Painted Feather
WITH KATIE BROOKS
Painted feathers make a unique statement! The nature of the feather makes this a more challenging canvas, but don’t let that intimidate you. Keep in mind that the feathers of many bird species are protected by federal law in the United States, so use discretion when collecting in the wild, or purchase your feathers from an art and craft supply store.
Materials
• Feathers
• Craft paints
• White acrylic paint
• Matte varnish (optional)
• Paintbrushes
• Paint
1 Coat both sides of the feather with a layer or two of white acrylic paint. Many feathers have a natural water-repellent coating to keep them dry; this coating could cause painting trouble if you don’t create a base first.
2 Begin the sky with pale yellow, working out toward a strong yellow and soft orange. No harsh lines here—it’s a cloudy day!
3 Continue bringing the sky’s colors outward to the edge of the feather and horizon lines, and introduce a faded yellow-green from the horizon line down to begin the mountain range.
4 Begin creating the layers of the mountain range, darkening each line or mountain as you move forward in the scene.
5 Continue this process, using a slightly deeper green each time to create the effect of atmospheric perspective. Bring the front of the mountain range line all the way to the bottom edge of the feather with dark green, and check for any white space in the landscape that needs to be covered!
6 Lightly tap the surface with your smallest brush, loaded with your darkest green paint, to create foliage in the foreground.
8 Add some evergreen trees, painting a simple line for each tree and building out the foliage one side at a time, tapering toward the top. I depicted a tiny flock of birds migrating south for the winter in my landscape. Using natural elements in artwork means much more when you find inspiration there too! Seal your painting with a matte varnish when you’re finished.
Painted Acorn
WITH KATIE BROOKS
Whimsical painted acorns are the perfect way to capture changing seasons. Make as many as you like—you could string them on some baker’s twine to create a pretty garland or group some together in a small dish. You can even make a pendant with the finished acorn!
Materials
• Acorn (Choose a large acorn free of holes, which could cause decay after sealing)
• Glue
• Craft paints
• Gloss varnish
• Round, fine-tipped paintbrushes
• Paint palette
1 Gently remove the acorn’s cap and set it aside. We’ll reattach it later!
2 Using a warm yellow, begin scattering the leaf shape of your choice around the acorn, leaving plenty of room for leaves of other colors! I chose a ginkgo leaf, because they turn a lovely, bold yellow in autumn!
3 With a muted orange, begin adding different leaves among the yellow leaves. Leave room for one more leaf variety. I recommend making these a bit smaller than the yellow leaves. Varying sizes add visual interest!
4 Choose a third unique leaf shape and add it with burgundy-red in the remaining spaces. At this point, the leaves should be evenly spaced, with no jarring gaps between. If you find a gap that’s too large, simply fill it with another leaf!
5 With a bit of dark brown on your smallest brush, add a few lines to each leaf to suggest its stem and veins. Don’t worry too much about making this perfect, just try to capture the impression.
6 With a small dip of white paint on your smallest brush, accent the spaces between the leaves with tiny dots. Cover the acorn with a few coats of gloss varnish to bring out the colors and protect the finished painting. Then align and reattach the cap with the strong glue of your choice.
You’ll likely need to apply multiple coats of paint for each leaf, depending on the thickness of your paint.