Spooked!
by Phyllis Spaw
I loved designing and painting this one! I love painting Halloween! You can adapt this to fit a lot of different surfaces. A large pumpkin cutout would be really cute.
SURFACE
One 9 x 12 canvas board or surface of your choice.
BASIC PAINT SUPPLIES
Most basic paint supplies can be purchased at stores or online that carry craft, art, and hardware supplies.
Pencil/eraser
Small stylus, optional
Tracing paper
Transfer paper
Painter's tape
Small piece of fine sandpaper
Pointed tip cotton swab for removing paint
Rags, paper towels
Water basin
Paint palette of your choice.
Rust-oleum matte clear enamel spray
Circle stencil/1 7/8” circle
Small Micron pen .05
Colored pencil Primsacolor premier 12 count soft-core #PC938 White, or a white colored pencil of your choice.
PAINTS
DecoArt Americana Acrylics
Dioxazine Purple
Burnt Orange
Cadmium Yellow
Titanium White
Lamp Black
BRUSHES
#2 round, #23259-Painter’s Palette
#18/0 script liner
1 1/2" flat-Plaid
3/8" Royal Crafters Choice #9113
3/4” angle #23260-Painter’s Palette
TIPS
You will most likely need more than one coat of paint to cover most areas. Apply as needed.
Refer to color photo, or worksheets for shading and highlighting.
Unless otherwise specified, I usually thin my paints slightly before I begin to paint. If the instructions note to use thinned paint, you will need to thin it down a bit more. It is most likely for outlining, for which the paint should be close to an ink-like consistency.
I do touch-ups as I move throughout the painting.
Keep pointed Q-tips on hand to remove unwanted paint in small areas.
Always be sure to use spray paint or spray the sealer in a well-ventilated area. Read the instructions on the back of the can for proper use.
PREPARATION
Lightly sand the canvas using the small piece of fine sandpaper. Wipe off the dust with a clean, damp, cloth. You will repeat the sanding step after each application of paint.
BASECOAT
Basecoat the entire canvas in Titanium White and allow to dry completely before sanding.
SKY
Make a very light pencil line in the area where the grass will meet the horizon. Basecoat the sky down to where it meets the horizon in Dioxazine Purple using a 1 ½” wet flat brush. Allow to dry completely in between coats. Apply two more coats, or until you have good coverage. Rinse out the brush in the water basin and wipe it on to a paper towel or rag and load the same brush in Dioxazine Purple with a small amount of Titanium White, then begin brushing it back and forth in the center of the painting, stretching some random areas all the way out to the edges. Load your brush very lightly. Rinse the brush out and quickly wipe it off on a paper towel or rag, then lightly blend some Dioxazine Purple back into the lighter areas, brushing inward from the edge. Do this on both the left and right sides. Rinse the brush again and wipe it off, then very lightly blend it all the way across starting at the top and finishing at the bottom, where the ground meets the sky. Repeat these steps until you are satisfied. Allow to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
GRASS
Add some grass in some thinned Lamp Black using the 3/4” angle. Brush the paint in an upward motion, leaving some shorter and some taller. Add some wispy grass here and there in some thinned Lamp Black with the #18/0 script liner.
MOON
Using the circle stencil add the moon by loading the royal crafter’s choice brush in some Burnt Orange and tap most of it off on to a paper towel, then start tapping it in the moon. Once you have good coverage of the orange, add some Cadmium Yellow highlights in the same manner.
TRANSFER DESIGN
The pattern is designed to fit a 9 x 12 surface. You can always resize if needed. Using the pencil trace the pattern onto the tracing paper. Once traced, lay it on top of the surface and tape it down in one corner with a piece of painter’s tape. Slide a piece of transfer paper underneath the design and trace the outlines of the design with your pencil or stylus. Be sure you have placed the correct side of the transfer paper down. Transfer the main parts of the design only. Fold the tracing paper over the back until you are ready to add details.
TREE
Mix some Lamp Black with some Titanium White until you have a dark grey mix and apply it to the entire tree using the 3/4” angle, #2 round, and the #18/0 script liner until you have good coverage. Once dry begin adding the white highlights with the white colored pencil. Enhance the highlights in random areas in some thinned Titanium White. Add the eyes in Titanium White. Add the pupil in Lamp Black and highlight in Titanium White. Dot in the nose in Lamp Black by using the opposite end of the 3/8” crafters choice brush. Allow to dry and add the highlight with the white colored pencil. Add the mouth with the dark grey mix you used for the tree and allow to dry, then very lightly dry brush some Titanium White towards the bottom half. Add the mustache in Lamp Black and the highlights in some thinned Titanium White. Outline the mouth, mustache, hair on sides, and eyes in black using a small black Micron pen.
BATS
Add the bats in Lamp Black and add a highlight to the tops of the wings and ears with the White-colored pencil.
GHOSTS
The ghosts are done in the same manner as the tree. Mix a small amount of Lamp Black with some Titanium White until you have a light grey mix and apply it to the ghosts using the #2 round. Add the highlights with the white colored pencil and enhance them with some Titanium White. Add the eyes and mouth in Lamp Black. Add the highlight in the eyes in Titanium White. Outline the arms areas and hands with the micron pen (See colored photo).
PUMPKIN
Add the pumpkin in some thinned Burnt Orange using the #2 round until you have good coverage. Touch up the eyes, nose, and mouth if necessary in Lamp Black. Add the highlights on the pumpkin and around the eyes, nose, and mouth in Cadmium Yellow. Add the witch hat in Lamp Black and highlight the left side and the brim in some Burnt Orange while the Lamp Black is still wet.
SEAL
Spray the entire board with a couple of light coats of the matte clear finish sealer. Read the instructions on the back of the can for proper use. Never spray indoors or where there is not proper ventilation.
Happy Halloween🎃
Pattern & Photos ©2020 Phyllis Spaw Designs