Society of Decorative Painters
Painting: Cheaper than Therapy

Issue #1 of The Decorative Painter is nearly ready to go to print, and we can’t wait for you to see it! Inside you’ll find wonderful projects by Junko Nasui MDA, Jan Boettcher, Prudy Vannier CDA, and many more. Be sure to watch the video below to see all of the beautiful projects.

Ready to earn back your membership dues? The SDP Member discount list is now available online in the Members Only section of www.decorativepainters.org. This year, we have thirty-two participating businesses offering discounts of up to 50 percent off surfaces, paints, brushes, seminars, patterns, books, videos, and much more.

Be sure to log in to the Members Only section of www.decorativepainters.org this week to find two new projects to paint, and the SDP member survey. The ten-question survey will help SDP as we create a road map for the next twelve months. Exercise your rights as a member in good standing and let your voice be heard!

I believe that paper selection is as important as the selection of your pencils and paints. There are hundreds of brands and styles of paper to experiment with; the possibilities are endless. Below are a just a few of my personal favorites from the many types that I’ve worked with over the years.

1. Fisher 400 Paper-

This is the paper I use for my portraits; its great for oil based pencils. Developed by UK based artist Tim Fisher, this is a sanded pastel paper that almost grabs the color from your medium.

2. Hand Dyed and Collage Paper by Janelle Johnson CDA, TDA -

This paper comes in a variety of colors and has a great texture that holds many layers of pencil.  I like this paper because it is strong and can be glued to wood surfaces.  It can be varnished, you can use a heavier hand, and it can be cut with a deckled-edge ruler.

3. Art Spectrum Colourfix –

The naturally toothy surface of this paper is ideal for pastels, pencil, or charcoal as it will hold multiple overlays of color without the need to use a fixative between layers. It comes in twenty different colors. This paper can be easily glued to wood surfaces, and can be varnished. I recommend that you cut it with scissors and not an X-acto knife. This is an inexpensive paper with a wide variety of possible uses.

4. Ampersand Pastelbord -

This is my favorite surface because it holds many layers, it already comes on a hard surface, it can be varnished and framed without glass, and you can use mineral spirits or acrylics with it. The drawbacks are that it only comes in four colors and it can be scratched easily. Choosing your color is very important as the grain will show in your finished piece. The color you choose will
depend if you have a warm or cool tone, and whether it is high- or low-key. If you have very dark areas in your composition, it will be better to use gray or green.  Sign up for my colored pencil class at the SDP 2012 Conference to try this surface with me!

5. Legion Bamboo Paper –

This is the paper I like using with water soluble pencils.  It is a mixed media paper, strong, and eco-friendly; it is made from 90% bamboo and 10% cotton.

I will also be offering a class using oil paints during the SDP Conference May. This is a beginner class, designed for the first time painter or for those students that would like to give oils a try. We will teach you how to load and hold your brush properly, what is the right amount of paint in your brush, how to give form to an object, how to establish a light source, blending techniques, tips on conserving your paints, and finishing your piece. You will also learn how to easily paint tree branches and twigs.

For more information on the class or to register, please visit the class information page.

Nilda Rosa Rodriguez CDA
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Tolebrush.com

For those who have registered to date for SDP’s 40th Annual Conference & Expo (May 14th-19th), class confirmations are available to print through the SDP website.

An email announcement will be going out next week to inform everyone that this is now available.  However, if you don’t want to wait for the email announcement, you can go now to the SDP Class Confirmation page on the SDP website (located on the left side of the menu under the topic Conference 2012).  You will need the order no. from the original order you placed online along with your email address to access your class confirmation.

If you do not receive an email next week giving you instructions about how to print your class confirmation on the SDP website, please email Lisa Curry, Education Coordinator, at lisa@decorativepainters.org.  She can provide you with your order number so you can print out your class confirmation to take with you to Conference.  Keep in mind that your Class Schedule Confirmation is your admission ticket to all classes and events.

If you’re venturing into colored pencil, plan on learning how to sharpen those pencils. You may think that all you need to know about this topic was learned when you were a child – but guess what, it’s a whole new medium.

I’ve been painting with colored pencil for 16 years and what I’ve learned has been through trial, error, and success!

Some colored pencils will have a factory-sharpened point and that is really a plus. For those that you need to sharpen yourself, use an electric sharpener to begin, then use a battery operated when traveling, and a hand-held to only refresh a point.

Tips for using electric sharpeners

1. Sharpen a no. 2 lead pencil prior to sharpening any colored pencils.
2. Wax-based pencils have soft cores; pushing them into the sharpener with force will break the core. Gently insert the pencil and let the sharpener work for you. Oil based pencils have a harder core and will easily sharpen.
3. If a core breaks inside the sharpener, use a no. 2 pencil to push the point through.
4. Sharpen a no. 2 pencil every month (or more) to clean the wax off the blades.
5. Never trust the light on a sharpener to tell you that a pencil is sharp. Learn to listen to the sound of the pencil being sharpened.

Tips for using battery operated sharpeners

The tips for using a battery-operated are the same as an electric, be aware that a battery operated will have a jarring action and wax-based pencils will easily break. Always keep fresh batteries at hand incase the ones in the sharpener begin to weaken.

Tips for using a hand-held pencil sharpener

1. Use the hand-held to only refresh a point. Never sharpen a brand new colored pencil with the hand-held.
2. Hold the sharpener and the pencil straight up-and-down. Don’t hold to the side or the pressure of twisting the pencil will crack off the soft core.
3. You might also have success turning the sharpener and not the pencil.

Find these sharpeners and more on www.janellejohnson.com

Janelle Johnson CDA, TDA – Colored Pencil Artist

janelle@janellejohnson.com

www.janellejohnson.com

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My challenge is to do a simple apple with a layering technique to make it look realistic. I will be using Prismacolor wax based pencils to create the desired effect; they are a translucent medium.

First you must transfer your apple design onto a piece of Stonehenge paper that has been mounted onto a piece of hardboard.  Use a stylus, but not too much pressure or you’ll dent the paper.  There are several other types of paper you could use but for this project Stonehenge is heavy enough for burnishing and has just enough tooth, something like an English muffin with nooks and crannies to catch the color. You always must use a very sharp pencil, so a good pencil sharpener is in order.

The colored pencil is laid down by using either a linear stroke or a circular stroke which resembles a “Brillo” pad, for those of you who remember Brillo pads.  The color is applied using different pressures, light, medium or heavy depending on the desired effect and the number of layers that you will be applying.  Sometimes I might start by applying the medium value and get lighter and then darker.  Other times I might start with the lightest value because that would be my highlight as in the apple and get progressively darker.

I used seven colored pencils from light to dark to give the apple form.  If needed, use different tools to give the apple an overall finished and blended look.  Depending on the way you applied the pencil you might blend with a clear wax pencil as long as you don’t have a waxy finish. If so, you might blend with a stump which would blend without adding more wax.

After your picture is finished spray with a workable fixative to protect it.  If you decide to frame, make sure that you use a mat so the glass is not resting on the picture. My students love doing pencil projects because they are so portable.

I hope you enjoyed this overview of a colored pencil project. It might make you want to give it a try. If so, go to my Web site, SellarShop.com  to find available packets.

Thank you,
Bonnie Frederico CDA
bonniefr@charter.net

Marian Brown sent an email to me with this question: “If a pattern is purchased and a painting made from it, or a painting is done in a class, what are the rules for showing it or selling it?”

I am going to attempt to give some broad information that may be useful for all of our members.

First, a disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and if the issue of copyright infringement is ever brought against you, you will need one to explain the language and give you proper legal guidance.

My advice is standard: Read the information on the lesson. If there is a © on the design there are restrictions connected to that symbol. Some teachers give very broad latitude in painting and selling their designs. Others are very restrictive. Contact the designer and ask for permission in writing. Ask for clarification of the parameters in which duplication is allowed. While you may think the teacher is stern, please remember that this is their livelihood and there is usually a reason for their specifications. For example, Mary and my copyright appears on our designs stating that:

Permission is granted to teach this project within a 100-mile radius of teacher’s home studio. Written permission is required beyond this point.

Permission is granted to reproduce the line drawings, color maps, and written instructions verbatim for teaching purposes only (one copy per student) and may not be resold, nor may it be rewritten into a different format, nor reworded into teacher’s own words.

We sign seminar contracts that restrict us from teaching in competition with other businesses within a certain area and we must be able to control that aspect. We do not allow rewording of the design since errors occur and the misinformation reflects on us. We do allow color conversions and changes in color choices when we are contacted and will even help in the process.

You will find that we are quite generous in giving permission. Most teachers are, but take the time to write and you will stay out of trouble. Write to the teacher; state what your intentions are, where, and when. Include a line giving you the permission and ask the teacher to sign, amend or edit.

A response is more likely if you enclose a SASE. An email may be iffy in the legal sense. It is always safer to have the signed permission. There is an adage that it is easier to ask forgiveness than ask for permission. That is not true when it comes to legal matters. Protect yourself and ask for permission, then you won’t need the forgiveness. There is a myth that you can change seven things on a design and then it is your design. Don’t believe it. If the design is recognizable as a derivative, there is a problem.

Museum and antique pieces may be reproduced since they are in the public domain. However, the copies of the painting cannot be the same size and should be signed “After Da Vinci, your name/date”. Some decorative artists require that a painting of their design should be signed in the same way, such as “After Jane the Artist, your name below”. The instructions or lesson plan that would accompany the painting are copyrighted.

Many teachers assume that there is fair use implied when a lesson is purchased. That fair use extends to your own personal use, but teaching the lesson requires permission of the copyright holder. Some designers require you purchase one pattern per student, or specify an amount of copies you can duplicate. The copyright may or may not extend to mass reproduction of the item for sales at boutiques, etc. This is because some designers are under licensing contracts by manufacturers. Wood designs are not usually copyrighted, but if they have moving parts, they may be patented.

If in doubt, check it out.

Ann Kingslan MDA/TDA
http://kingslan.com/
(402) 397-0298

In November’s blog I talked about using oils to shade and highlight on acrylic medium values, and now we will expand on that technique. When using this method, the first thing you have to learn to see is what the medium value of each object is.

We will continue to use the pear from last month as an example.

Looking at the pear beyond the accent colors, I saw Yellow Ochre. I used the acrylic equivalent to base coat the pear as a solid object. I could have chosen a Raw Sienna for a darker pear, and possibly a Lemon Yellow for a light yellow pear, even red or green pears are around. Use a real pear, and compare it to bottles of acrylic turned upside down. It really helps to see the middle value.

Let it dry and sand lightly with a brown paper bag. This takes off any little fibers that are in the surface.

Start applying shading in oils with a sideloaded short bristled brush. The reason I sideload is to make the blending process easier. Why work harder than you have to? I generally place the shading first and then finish with the highlights and reflected lights. I then use a short round to buff the color out on each   object.

The ability to see the medium value or base color of objects is sometimes hard, so keep a color wheel   near while doing this, it helps a lot. I also recommend basing in smoothly and sanding lightly.

I recommend not spraying with a Matte spray, or your surface may become too slick. Wait at least 48 hours after painting with acrylics before applying oils. The acrylic may appear dry but be damp underneath if you used a few layers to make an object solid.

Elaine Russell, CDA
emrus718@aol.com