Light Houses Galore

acrylic Painting Lighthouses
Help a beginner painter!?

I've just started a senior art class at school and it is basically an independant study where we can pick whatever project we would like to work on. I've decided to paint a scene of split rock lighthouse and i'm wondering what type of paint would be the best to use: acrylic, oil, or watercolor?

I personally would not use watercolor because I believe watercolor is really the hardest for a beginner.

I ask my children to paint in acrylic for competition entries since if it does not come out right the right the first time, they can do another. I give them a spray bottle to keep the paint moist to allow them a little time to blend etc.

Personally I like Oil, if I can afford the time. If, in the end stages you realize that you don't like it, then there is no time to re-start. Oil will give you the depth that will make your painting more impressive.

Here is a couple of suggestions if you already have the material and don't have to invest in it again:

1. Do a quick painting with acrylic. Then repeat in Oil for final submission. The acrylic can be a study and will only take up a few hours but will give you some additional insight on what worked and what didn't from a technique pov.

2. Do acrylic but thin it and apply many coats to give it more depth. So, it won't dry easily and you will get better depth.

How to Have Killer Curtains You Won't Find Anywhere Else

Control of natural light especially in work areas like the kitchen is particularly important. Too much of a good thing can be bad, and, while natural light is always valued in the kitchen, too much or too reflective of it can be distracting. Window coverings are the answer, both to control natural light, and to accomplish a lot of other things besides: limit summer heat gain and winter heat loss, limit outside view of the inside, screen off unpleasant view, and splash color and texture onto your kitchen.

One way to do this is through the use of curtains. One drawback of curtains, however, is that if you have it, at least one other in your place is bound to have it too, that alone is sometimes enough to spook some people into not having curtains at all.

But guess what. You actually can have your one-of-a-kind curtain by making your own one-of-a-kind painted -fabric curtains. Here's how.

Prepare the Fabric
Wash the fabric without using fabric softener. This will remove any sizing from the fabric. Hang to dry, after which press the fabric to remove any wrinkles.

Cut the Fabric to Measurements
Measure off your windows. You might want your curtains to hang past the seal, so provide for that in your measurements. Cut the individual panels of your curtains according to your measurements.

About Fabric Painting
Here are a few things you need to know about fabric painting. Fabrics can be painted to create whatever designs you want your curtains to take, which, at the same time, match your overall kitchen décor. Use only fabric paints. This will ensure a permanent painted design, and, at the same time, avoid the stiffness when you use any other kind of paint. When painting the fabric, remember not to apply too much paint, again to avoid the stiffness. You know you've got it just about right when you could see the texture of the fabric through the paint. You may also use craft acrylic paints, but with textile medium added. The textile medium allows the paint to seep into the fibers of the fabric resulting in permanent, color-fast, and immensely washable designs.

How to Paint on Fabric
Mix craft acrylic paint with textile medium. Follow the mixing ration specified by the manufacturer. You might instead want to use a fabric paint; that way, you don't have to worry about any mixing. Apply the paint to the fabric. Allow to dry for 24 hours. Heat-set by pressing the fabric under a press cloth.

Fabric Painting Techniques
Guided designs - Using masking tape, you can paint stripes, plaids, and other geometric patterns.

Swirled designs - Using artists' brushes, texture rollers, and paint pads, you can decorate your fabric with bold brush strokes. You might want to use metallic paints for added drama.

Stamped designs - Here, many of the things you have around the house can become your stamp design: fork tines, Junior's alphabet block, egg beater.

Stenciled designs - The design is transferred onto the fabric using a stencil brush and the stippling method. Consider a lighthouse design to repeat in your kitchen the ambiance created by the nautical wall sculptures or the ocean wall hangings in your living room.

Sponge painting - Use only a sea sponge to dab onto the fabric.

Complete your curtains
Now that you have your one-of-a kind fabric, all you need to do now is to complete the base and to shirr the header, and voila, you have your unique curtains.

About the Author

This article was written by Danita Lickfelt and provided by Metal-Wall-Art.com, a site featuring unique contemporary steel wall art and abstract metal art.