Floral Flame
©2004 Josette Fleury

Preparation:
Prepare your wood piece as you usually do. (I sand with #100 and #120 grit sand paper or #80 for rough wood.) Always use sand paper in the proper progression of number, starting with the lowest one. You can fill the nail holes on the sides with your favorite wood filler or you can use Texture Medium. Keep in mind that the Texture Medium leaves 50% of solids when dried, so it is possible for you to repeat this step. Do not forget to sand between coats. Clean your wood piece.

Let’Äôs talk about the primers. In the Traditions paint line we have 2 primers, a light color and a dark color. You use the primers to make your background colors. The primers contain sealer, tannin-blocking sealer, tinting color, and everything you need to prepare the surface for painting. You can add the Traditions Acrylic paint directly to the primer to basecoat and seal the piece at the same time, or you can give a primer coat, sand lightly (#320), then wash on your desired basecoat color.
I usually add the paint directly to the primer until I get the desired color. Apply paint, let dry about 30 minutes, then sand the piece with #320 sandpaper. Making background colors directly with the primer saves money and paint so I normally chose that method. If you want to make your own background colors using the primer, always remember that you can make any color you want. Don’Äôt forget: If you mix your background color, keep that paint in a little container till the end of the project. It could be useful for touch-ups.

If your first coat is too light or you had to sand very heavily, give it a second coat before proceeding to the next step. Let the primer dry well before the next step. It is also very important to let the primer dry well before transferring your pattern. If you transfer your pattern while the primer is tacky, it will be difficult to remove the pattern lines because the primer is very powerful and may grab on to them.

If you have chosen to use Texture Medium, you will not have to seal again. Texture Medium dries to a hard finish in 2 to 4 hours, depending on the room conditions. You can dry it with a hair dryer in between coats. Avoid getting the piece too hot or you can crack the Texture Medium.

Let’Äôs Start!
When your wood is ready and clean, mix Dark Primer with Mix #1 (Dark Red Violet) and give the entire surface a coat. (I did prime the inside of the vase.) Let dry well and sand lightly with #320 sanding paper. Clean the surface.

At this moment, if you need to smooth out your surface, add the background color to the Texture Medium (about 1:1) and give a coat to the surface with a large brush. When very dry, sand lightly with #320. You can add as many coats as you want depending on the desired smoothness. Do not forget to dry well before proceeding to the next step.

Marbleizing:
Marbleize the front of the vase by scumbling on thinned Mix #2 (Medium Red Violet). Add an equal proportion of Glazing Medium and water to the color (1:1:1). Quickly apply a medium layer of paint over the dry basecoat. While the layer is still wet, immediately lay a piece of plastic wrap or drycleaner’Äôs bag onto it; now, gently rub your hand across the plastic, forcing paint up into the wrinkles. Then peel up the plastic wrap. If you have too many wrinkles, just gently dab paint on with crumpled wrap. Let it dry. Do not rush the drying or you will risk damaging the paint later when applying and removing the mask.

Paper Mask:
Trace the shape of the vase on a poster board and cut it. Take your compass and draw a line at 3/5" (1.5 cm) inside the outer edge and carefully cut out this line. It is easier for me to use a cutting knife such as an X-Acto® to get a clean edge. Save the cutout piece for possible use another time. Apply the mask to the front surface. Firmly press down the edges surrounding the part to be painted to keep the paint from seeping under the mask.

Apply a coat of Mix #3 (Very Dark Red Violet) within the masked area. Brush the paint from the edge of the mask toward the outer edge of the surface rather than away from the edge. This way you avoid pushing paint under the edge of the mask. Gently peel up the mask. You can stick tape in the center of the mask to create a grip with which to peel up the mask. Clean with a damp brush if there is some paint inside. If you do not want to use that method, you could draw a line around the surface and paint it with the Mix #3.

Let dry carefully and transfer the entire pattern.

Working with the Gold:
Traditions Metallics are mica-based pigments. Mica is coated with very thin applications of Titanium Dioxide, which refracts light back at different wavelengths and angles. These different wavelengths and angles create the appearance of different colors. Micas are also used to create other types of colors called interference and iridescent colors. Those are also used in layer painting techniques by artists. We use the Mica because it is much safer than metallic powders and is easier to use.

Micas can be controlled by many different means. Since they are suspended in the same resin as the paint colors, they can be used just as a color. You can mix them with other ’Äúpure’Äù colors to alter their appearance or glaze them with ’Äúpure’Äù colors to create different effects. The key to working with them, however, is as pure colors used transparently. Light needs to move through the layers so the gold appearance is not lost. All colors used in this technique must be pure and used transparently.

Suggested Technique:
For this technique I have used a #6 filbert, #3 round and #10/0 line brush. The filbert and the round brushes have been used with side-loading technique to control the edge of the brush. Use the Traditions Glazing Medium to control how far the color travels across your brush when side-loading. Once you have loaded the brush with color, you can help keep that color on the side of the brush by dressing the brush in a little Glazing Medium on the opposite side. Add a little glaze to the opposite side of brush from the color. Press down that side of the brush on the palette and pull short strokes. The Glazing Medium will force the color back to the side of the brush and give you a nice side-load.

This side-load will control how far the gold ’Äútravels’Äù across the brush. For flowers that you want to have more interest and more of a ’Äústroke’Äù look, carry more Glazing Medium on the brush. The Glazing Medium is formulated heavier than paints so it can control the colors.

Step 1:
Dress the filbert brush in a little Glazing Medium and then side-load with True Gold. (Add a little Glazing Medium to the opposite side of the brush to keep the color on the side of the brush.) Stroke on the shape of the petals with strokes painted from the outside of the petal toward the center of the flower. (If you feel your flower needs more interest, reduce the amount of True Gold and increase the amount of Glazing Medium.) Then step your strokes a little farther apart, which will increase the ’Äústroke’Äù feeling of the flower. I have used a #3 round brush for the daisies. Stroke on the shape of the leaves with strokes painted from the outside of the leaf toward the other side of the leaf. Dab on some True Gold on the light side of the centers of the flowers.

Dry well and remove the graphite lines. Give the surface a light, even coat of Glazing Medium. This will protect the gold and separate the tinting colors from the gold adding more depth to the flowers. Dry.

Step 2:
Give the surface a light, even coat of Extender Medium. Dress the brush in some Extender Medium and Glazing Medium, then side-load in transparent washes of the flowers’Äô color. Wash some color in the shadow areas, keeping these colors out of the highlight areas.

Red: Naphthol Red + Naphthol Red Light ’Äì use for the flowers
Yellow: Raw Sienna + Hansa Yellow ’Äì use for the centers of the flowers
Green: Phthalo Green-Blue + Raw Sienna ’Äì use for the leaves.

Dry your surface. Give the surface a light, even coat of Glazing Medium and dry.

Step 3:
Give the surface a light, even coat of Glazing Medium. Dry and give the surface a light, even coat of Extender Medium. Deepen the shadow with washes of Red Violet to all the flowers and in the darkest part of the flower’Äôs center. (You can use it on the leaves if you want, but it is not necessary.)

Dry the surface and then give it a light, even coat of Glazing Medium. Dry again.

Step 4:
Highlights: Give the surface a light, even coat of Extender Medium. You need to set the tints into place with a little highlight. This will be done with True Gold + a touch of Titanium White. Don’Äôt add too much white or you will lose the True Gold. Dress the filbert or round brush in Glazing Medium. To this, side-load in a little True Gold + a touch of Titanium White. Control the side-load with Glazing Medium. Stroke some very small highlights on the tips of the petals and leaves. Lightly go over the colors in a few places to set them into the flowers. Dry. Repeat if necessary.

Step 5:
Detail line work: Using a liner brush dressed with some water + True Gold + a touch of Titanium White, do some outlining on the flowers and leaves. (Notice how the outlining does not touch the petals or leaves.) Leave a little space between the line and the object. This will make the flowers and leaves look lighter or more ’Äúairy’Äù.

Step 6:
Details: Drybrush the sides of the surface with a 2-inch pure bristle brush; you will find it at your local hardware store. (I had already cut the bristles slightly to make the brush stiffer.) Load the brush with True Gold and dab off the excess on a paper towel. Be sure you do not have any paint on any sides of the brush. In a very soft movement, spread out the remaining paint on the sides of the vase. This technique gives the surface an old-age appearance. Dry brush the balls under the vase.

Load the tip of a #12 flat brush with True Gold and off’Äìload the color on to the surface by wiping the paint off the bristles onto the corner edges. This creates a textured, somewhat uneven gold edging. Start at the top and move down so the paint is applied in sections the width of your brush (about 1/2").

If you want, you can dot about 5 little dot flowers here and there on the design, using the tip of the liner brush loaded in True Gold + a touch of Titanium White.

The line work, the comma strokes, and the crosshatching are done with the liner brush loaded in True Gold.

Finishing:
Give the surface a light, even coat of Glazing Medium. Dry the surface. Finish with 2 coats of Satin Varnish.

©2004/2005 These designs may be used for personal study. Please request permission for teaching from the individual artist.

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