My Summer Projects at OliveBlue Studio

In between trips here & there...I manage to complete these two projects plus learning many tips. Thanks to sis Zaitun from Olive Blue...But due to limited luggage space, it was left in my home in Subang Alam together with the paints that I newly bought..Only the brushes manage to fly back together to Dhahran with me... I blame it on last minute re-arrangements....

Lap Table

This is just playing around with surfaces... sure is a difficult one to do..the paint sort of absorbed into the surface although a thick and layered paint is used. The patterns was first base coated and after drying painted upon it..but it takes a couple of layeringand yet..there's still the transparentness seen here & there.... After I considered that it was quite a toughie....I realised that I forgot to apply the tile layer for tooth so that the acrylic paint will not come of or use enamel paint instead. So how..? I am just going to leave it...if it peels off than only then..I will repaint it again....

After such a long vacation from DP.... Unvarnished

Itchy Hands Painting..

Did this just to make sure my hands will not be stiff....Uwaa...It did get stiff for the time it were laid to rest picking up other things...kene ubat this penyakit M...it was just bcos I couldn't spare enough time to sit and do a project..have a few orders but still not starting..habis lah customer lari nanti...

Anyway..still along the same line....bouquets...but arrangements need to be more tidy..I am sketching up the arrangements..maybe it will turn out neater..

Plaid Enamel Paint on Ceramic

This is a very old mug that I had from 1988..It had a Blaupunkt logo on it from when I was working with Bosch Penang in 1987~1991... The spoon rest is what I have around the house. Just tried to put some colors on it... The strokes are still a bit off using the enamel paint..this is with flow medium..it is smoother to handle.. CAUTION : Paint should not be in contact with food or mouth...

Plaid Enamel Paint on Plastic Jug

I did this today..basically it's the 2nd piece that I did using enamel paints... Starting out was fairly smooth in doing the leaves..but as I progress with the flowers.. I feel the brush started to drag. It was advise not to use water with enamel paints but to use the clear medium or flow medium...still I feel its heavy. Anyway.. it was good practise...

Roses.. Differences & Similarities...

This is sort of what I wanted..after considering how to place the petals etc..choosing the colors.....

This one of the first that I tried..using a traced pattern...

This is trying out Ros Singleton's but it does not come out too well...Still I am happy with it coz' it is different slightly.....

This the latest I have painted..

Now.. I am trying to select the colors of my roses... What colors to use most of the time... I always forgot to write down the colors used.. Only after finishing up and cleaning the work space.. I remember that I did not write the colors down... Therefore..the shades are always different... Only from this latest piece that I did write the colors down...Mint Green for base... Dark Salmon & Warm White for the roses...Old Ivy & Forest Green for the leaves.... This week has nothing new for me...coz'the kids are winding up the 2nd. semesters and lots of projects.. exams and shows to go too. Plus..I have committed for my own word-to-word Quran test...and I hope it works well...umm..I hope I will pass it...

Roses....Still Practising....

This is a drawing I get of a simple rose from the internet..The colorings are sweet...



These 3 items..are just some of the things I used to practise. The two round covers..I am planning for a stove top cover.. The black mirror is actually IKEA's.. I used enamel paints on it so..I do not have to use a medium to make the paint sticks to the surface. The mirror is sort of varnished with sticky surface...If using normal acrylic paints..I would have to sand the surface to remove the varnish.. But using enamel paints was really a challenge as compared to acrylic bcos it dries up very fast and the brushes clogged up with paint. Eventualy..I managed to get it done reasonably well to what I want...

Change..Maybe..Not really working out...

Tried another steps of painting the roses..but..seems like it comes out the same..Probably got to change to a new hand..yeah...

While doing it feels like the brush drags...that cause the smudges...not sharp edges...thought prbly it's dry..put droplets at the toe....seems better. Got to practise more and more... Now..most times..I will practise on actual surface rather than paper coz'it will give a better feel of holding the rush.. What I can say now..I am painting with a heavy hand..thus I drag and picks up what i put on...also the case of being impatient..got to read the instructions more throughly like..when should wait until its dry..or when can do it while wet...etc..etc.. Above all..is to practise often..no matter which style you follow..you will getinto the habit of a particular way and to improve the skills... To each is their liking thus..everybody will view the paintings differently...So do what you like first but need to know the proper steps and methods...The rest..well..time will tell... Even though I messed them alot but each time I understand the methods better....

Painting Mess-Up-->Repair-->Tired Out-->Now Thinking...

All part of being careless and multi-task and lazy at the same time....Here what happens...it has a doily lace pattern...than accidentally smeared paint and didn't see it coz' from my elbow..try to slip-slap but everyone says its too dark..finally just repaint it again but I think it's a bit plain..was still hooked on the doily lace images...Out of ideas so..I went and do another project in pink almost complete while busy repairing at the same time... BTW..all patterns is exclusively mine and so is the color combination coz' I put it together from toughts..and just pick up the paints as I went along and THUS...the mess easily happens.... Now rethinking on the layout for where I do my painting 2-3x a week only....

Still Thinking On How To Finish This....

Tried using a doily for the center piece..mess it coz'the doily sticks to the surface.. Why..why..how..how..? Still..I proceed to paint the design..but still feel its not enough somewhat. My other half says..hide the mess up doily... I said..umm..it looks quite shabby in a way... What do you think??

This & That..WIP..Never Finish...

I have been stealing time here and there in Dec '2009 to get some of this done. My eldest was here frm msia for a week and then my 2nd came for 2 weeks when the eldest return to work again....Than our umrah trip for 5 days...This week school starts again and also my classes..thus the WIP.

This 2 round stands are for Linda who wants some flowers to be painted on them. At the moment still looking at some pattern books but no idea yet came to mind.

So..while waiting for some ideas to strike..I dabble on these wooden spoons. It was an Eco wood..very hard...I am trying Sky Blue as base coat to see how it turns out and Berries n Cream for the almost subdued pink. Turns out quite nicely.

This plaque with Mint Green base and streaks with Sky Blue....was actually practising to get the hydrangeas right..

This is another practise on how to do stripes on the base..coated with Baby Pink and striped with Berries n Cream....practise some string ribbons..the angle ribbons still doesn't turn out well..

This is a redo of a mess-up small flowers...turns out quite well the 3rd time around and booked by Illa...waiting for another coat of varnish before planning to deliver it end this week.

This is a door plaque request by kak Nas for her daughter..she said..pinkish..but I was not sure how pink..so I mixed 1:1 of Sheer Blossom with Warm White for the base...outside trim with Berries n Cream and Gold line..I hope she will like it...

These topiaries to be decided upon which one by Sue...but i am already falling in love with the sweet colors..probably i will make another one coz'I have just enough flowers but I have no more pot or vases....

So...these were what kept me busy...

Painting On Different Surfaces..Leather & Plastic

This is actually a leather box cover...what I found was that..I had to paint really fast on this surface as the paints seems to absorb into it. Finally...this was achieved..I tried using a 3/4 inch brush to paint and found that i dont have control at all...it was a mess and I touch some area up with a smaller brush... Since the cover was drak brown brown almost black..I had a hard time getting the colors for the leaves to come out..aside from the paint absorbs into the surface. next step will be..how to varnish this..Only the painted areas??

This is my bathroom bin..it looks so grey and dull..so I tried painting it this morning..Hmm..I use a sea sponge to put the different greens..bits of white and yellow..all over the cover..Dried it using a hair dryer..Next I painted the purple small flowers..I was thinking either hydrangeas.. lilacs..etc... I was painting it in the powder room so movement was limited....

But..I am please that it turns out better than I expected....after its done than I was in the kitchen cooking lunch...

Practise..Practise..& To be Reworked Some...

This one has been reworked with a bloom to replace the leave&smudge ribbon a sbotton pic..

Actually...this has been reworked by adding some leaves and petals.. need to learn to use patterns...so that more consistent..now just eye-balling and some chalks points...

This need rewirk on right side..but maybe repaint if I couldn't figure how to do it..he..he..

While clearing my garage up..to make space..just incase wanna do makan2..so far takde ilham datang lagi....There were some pieces already gessoed b4 summer..so do some basecoating..hair-dryer helps tremendously to speed up drying..and I practise again my roses.. still haven't moved to other flowers...Available items to be painted also limited..unless I want to move on to paint some of my wooden cabinets or quilt hanger....Not sure coz'I haven't get the skill to transfer patterns and follow them accordingly.... What I can say at the moment..most of my stuffs were painted without transferring patterns..I just use a chalk pencil and sort of sketch the placements....Shortcuts coz' I am pretty impatient to see how it is.... Since my aim is to practise the skills..I haven't really put things up for sale yet... If anybody just by chance like them and want to have it..than I will sell...if not it stays in my garage corner.. i am hoping with enough painted stuffs..I might joined some of the craft sale or mall-day etc... But for the time being.. I am in no rush... I still need to do some for my own..... he..he..

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Painted Ikea Mirrors..Unvarnished..

Start doing the two IKEA mirrors...( Hi Nora..just got to clear all these IKEA wood stuffs )... Simply hands free design...As I was painting the roses...it somehow got sticky..the paint on the brush dries up..still lots of paint on the brush though..myb the room was a bit cold.. I still have to learn how to eyeball the rose size so that there'll just enough space for the petals..not too many or too little. Although some blotches of paint as it dries up fast as I was painting them...it turns out quite uniform....if nak buat placemats lepas ni myb boleh lah sbb dah dpt consistent shapes and colors....Still tak reti nak bega2 kan the background...Nanti lah balik Msia nanti tanya sifu...

p/s..Mona..How do you like them???

Napkin Holders, Signage..In Progress...

I have been trying to get a few days of painting each week..usually frm Sundays till Tues. The other days have to be distributed for my other passions or chases.... I believe the strokes are getting consistent whenever I want to structure a rose. Although it is not the type I really one but it'll do for now. I guess..brushes do play a big part of it in getting certain forms of strokes just right. Other than that..knowing all the stuffs that get into it and practise..practises...

These are the things available around the house now..once finish with wooden surfaces ( Ala.. sifu.. it gives me confident la at this moment..) I will learn the other surfaces. have just got a fabric medium the other day...