In this post I thought that I would share with you some of the tips and techniques that I use in my work to create a simple motif that could be used as a gift tag, card or wall hanging...
Don't panic or talk yourself into 'I'm not a painter' or that you need expensive art materials to accomplish this. It is more than likely that you have these materials around the house. I am also a firm believer that there are 'no mistakes in art' and this technique uses layering, so there is a constant building upon the previous work - a continuous enhancing process!
Materials:
- a chosen colour acrylic paint (I chose red to make into pink). It doesn't need to be a fancy brand - if the children have some in the house, use that. Cheap/discount shops also stock cheap acrylic paint.
- white and black acrylic paint - used to create different hues of your chosen colour.
- something to mix paint on - I have a palette but an icecream container lid or plastic container will suffice.
- paintbrushes - I use a small one for mixing paint, a sponge brush for applying paint and a different sponge brush for applying decoupage glue. One brush would suffice.
- Decoupage glue - you will use this to adhere paper, fabric and use as a varnish. There are a range of brands in craft stores (eg. ModPodge). You could possibly use watered down PVA glue (I haven't tried this personally - you may wish to try first, as it will need to dry clear)
- scrap of fabric or lace (I used a scrap of pink lace to match the colour I was using).
- an old book page - you could use any scrap paper (catalogue, magazine, scrap paper from printer, comic book page)
- card to adhere art work to (I used pink card. A bit of cardboard box would also work)
- rub ons or stickers (optional)
- lead pencil
- scissors
- permanent marker
- access to computer/printer (or could use a word out of a magazine/newspaper)
- hairdryer (this is optional - but I use one to speed up the drying process)
Steps:
Paint your chosen colour (I used a sponge brush) over the paper you have chosen (in my case, a book page). I mixed up some dark pink, but you could use your colour straight from the tube. I painted over the middle section of the page, but I suggest painting over the whole page as this will provide you with more options for the size of your finished egg. Don't be too worried about seeing the words through the paint. The layers will cover most of the words. Allow to dry or use a hair dryer to speed up the process.
On your palette (or base for paint mixing), mix your chosen colour with a dob of white. Mix well and judge whether it makes a light hue. Sponge/paint over your darker colour to create some lighter patches. Dry.
Don't clean up the last colour. Instead, add another dob of white and mix well to create another lighter hue. Sponge/paint patches over your previous hues. Don't be too worried about how it looks. It all works out in the end. Dry.
Turn the page over and draw an egg shape using the lead pencil. I gently folded the page in half (being careful not to make a crease down the middle) and drew a semi-circle, ensuring that the base is on the fold. This is where it helps to have painted the whole page, not just the middle.
Cut out the egg shape, using scissors and turn back over so that the painted side is facing up.
Make sure that your egg shape can fit on your cardboard. Using the decoupage glue and a brush (I use a sponge brush), paint over the cardboard, roughly bigger than the egg shape and place the egg onto top (remember paint facing up).
Paint a thin layer of decoupage glue over the top of the egg. I don't stress about the little bubbles that occur - they generally dry out, however, try and smooth out the larger ones before drying.
Whilst the glue is still wet, place the lace or strip of fabric over your egg, making sure the lace/fabric is overlapping the edges of the egg. Paint a thin layer of decoupage glue over the top of the lace/fabric. Dry.
Mix up a little of a darker hue of your colour (or once again, use straight from the tube). Paint a little on the base of the lead pencil and dot on the egg.
Repeat until your egg is covered with little dots. Dry.
Place a tiny dob of black on your palette and water down with water, to create a thin, watery black wash. Using your finger, dip into the black wash and rub around the edge of the egg and over the edges of the egg to create some highlights. (For some reason, this photo looks like there is a lot of black at the top, but this is not the case). Dry (this won't take long).
With the permanent marker, carefully draw around the edge of the egg and draw around each of the dots on the egg (no need to be too precise). I also added a few dots with the permanent marker. I used a thicker marker for the edge of the egg and a thinner one for circling the dots, but this is not necessary.
I added some black, lacey rub ons and added a couple of squiggles with the permanent marker. You could add some stickers or purely add a few squiggles. Test out the 'look' on a scrap of paper. Paint over all of your drawing and rub ons with a thin layer of decoupage glue.
On a computer, type out a word or greeting (or find a suitable word in a magazine/newspaper). I like using a traditional typewriter font. I chose the word 'Rejoice' but you could simply go with 'Happy Easter' (but cut around each word). Play around with the size and print out on white paper. Cut around the word and glue onto the egg using decoupage glue. Paint a thin layer of decoupage glue over the top. Dry. I also draw around the outside of the word with a permanent marker and underneath the word a little. Add a thin layer of decoupage glue over the top of your outlining.
When dry, cut around the outside of the egg. See... all that layering and squiggling and dabbing with paint all seems to work out in the end!
This egg could be simply used as a gift tag by punching a hole at the top and attaching some string or ribbon. Or you could use glue/double sided tape to attach to the front of a card to make a unique Easter greeting card (see above photo - although it isn't adhered on the card yet in the photo).
If you are into decorating your house a little at Easter, the egg could be adhered onto white card/paper and placed in a frame for a simple and unique wall decoration.You could even make eggs of various sizes and arrange them to create a picture.
If you are planning on making a number of cards or gift tags with this egg design, go through the steps with all of them at once rather than go through all the steps with one egg and then start the next egg, etc. This will save time and paint.
If you are a newsletter subscriber, there will be a special giveaway concerning this egg DIY, so make sure that you are a subscriber to find out the details (and make sure you take a photo of your finished piece).
All the best with your creating and let me know how you go :)
