Mini Autumn Breadboard
by Nancy Scott, CDA
This little breadboard reflects the colors of Autumn in a soft and gentle way. Hang it with a ribbon to adorn the powder room or the kitchen. It is a simple presentation of the gorgeous colors of the season.
I have been painting, designing, and teaching for more than 30 years. Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons to paint. My favorite things to design and teach are landscapes. Living in upstate NY, I am surrounded by a lot of inspiration when September and October arrive. I love the New England Traditions Convention where I teach every year. Please check out my website:nancyscottcda.com.
Surface: mini wooden breadboard 9.25”h x 3.5”w x 1/4” thick (available on Amazon).
Palette: DecoArt Americana acrylics
Antique Green
Antique Maroon
Antique White
Buttermilk
Camel
Celery
Cocoa
Espresso
Lt. Cinnamon
Oxblood
Brushes: Royal & Langnickel Aqualon Series
R2700 Wash - size 3/4”
R2160 Angles - sizes 3/4”, 3/8”, 1/4”
R2250 Rounds - sizes 4, 2
R2380 Script - size 4, 5/0
Mops of your choosing - sizes small and medium
Miscellaneous supplies: paper towels, a water basin, palette paper, tracing paper, grey graphite paper, fine sandpaper, stylus, water base varnish of choice ( I usually prefer a satin finish and use Americana Decor Light Satin Varnish).
Helpful Hint - When floating wide swatches of color, such as along the sides of the leaf, it helps to slightly dampen the area first, with clean water. Float your colors, using the widest angle brush that can fit into the area you are working and tap gently with a mop to get a nice, soft float.
Preparation: Lightly sand wood, especially the edges, to gently round them. Wipe off any dust.
Basecoat the painting surface with Antique White. The cut edges and the back are painted Espresso.
Transfer pattern, leaving off vein lines and details on acorn caps.
Basecoat as follows:
Leaf - Camel
Berries - Oxblood
Acorn cap - Cocoa
Acorn body - Celery/Antique Green (2:1)
Leaf
Using the 3/4” angle, float the first shading of Cocoa around the outside edge except for the 2 areas tinted with green. Remember to dampen the surface first, float, then mop. Let dry.
The green tint on the upper left and middle right side is floated with Celery Green/Antique Green (2:1) (same color as the acorn body)
Let dry.
Float Oxblood, softly, a little on the left side and lower right side.
The veins are done next, before any additional leaf tinting. Transfer veins onto leaf if necessary. Using the size 4 script liner, paint graceful veins with Camel/Buttermilk (1:1)
Now, back to shading and tinting: Softly float on the sides of the veins with Camel using the 3/8” angle
Deepen in the darker “v” areas with floats of Lt. Cinnamon using the 1/4” angle. Float Lt. Cinnamon at the base of the leaf and slightly along the upper right side and at the very tip. Use Lt. Cinnamon on the #4 liner to paint the stem.
Acorns
Shade the body of the acorn, where it comes out of the cap, with Antique Green, using the 3/8” angle. Float shading on the cap using Espresso.
Paint the crosshatching on the cap using a liner and Espresso. Add fine texture lines coming down from the tip of the body with the base color/Buttermilk (1:1).
The stems are Espresso painted with the liner.
Berries
Float shading at the base of each berry with Antique Maroon (Pic#6). Add a highlight dot at the opposite end, using your stylus, with Oxblood/Buttermilk (1:1).
The stems and twiggy branches are Espresso painted with the script liner.
Finishing - Erase any pattern lines and sign your piece. Let dry well and varnish as desired. Hang with a color-coordinating ribbon.
