the colors. Burnt Sienna for the brown. this brand is quite dark, I was out of the lighter-reddish brown used most often. and Titanium white. And Mars black. These are artist acrylic paints. You might want a medium green as well. Generally I mix blues and yellows to get the needed green colors. A variety of brushes were used . The fan brush works great for one of the paint applications, yet a good 2'' utility brush can also be used. Acrylic gloss and if your finished painting will be outdoors a good coat of an interior exterior clear gloss/enamel is important.
Mixing some of the white primer with a little thalo blue , the first basecoat was applied to the rock. This was allowed to dry. My paint tray is made from taping two inexpensive cookie trays I purchased at Michael's. They have since been painted with Rustoleum Hammer metal textured paint. I use wax paper for the disposable pallet sheets.
A second coat of the blue is applied and left wet for this part. The fan brush tip was dipped in each color of paint separately and then streaked on to the wet paint. (randomly).
Next I rinsed the fan brush out some and then drew it across the wet paints as can be seen in the photo to blend the colors slightly. It can take two or more applications of one or more of the colors to get the pattern just the way you want it. If you get too much of a color add a little of the base mixture , or just a little white and blend.
Though this next step can be done with the paint still wet, giving the previous paint a chance to dry will make applying the flower blossoms easier. I mixed the quid. red with some thalo blue to get this indigo or violet ( you would think I had those two sorted out by now).
I have jumped ahead some for times sake . Once the blossoms on the right were based in, the flowers on the left were added . For this color more red was used and white to lighten it some (even the base color). Now to give these blossoms on each side some form, a very light mixture of the colors was added to the upper sides, and a darker mix to the lower part. Some adjustment is made in each case depending on how the colors went on to begin with. The blossoms are now left to dry. Once dry I mixed up a medium green and began adding some leaves.
The blossoms and leaves are of a make-believe plant or tree, so we have some flexibility with their makeup . Once the leaves were in place I mixed a darker green and a lighter green to use on them to build their form. Certainly there is a lot more detail that could be used to build the scene but it is not necessary in this painting. I also used some brown and black to make the branch twigs. To add a little color and interest to the scene I dabbed on some yellow, as well as some magenta or the red with white to make some other flowers.
Now I added a little life to the scene. True the flowers are alive as well. I simply added this hummingbird by building up shapes and colors ( it doesn't always work) . You can of course can use a picture or photo for reference and trace.
I then began adding color and form to the various parts of the body. I started with a light green mixture for the upper part, since this hummer will resemble a Ruby throat hummingbird. Some light yellow and browns gave form to the belly and underside. This brownish color also gave definition to the wings.
Some darker green was then added to the head and back , the red which had just a touch of black added was applied under the neck, Then some white under that. A little white was placed behind the eye, an a dot of white for the highlight to the eye. the nose and tail feathers were then highlighted.
A couple imaginary butterflies were then added and outlined, then the antennas , and white spots painted on. You can reference real butterflies or make up your own if you prefer.
And now we have come to the final photo. I say the best part but that wouldn't be true. They say true success is enjoying the journey. The success and climax of the painting, mine ,as well as yours , is when we see the smile of appreciation on her face. Since my painting is done I could give it to my mother now and come up with something else to give to her. ( Mom saw this painting the day after I did it , and mother's day was and is still several days away ). My website post provides some more detail and photos should you be interested in taking this Mother's day painting on. Have a great day.
Phillipcardjr
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 5 comments
Next