Lakeside

By Pamela Cassidy

The third in my series of four patterns, ‘Lakeside’, finds our feathered friends enjoying a lazy summer day by the water with their new little ones. I hope this painting gets you in the mood for some summer fun with your family.

I began painting over 15 years ago. As a busy mom of three young boys, I craved a little time to myself and began taking decorative painting classes. I primarily paint with acrylics, but I also enjoy working with oils; and recently, I’ve discovered that watercolors can be fun too. I continue to learn from and be humbled by so many talented artists and gifted instructors. It’s very exciting to now create my own designs and share them with you.

SUPPLIES

Artist’s Loft, 6x6 Back-Stapled Traditional Canvas, Level 1, available at Michael’s

(in-store and online)

PAINTS DECOART AMERICANA

Baby Blue DA042

Black Green DA157

Blue Chiffon DA193

Brilliant Red DA145

Burnt Umber DA064

Cadmium Yellow DA010

Canyon Orange DA238

Citron Green DA235

Cool White DA240

Coral Shell DA316

Deep Midnight Blue DA166

Driftwood DA171

Foliage Green DA269

Khaki Tan DA173

Plantation Pine DA113

Soft Black DA155

Wedgewood Blue DA038

MEDIUMS

Folk Art Blending Gel #867

Liberty Art Acrylic Matte Varnish, #LS28550

BRUSHES

Artist’s Loft Vienna ½” Angle Shader

Artist’s Loft Vienna #10 Filbert

Simply Simmons #10 Filbert Comb

Artists Loft #4 Scumbler

Loew-Cornell Maxine’s Mop 5/8”

Loew-Cornell 7400C ¼” Angle Shader

Loew-Cornell 4 Round 7000C

Artist’s Loft Vienna 10/0 Liner

Artist’s Loft Vienna #2 Filbert

MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES

Tracing Paper

Black Graphite Paper

Pencil

Paper Towels

Stylus

Palette Paper

Painter’s tape

Hair Dryer (optional)

Practice Surface (optional)

HELPFUL HINT

I recommend a practice surface to try techniques before working directly on your surface. Recently, I purchased a Canson Mix Media notebook at Michael’s, and I’m finding it to be a very useful tool for practicing my work, jotting down notes, etc. The mixed media paper works well with acrylic, watercolor, pen & pencil.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Trace pattern onto tracing paper.

2. Transfer the horizon and mountain ridge onto the canvas. The sky will be painted using Baby Blue, Blue Chiffon, Cool White, and Blending Gel. Using the 1/2” angle, pick up blending gel on the tip of your brush. Starting with Baby Blue at the top of the canvas, begin applying paint in horizontal strokes. Continue with Blue Chiffon down to the horizon line and blend the colors where they meet. Add Cool White for a hint of clouds in the sky. Add Blending Gel as needed in small amounts to blend colors until you’re happy with your sky. Dry thoroughly with a hairdryer.

3. If you have painter’s tape, run a piece underneath the mountain ridge for this step. This will keep the water’s edge straight. Use the #4 scumbler, pick up Foliage Green and lightly tap in color to base the mountain ridge. Without rinsing the brush, go to Black Green and add some color to begin showing shading in the tree backdrop. With the same dirty brush, add Plantation Pine to strengthen color variation. Lastly, use Citron Green to bring out highlights in the trees. Continue using these colors to get the variation and depth of color to your liking. Dry thoroughly. Using the ½” angle, make a subtle float of Coral Shell behind the mountain ridge and along the horizon line. Dry. Then do another float of Cadmium Yellow on top walking it out into the sky. Again, keep this very subtle, with just a hint of color. Use the mop brush to soften the floats. Add the three flying birds with a v-stroke, using the liner brush and Soft Black.

4. Transfer in the land and dock. Using the ½” angle, base the water with Wedgewood Blue. Working wet-on-wet or with a little blending gel, whichever works better for you, add a little white to the water between the mountain range and the land area. The white ripples in the water near the dock will be added later. Once the water is dry, add a float of Deep Midnight Blue in front of the mountain range.

5. Using the #10 filbert, base the shore area in Driftwood. Do not rinse your brush. Pick up Burnt Umber and lightly add hints of color to mimic a rocky surface. Strengthen shading with Soft Black here and there. Dry. Like the mountain ridge, continue using these colors to get the color and the ground variation to your liking.

6. Transfer in the birch tree. Using the #2 round, base the tree with Cool White. Add the markings and lengthen the branches with the liner brush and Soft Black. The leaves are a mix of Black Green, Plantation Pine, and Foliage Green. Use the #2 filbert to pull and twist the leaf shape. I do this by laying the brush on the canvas, pulling and twisting the brush up on the side. If you need to, practice this before working on your canvas. Also, I added a little heart on my tree with a #5. This is optional.

7. Add the grasses on the land with the liner brush and the greens you used for the leaves. Then dab in some Cadmium Yellow here and there in the grasses. With the scumbler, lightly dry-brush in some green tints here and there throughout the ground and under the grasses. Make sure to off-load some paint onto a paper towel and not go from paint to canvas.

8. Base the dock with a solid coat of Driftwood using the ½” angle brush. As shown in the photo above, get the general shape of the pilings by using the #2 round to stroke in the direction of the wood. Using the ½ “ angle, float in the wood plank lines with Burnt Umber, strengthen with Soft Black. Add some weathering of the wood with the same colors by stroking in some lines here and there in the direction of the planks using the rake brush. Once the dock is complete, use the #2 round and Driftwood, Burnt Umber and Soft Black to paint the pilings. I started with Driftwood, and while wet, pulled in the other two colors randomly to get the look of wood. Then, I painted in the oval tops with Driftwood and a touch of Cool White. Last, with the ½ angle, float under the oval tops of the pilings and underneath the dock on the front right piling.

9. With Cool White add the ripples in the water around the dock and land area. I used both of my angle brushes and my round brush for this. Keep the ripples light in some areas and darker in others, especially where the water is hitting the pilings. Add some additional grasses on the bottom left with the same colors as the land grasses.

10. Transfer in the 5 birds. Base four of the birds with Brilliant Red using the liner brush and one bird in Khaki Tan. Add the wing markings, the face, and the claws with Soft Black, and the beak with Canyon Orange and a highlight of Cadmium Yellow. Float a small highlight of Brilliant Red on the belly and wing of the female (Khaki Tan) bird.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Let your project dry thoroughly overnight. Once completely dry, apply one or two coats of varnish using the ¾ inch Angle Brush.

Line Drawing. DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION HERE.

All photos and pattern ©2020 Pamela Cassidy.

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