Tag Archives: painting

A Lulie Wallace Study

As a kid I was always fascinated by the painters who would set up in museums, right next to the most famous paintings, and replicate them color by color. I thought why is this famous painting so famous if it’s easy to replicate.

I laugh now at my younger self.

I’ve grow to learn that famous painting are famous for reason – no matter how hard you try, you can’t replicate the genius. Instead, you learn to paint by trying to replicate a master’s strokes, color choices and style.

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I’ve been following Lulie Wallace for a little while now. Recently, she’s posted a collection called a Southern floral series that I am obsessed with, specially her painting of magnolias. So I took the afternoon to try to learn from a master.

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Again, it’s impossible to replicate the genius, but it was fun to attempt to capture its style. Plus, I get a beautiful painting to hang on my wall.

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A Painted Wedding Bouquet

For a last minute birthday present, I pulled together a quick painting of my friend’s wedding bouquet. Her wedding was back in May, and a single adjective could not properly describe how spectacularly amazing her flowers were. If I had more time, I wish I could have found a better picture of her specific bouquet to create a more exact portrait, but since the idea came to me a week before her birthday, I painted something based on memory.

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My painting definitely did not justify the beauty of the actual bouquet, but I think the painting came together well with only a couple hours to execute it on Sunday morning. This morning, I sketched out another rendition of the bridesmaids’ bouquets that I’m hopeful to paint in the coming weeks.

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Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String

From January to November, I am all about using kraft paper for all of my gift wrapping needs. Add in a  cute ribbon, and I have a simple yet adorable package to give out for birthdays, weddings – you name it! But come December, and I can’t help but fall in love with the festive holiday options.

But since life after college has been all about being resourceful, I decided to not invest in the beautiful and very tempting sheets of holiday wrapping (I’m looking at you Paper Source), and instead, use the materials I already have: brown paper, paint and plenty of ribbons!

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Step 1: Wrap your gift. (Easy enough)

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Step 2: Paint your design. (My flowers are a mixture of white paint with touches grey and red and black centers.)

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Step 3: Tie it all up with a bow.

(Sadly, it appears that I got so into gift giving that I forgot to take pictures of this step and onward.) But just imagine it in mind – the beauty of a simple, wrapped gift.

Something Beautiful

When I lived in Washington D.C. last summer, I would wander the halls of the National Museum of Art and feel envious of the painters who were allowed to spend hours recreating the masterpieces that hung on its walls. On certain lazy Sundays, I like to take up the practice of mimicking another’s work. Though it may sound strange, I find the practice rather relaxing, but truly, studying the stroke and technique of another painter is the best way to grow as a painter yourself. Today, I decided to bask in the art of flowers (ones first created by Erin Gregory).

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Exact dimensions

In the midst of stressful times, painting is good for the soul. My roommate laughed at me because she came home the other day and found me painting in bed. I figured when I was painting something so simple (see above), I couldn’t get too messy.

I found the idea from a letterpress print I found online. I didn’t copy the print exactly (that would be rude), but I did take the idea (and the bridge, canoe, feather, ruler and whale). Check out the letterpress shop here. It is one of my favorites, and it’s a great place to look for Christmas presents (hint, hint).

So close to summer

My apologies for appearing to have disappeared from the face of this earth. With school work, Spring Fling (pictures to come) and now the final days before final exams, I have barely anytime to craft, let only post what I make. But once I survive these next 2 weeks, I will have the entire summer to execute all the ideas that have been floating through my head all month. One being the idea of spending an entire day painting. With that said, I leave you with a painting I did last summer

And so the countdown begins…

Time to paint

 

As I have mentioned before, with Step Sing taking over campus, I have had very little time to start anything. But alas, in comes the greatness of painting. With a free afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I started painting this butterfly. Since then I have worked on it here and there until I was able to finish it this afternoon.

Just something for your viewing pleasure until another project comes along. Enjoy!