Chickadee Friends
By Linda Lineman of Lineman’s Porcelain Memories
I enjoy watching the chickadees in the winter & spring. One thing I noticed is that there are always two or more together. They really seem to enjoy each other’s company. I designed this scene picture after watching a couple of them going from the feeder to a tree branch nearby, always together like they were best friends (or lovers).
Project Supplies
Usual painting supplies, Stylus, paper towels. Deco Art Americana Paints
Royal Transfer White Graphite RD201 Fountain Pen
Surface
Used a 7 ½ X 5 ¼ X 1 ½” Paper Mache Jewelry Box from Michaels Craft store.
Paints
Deco Art Americana
DA190 Winter Blue
DA174 Milk Chocolate
DA064 Burnt Umber
DA078 Warm Beige
DA242 Fawn
DA354 Sugared Peach
DA155 Soft Black
DA067 Lamp (Ebony) Black
DA239 Warm White
DA304 Zinc
DA111 Grey Sky
DA068 Slate Grey
DA052 Avocado
DA132 Hauser Medium Green
DA208 Celery Green
DA265 Tuscan Red
DA112 Cranberry Wine
DA324 Watermelon Slice
DMM08 DecoArt Media Carbon Black
Mediums
DAS13 Matte Americana Sealer/Finisher – OR Deco Arts Triple Thick Gloss Glaze Spray
Brushes by Royal & Langnickel #6 Royal Knight Square Shader 1/4” Royal Soft Grip SG730
#12 Royal Soft Grip SG150 5/8” Angular 3060 Combo
30/0, Monogram Mini Majestic series 4200M
Painting Instructions
Background
Basecoat the entire outside of the jewelry box with Winter Blue. I left the inside unpainted except for the area around the outside of the mirror on the lid.
Transfer the pattern using white transfer paper. [Photo 3]
Tree & Branches
Start painting the tree and branches with Milk Chocolate. Shadow with Burnt Umber. When painting the branches, I paint the top of the branch with the lighter color & the bottom of the branch with the shadow color. I then blend the two together in the middle using a comma or C stroke. This helps give the illusion of the branch being round. On the tree, I put the shadows where branches grow out and some in different spots where there could be an indention in the tree. Again, do blending brush strokes around the tree base in a comma C stroke to show the form of the tree. See the photo above.
Birds 1 and 2 (The bird closest to the tree is bird one.)
Paint both the bird’s underbellies with Warm Beige. Use Fawn to create shadows & line some feathers. Highlight using Sugared Peach. Next paint the beak with Soft Black. Shadow it & make the centerline using Lamp (Ebony) Black. The eye circle is Soft Black. The pupil is Black & Soft White is used for the highlight dot.
Continue using Lamp (Ebony) Black to paint the top of their heads, under the throat & tail feathers. Paint their feet using Soft Black & line between the toes with Lamp Black.
Use Warm White on their faces. Shadow with Gray Sky. When painting the heads, be sure to paint little black feathers on top of the head, over edges onto the white and on the underbelly. See the photo above.
I use a thin watery wash of Fawn over their bellies, and a thin wash using black over the wings.
Bird 1 Feathers: Base with Zinc. Highlight with Grey Sky & use Lamp Black for the shadows & some feather lines.
Bird 2 Feathers: Paint the top feathers & the tail feathers with Lamp Black. Highlight these feathers with Slate Gray & then use Grey Sky to define the feathers.
The bottom feathers are based on Slate Gray. On theses, feathers Use Lamp Black to define some lines for feathers & Grey Sky to highlight them. If you want some brighter use Soft White on a few of them.
Leaves & Berries
Base the leaves with Avocado. Use Hauser Med. Green to show depth & shadows and Celery Green for highlights.
Use Tuscan Red for the berries. Shadow with Cranberry Wine & highlight with Watermelon Slice. Even though these are small you need both shadow & highlight to create the illusion of rounded berries.
Writing the Saying
I used DecoArt Media, Carbon Black, and a fountain pen to write a verse about friendship. This isn’t always easy, but don’t give up. If you want, you could finish the piece, spray or varnish it & then write the verse using a permanent Sharpie pen.
Finishing
Depending on the finished look you would like best here are two choices. I finished mine DAS13 Matte Americana Sealer/Finisher OR you could use Deco Arts Triple Thick Gloss Glaze Spray to give it a
shiny finish.
Thanks for letting me share what I love to do. Now go have FUN!!
For actual size line drawing, use link below.
All photos and pattern ©2020 Linda Lineman, Lineman's Porcelain Memories