Mystical Lights of the Night
by Debby Forshey-Choma
Adding different techniques, however simple or detailed to backgrounds or on top of a finished design, adds interest to the design. The background is a supporting part of the design, but keep it in the background; don’t overdue. In this design, I have applied gesso to the surfaces for texture.
SURFACE:
3 – Frame Kit, Scallop Circle (4-1/2” diameter) #SKU: 207-0534 available through www.vikingwoodcrafts.com
PAINTS:
DecoArt® Americana Acrylics:
DA257 Bleached Sand
DA228 Bright Orange
DA402 Gentle Heather
DA168 Golden Straw
DA067 Lamp Black
DA167 Payne’s Grey
DA068 Slate Grey
DA 01 Snow White
DA239 Warm White
DecoArt® Sealers/Finishes:
DuraClear Matte Varnish
Galaxy Glitter – Black Hole
Media Gesso – White
Multi-Purpose Sealer
BRUSHES:
Royal Langnickel®:
#1360 – sm. & med. Debby’s Texture brushes
#1114 – med. Langnickel stencil brush
#3080 – 1 Oval Wash Combo
#4150 – 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 Majestic shaders
#4160 – 5/8 Majestic angle
#4170 – 12 Majestic Filbert
#4585 – 10/0, 5/0 Majestic liners
#4700 – ¾ Majestic glaze wash
#M770M – ¾ Moderna oval mop
#K-4 – Langnickel palette knife
MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES:
Baby Wipes / rubbing alcohol
Blue Shop Towels
Drill; 1/8” drill bit
Frog® Tape
Krylon® Matte Spray #1311
Debby’s Texture Brushes, Oval Wash Combo Brush (for varnishing), and Clear Graph Ruler are available through www.DebbysTouch.com
Quick Grip All-Purpose Permanent Adhesive available through www.beaconadhesives.com
24” Fun Wire – Licorice (22 gauge) #84342 available through www.TonerPlastics.com
Batty Background Stencil #SKU: 09-19357 and Circles and Squares Stencil #SKU: 09-19018
available through www.cdwood.com *or stencils of your choice
PREPARATION:
Seal the entire ornaments with the Multi-Purpose Sealer; using the glaze wash brush.
Lightly sand; wipe off with a lint-free cloth.
Gesso Application:
Gesso is randomly applied to the surface and backsides of the three back circles.; using the #K-4 palette knife.
Place some Gesso on your palette.
Pick up a small quantity of Gesso with the edge of the palette knife and begin applying it to the surface.
Work with small amounts at a time to give you more control. Your application should be very thin.
Lay the knife flat to apply the medium, then stand it up on the edge to lightly scrape away excess (much like buttering bread).
Apply randomly in small overlapping patches to avoid developing a set pattern.
Randomly allow areas of the wood surface to remain free from the Gesso application; these areas will take
the basecoat color differently and add more interest.
Allow to dry well and then if needed, sand very lightly to remove any sharp or loose pieces.
Basecoating:
Basecoat the surfaces of the three back circles with Bleached Sand; using the 12 shader, achieving an opaque coverage.
Basecoat the entire three cobweb cutout frames, the side edges, and the backsides of the three back circles with Payne’s Grey; using the 12 shader.
Re-basecoat to achieve an opaque coverage.
Sunset Background:
Read the directions for the sunset background before painting.
Work quickly, using a damp glaze wash brush and washes of color; floating/blending wet-into-wet.
Apply sky colors one at a time, stroking back and forth horizontally; refer to photo for placement.
If necessary, mop to blend and soften.
Place Golden Straw, Bright Orange, and Gentle Heather on your palette.
Lightly pre-dampen the circle’s surface with clean water; the surface should have an even sheen with no runs or puddles.
Dampen the glaze wash brush with water, then blot.
Begin with thinned Golden Straw across the bottom of the surface, then thinned Bright Orange, then thinned
Gentle Heather.
The first coat will be very transparent, a second or third time will be required.
Allow sufficient drying time in between layers to avoid lifting.
Repeat steps on the remaining two circle surfaces.
Transfer Design:
When dry, transfer the designs to the appropriate surfaces.
Use the graph ruler to aid in the transfer of any straight lines, by dragging a stylus along the ruler’s edge.
Moons:
For the moon, use the appropriate size circle from the Circles and Squares Stencil, and trace onto the surfaces.
Basecoat the moons with two light coats of Snow White; using the 12 filbert.
When dry, corner load the angle with thinned Golden Straw, and float a light tint on each moon; refer to photo for placement.
Background Pines:
With a pencil and the graph ruler, lightly transfer the top line for each pine.
Work on only a couple of pines at a time.
Now slightly dampen the surface with clean water where the pine will be pulled.
The dampened surface will allow the pines to softly bleed; giving the illusion of the pines in the distance.
Load the 12 filbert with Lamp Black across the chisel edge.
Up on the chisel edge, vertically pull the very top of the pine.
Horizontally tap from left to right for the boughs, slowly and slightly widening as you work towards the base of the pine.
Allow a bit of the background to show through; so the pine doesn’t look like a triangle.
Repeat steps with Lamp Black, randomly tapping on a few boughs, to deepen.
Repeat steps with Golden Straw, randomly tapping on a few boughs, to highlight.
Background Shrubs:
With the appropriate size Texture brush, dance in the shrubs with Lamp Black.
Repeat the step with Lamp Black, randomly dancing to deepen a few areas of the shrubs.
Repeat the step with Golden Straw, randomly dancing on shrubs, for highlight and separation.
For the proper use of the Texture brush, use the following method.
Dampen the bristles with water to start the separation of bristles. Tap bristles into the paint on your palette, hold it perpendicular to your palette, and pounce it up and down to get some of the paint off – keeping the paint sparse on the brush.
Note – this brush can be used on the whole foot or just the toe.
Tap lightly on the surface, dance with the brush up and down, rolling the brush in different directions in between your fingers when it is up in the air (like dancing the twist, light on your feet). Allow some drying time in between dances so the paint sets up, preventing a globby or muddy look.
Lighthouse #1:
Basecoat with the appropriate size shaders –
Warm White – watch room, tower, when dry transfer section lines
Payne’s Grey – roof, every other section, windows
Golden Straw – lens
Lighthouse #2:
Basecoat with the appropriate size shaders –
Warm White – tower, roof
Payne’s Grey – windows
Golden Straw - lens
Lighthouse #3:
Basecoat with the appropriate size shaders –
Warm White – tower, when dry transfer section lines
Payne’s Grey – roof, watch room, every other section, windows
Golden Straw – lens
Detailing Lighthouses:
Corner load the angle with Payne’s Grey, float shading down the left and right sides of each lighthouse tower, the left and right sides of the watch room on lighthouse #1, and across the top of the roof on
lighthouse #2. This will create a rounding effect.
With the 10/0 liner and Payne’s Grey, pull the lens room panes, walkway bases, rails, and supports.
With the 10/0 liner and Slate Grey, pull broken highlight strokes on the second walkway rail and supports on lighthouse #3.
With the 10/0 liner and Slate Grey, outline the windows and pull window panes.
Place a Payne’s Grey dip dot at the top of each lighthouse roof, for ventilator balls.
With the 10/0 liner and Payne’s Grey, pull a line up from the ball, for the lightning rods.
Evening Shadow Application:
To achieve the evening shadow over the lighthouses, wash over the towers of the lighthouses, watch room on lighthouse #1 and roof on lighthouse #3 with Payne’s Grey; using the glaze wash brush.
Stenciling Bats:
With the Batty Background Stencil or stencil of choice, Payne’s Grey and med stencil brush, stencil three bats on each surface.
Position the stencil on the surface; refer to the photo for placement.
Secure it with the Frog Tape or hold it with your fingers.
Load the med stencil brush with a bit of Payne’s Grey, and swirl the brush on a blue shop towel, to remove excess.
Apply color in a circular motion in one direction and then in a circular motion in the other direction (changing directions frequently) over the diamond area of the stencil.
Carefully remove the stencil by holding one end with your fingers and lifting the opposite end.
Clean the stencil and brush immediately; using a baby wipe.
FINISHING:
To protect your painted pieces, varnish the entire ornaments with the DuraClear Matte Varnish; using the Oval Wash Combo.
This brush doesn't leave any visible brushstroke marks after the varnish has dried.
Apply the Galaxy Glitter, Black Hole over the cobweb cutout frames.
When dry, glue the frames to the circle backs with the Quick Grip Adhesive.
Cut the Fun Wire into 3 – 8” pieces, pull the wire through the top holes from the backside of each ornament to the front, and bend the wire over.
Download Original WORD File Here.
For questions concerning this design, you can contact Debby at debbyforshey@gmail.com or visit her website www.DebbysTouch.com, on Facebook or Instagram.