Fall Open House

Fall Open Houses are popping up everywhere.  Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins.  Different sizes, shapes and colors. 

Love this photo of the store I have the privilege of working in.  The walls are brimming with pumpkins and the scent of fall.  We had open house last weekend and also attended a few others.  Very inspiring and the one purchase I did make, was a white ceramic  pumpkin that I wanted to paint on something.

I gathered some of my supplies and headed down to my studio and began to experiment with my DecoArt mixed media fluid acrylics. 

I had this tin dish I purchased at a garage sale, gathered vintage papers, a rough wood block, pencils and paints.  I like to save pieces of unused watercolor projects and later use them in my designs.  Never throwing anything of value out, you never know when you can use them.  Love the old botanical pages I found in an old agricultural book.  I cut some of them out and used them as is, just adding washes of color to them.

This is the tin that I first washed with black.  Cut out the pumpkin shape from my vintage papers, added leaves from the botanical pages and stem.  Words were printed off the computer. Just washed the colors onto the pumpkin so the paper would show through.  Added washes and spatters of color to the entire piece.  Then, using a stamp and a green stamp pad, randomly stamped the edges and onto the pumpkin.  With my finger, I added more color under the pumpkin and to the top edges of the tray.  A very fun and quick project.  

The wood block was washed with black as well. This was left over from our renovation project.  I usually gesso them first, but wanted the wood grain to show through.  I added the large watercolor leaf to the right and then vintage papers for the other leaves and stems.  Adding washes and the same technique used for the tray.  This piece was more developed and no stamps were added.  Love finger painting to apply tints of color to the edges and patting around the foreground. 

 I also had a stack of greeting cards I started last week, not knowing what I would use them for. The empty space was perfect for a pumpkin. The butterfly, lettering and vintage paper were applied earlier.  I just added the pumpkin  with my stabilo pencil, then washed in some white and orange paint.  Added the stamp and some pen work.  Using water on the stabilo markings adds the shading. It also blends well with wet paint.

It's fun to use what you have on hand, especially when you get inspired.  My next project will be to paint some pumpkins on a few pillows that I purchased on sale.  The light burlap will be perfect for a fall still life.

What Harvest Memories will you be painting?

See you soon.
Ursula