All Hallow's Eve...Painting for Halloween.
I have to admit, this is my favorite holiday to paint for. I love the holiday itself and remember trick or treating as a child, going from house to house and being awed by all the costumes and decorations of the season. Of course, the candy was just a bonus!
As the years have passed I have seen an upswing in the decoration part of Halloween. Starting in late summer, the colorful decor starts to appear in stores and online. There are groups on social media and sites on the internet who specialize in everything to do with the holiday. They cover everything from scary movies to cutesy costumes, haunted places to painted spaces. Need a costume, there's a place for that. Need a pattern, they've got that too!
That brings me to what I love. There is just something about a goofy skull or grinning jack o' lantern that takes me to my happy place. I love the little black cats and the tiny, happy bats. I do tend to lean towards the fun, not so scary Halloween critters. It's fun to take what is scary and make it inviting. Be it a hooting owl or a cackling witch. I love the color palette of the holiday too. Give me those wonderful hues to play with any day. The burnished orange of a pumpkin, the mellow yellows of a glowing moon, the deep purples of a witches cauldron...the colors just beg to be used.
There are, of course, also more serious artistic outlooks towards All Hallow's Eve. Be it that scary haunted house, the black raven or the realistic skull sitting among a stack of books, there are so many subjects to be painted.
I highly recommend going online and checking out those wonderful Halloween patterns that so many of our beloved designers have created. Look for surfaces cut just for Halloween and those you can adapt. Go to your local arts & crafts store and see what they offer in the line of holiday projects. Find those designs, those surfaces and have fun with them!
Happy Halloween!
All other photos credit - Pixabay.com