Summer Lilacs

by Donna Hodson, CDA

 Summer Lilacs
By Donna Hodson, CDA

Palette:
DecoArt Americana Acrylics
Antique Gold #13009 Cadmium Yellow #13010
Dioxazine Purple #13101 Hauser Dark Green #13133
Hauser Light Green #13131 Hauser Medium Green #13132
Light Buttermilk #13164 Olive Green #13056
Raw Sienna #13093 Titanium White #13001
Ultra Blue Deep #13100
Dazzling Metallics
Venetian Gold #14079

Surface:
Tall Block Candleholder #62625

Misc. Supplies:
White Graphite Paper #70139
Palette Knife #70194
Tracing Paper Pad #83176
Brush Basin #70174
JoSonja All Purpose Sealer #84151
600 Wet/Dry Sandpaper
DecoArt Wood Filler #83210
Large Sanding Pad, Fine/Extra Fine #70797
Palette Paper Pad #70560
JoSonja Polyurethane Varnish – Matte #84104
Bright LED Taper Candle #82217
Scotch Brand Magic Tape

Brushes:
Papillon by the Artist’s Club
Angular Shader, size ½” #20111
Glaze Wash, size 1” #20103
Shader, size 10 #20130
Filbert, size 12 #20121
Round, size 2 #20158; size 3 #20159
Script Liner, size 10/0 #20137

Preparation:
Using the Large Sanding Pad – Fine/Extra Fine, sand the candle holder following the grain of the
wood as much as possible. If needed, fill any holes with wood filler, dry and re-sand that part.
Mix Hauser Dark Green + JoSonja All Purpose Sealer, about 1-1 with a palette knife. Using a 1”
Glaze Wash brush, paint all parts except the edges with this mix. Paint inside the candle insert and
wipe away any paint that gets on the insert before it can cure. For the edges, mix Antique Gold +
JoSonja All Purpose Sealer, 1-1 and paint with one coat using a size 10 Shader. After the first base
coats dry, lightly smooth with a piece of 600 wet/dry sandpaper or with a piece of crumpled paper
sack. Remove any residue with a damp lint free cloth.
Use the size 12 Filbert brush for this part. Painting a small section at a time, coat with Hauser Dark
Green and while wet dab some Hauser Light Green randomly over the Hauser Dark Green, wipe
your brush and then soften the two values together in a criss-cross manner. Wipe your brush and
then smooth out if needed. You want the two values to show but also a mid value will also be cre-
ated. Repeat until the front, sides, back and top are covered and that the colors blend well at the
edges of the sides. Paint the bottom with another coat of Hauser Dark Green. The edges will be
painted again later.
Allow the base coat to dry thoroughly. Place some Scotch Brand Magic tape along the lower edge
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of the base right up against the front and sides of
the block. This will protect the base while you paint
the design.
Make a tracing of pattern 1 and transfer the leaves
and centers of daisies to the surface with White
Graphite. Transfer just a loose oval type shape for
the lilac blossoms, ignoring the ones that will fall in
front of the leaves.
Basecoat as follows:
Leaves: Using the size 10 Shader, paint with two
coats of Hauser Medium Green. Ignore the stems for
now.
Daisies: Paint the centers with one coat of Antique
Gold using the size 2 Round brush.
Lilacs: These will be painted after the leaves are
finished.

Painting Instructions:
TECHNIQUES:
I use several techniques when painting this type
design. Most of my shading and highlighting is done
with a ½” Angular Shader. I float very lightly using
a “blended method”. I don’t use a lot of paint on
my brush and add layers of one value until I have
a smooth graded value. I move to a slightly darker
value and apply it as many times as needed. I don’t
carry the subsequent values out as far as my initial
applications. I will set the brush down and lightly
stoke the paint moving it out a little. When I am

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satisfied or the paint begins to dry I stop. I use the short clean edge of my brush to tap the edges
if needed to soften any lines I have created. This is where some of you might choose to use a mop.
Use whatever works for you.

A second technique is using a Round brush and strokes to create the daisies and the lilacs. The
daisies are a modified comma stroke holding the brush above the ferrule in a vertical position.
The lilacs are short little set down strokes using the tip of a small round brush holding it at a slight
angle.
I fully load the brushes (but not globby) for this technique and like to use fresh paint.

LEAVES:
Refer to the step by step illustrations and the finished photo.

1. Begin by float shading at the base of the leaves with a mix of Hauser Medium Green + Hauser
Dark Green, about 1-1. I repeat this step so that the color is solid and fades to nothing.
2. Re-shade and pull some of the first shading mix down both sides of the center vein line fading to
nothing at the tip of the leaf.
3. Using Hauser Dark Green, float more shading at the base but don’t cover all of the previous val-
ues. Pull a bit of this down the center vein area but don’t create any hard lines or cover all of the
previous values.
4. Begin to add highlights with Hauser Light Green. I use back to back floats in the center high-
light area of the leaves, but if this step is difficult for you, use a dry brush method for the center
highlights. Repeat this highlight as many times as needed. It’s better to apply just a little paint and
build gradually. I floated the highlights on the edges. Notice that the highlights on the leaves at the
top and around the edges are not as bright as those in the center area.
5. Using the size 10/0 Script Liner, thin Hauser Light Green slightly with water and fully load your
brush, tap a bit on the palette to be sure you can paint fine lines. Paint in the center vein lines
and then the side veins slightly curving from the center to the edge. For the most part, the side
veins meet at the center vein line. Mash down a bit more on the brush for the center vein lines but
lighten the pressure to lose the vein at the tip of the leaves.
6. The background and upper leaves are mostly finished after this step. Using the angle brush,
load just a tiny bit of Hauser
Dark Green on the tip, work
on your palette to move the
paint a bit and shade next to
the center vein and behind
some of the side veins. Be
careful not to cover all of the
highlights. I also floated this
down the side of the vein
away from the upper right
light source. Shade again at
the base if needed.
7. Using some Olive Green,
highlight the major leaves
in the center areas on the
edges and between the veins
lightly. In the center high-
light use small back to back
floats between the veins.
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Add a highlight to the center vein and a bit on the
side veins where they fall in a highlighted area.
8. Accents are added with a medium mix of Dioxa-
zine Purple + a bit of Light Buttermilk. You might
want to wait until the flowers are painted to add the
accents and final highlights as needed.

LILACS:
Technique: I began to lay in dark and medium dark
value shapes to the lilacs. I use a size 2 Round
brush and loosely paint little 3-5 petal shapes try-
ing not to be too regular at the edges. I added some
bud like strokes at the tips. It’s good to leave some
background showing here and there to add some
stems later on. I go over these 3 or 4 times to build
the values and stack the blossoms so that some
darker values would show underneath. As my val-
ues get lighter, my flowers have more definition.

MIXES: I used mixes of Dioxazine Purple + Ultra Blue

Deep. One is more purple and the other more blue
but by having both mixed the colors will harmonize.
I have labeled the pattern for the purple or the blue
lilacs. I keep some of the pure color on my palette
to adjust the colors as needed. Test your mixes with
a bit of Light Buttermilk until you like what you see.
To create lighter values, I simply add Light But-
termilk until toward the end; then I add Titanium
White for the lightest values.
The following directions and illustrations are for
both colors. I work wet on wet or over dry. I don’t
clean my brush between colors or values until I
think it needs a cleaning. Then I start over. I usually
work the purple flowers and then the blue ones.
Refer to the pattern or finished photo.

1. Using the round brush, load in a darker mix plus

just a tiny bit of Light Buttermilk, and begin to paint
little flower shapes using the tip of your brush at
a slight angle. Do these loosely and randomly over
the area of the lilac shape you are working on. Place
some of these over leaves previously painted and
tuck others under the leaves.
2. Add a bit more Light Buttermilk to the mix to cre-
ate a dark/medium value and place some more over
these but don’t cover all the previous ones.
3. Add more Light Buttermilk to the mix for a me-
dium light value and add more flowers. As you
move up in the values try to make more distinct
flowers with 4 – 5 petals. Overlap previous flowers.
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 Add some more buds at the top of the clusters or
go over some that were added. Note that the lilacs
away from the center areas or to the back do not
have bright highlights.
4. Add some Light Buttermilk to the mix and add
lighter flowers paying attention to the highlight
areas and the light source.
5. I used a dirty brush but dipped into Light But-
termilk to highlight and paint new little flowers in
the highlight area or go over some that are already
painted. If these are too glaring, add a bit of the col-
or mix to this to tone down, and try again. If needed
add some straight Light Buttermilk highlights.
Stems: Use Hauser Medium Green + Hauser Light
Green to paint little stems inside the blossoms and
connecting the buds. The other stems will be paint-
ed later.
6. Centers: Use the tip of the liner to add dots for
the centers. For the darker blossoms, add some
centers of Hauser Light Green. For those in the mid
value range, add Olive Green dots to the centers.
Add Cadmium Yellow dots to those in the highlight
areas.

DAISIES: Refer to the finished picture and the step

by step illustration as you paint these.

Mix a bit of Hauser Medium Green into Light But-

termilk to create a very pale green. Using a size 2
Round brush, follow the step by step illustration
to paint the petals around the center. I begin at the
top of the center with my first stroke for the back
petals. (Don’t worry about pretty tails on these
strokes, just stop at the center). After the initial
stroke, I add petals to one side and then the other.
As I approach the front petals, I shorten them so
that the daisy will face in the direction I desire. I
will use a loaded brush and sometimes will use two
strokes for each petal. Don’t mash the brush too
much when you paint these. If you have little ridges
in the paint, that’s fine. I use a loaded brush but not
globby. I load my brush on all four sides and let it
return to the round shape by tapping on my palette
if needed. It would be a good idea to practice a bit
before you paint on your surface if strokes are a
new technique for you.
I paint the petals free-handed, but if you need a
pattern, transfer only a line down the center of the
petal.

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1. Using the pale green mix of Light Buttermilk +
a touch of Hauser Medium, load the size 2 Round
brush and stroke the petals around the center of all
of the daisies. It’s fine to create a few ridges as you
paint these. Refer to the photograph or the complete
pattern to assist. For those that fall under a leaf, put
a bit of tape over the leaf or wipe off as soon as you
paint that stroke with a damp brush or paper towel.
2. Using the ½” Angular Shader brush, float some
shade on the petals next to the center lightly with
Hauser Medium Green, more on the back petals. Use
this to also separate petals so that one will fall in
front of another or where they fall behind a leaf.
3. Re-shade as needed with Hauser Medium Green + a
bit of Hauser Dark Green at the centers.
4. Float some Titanium White Highlights on the tips
of the petals, more on those that flip up or are catch-
ing light from the upper right light source. You could
also highlight with some Titanium White strokes
at the tips using your round brush or a liner. Don’t
carry the strokes all the way to the center.
5. Create a very light wash on your palette with Cad-
mium Yellow + water and lightly apply some to the
petals in the center of interest area. When dry, re-
highlight with white as needed.

CENTERS:
Re-paint the centers with Antique Gold and clean up
any edges where you came into the center too far
when you painted the petals.
1. Mix Hauser Medium Green + Raw Sienna to create
a “dirty golden green”. Using the tip of your size 10/0
Script Liner or small Round, “dab” a bit of this in the
center to create a dent. Tap around the edges, using
more on the shaded side with this value.
2. Switch to Antique Gold using the dirty brush and
tap between the shade and the center softening the
line so that you don’t see where one ended and the
other began. Tap around the dent in the center to
soften the edges but don’t cover the dent.
3. Use Antique Gold to tap around the center area
and into the shaded portion to blend in with the
other shading values.
4. Tap on a highlight with Cadmium Yellow. There will
be some on both sides of the dark center “dent”. The
top part will be brighter.
5. After the whole piece is finished, you can add more
highlights to the centers of the daisies in the central
portion of the design with Cadmium Yellow + Tita-
nium White, a pale yellow.
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Larger Stems:
After all of the leaves, lilacs, and daisies are finished, add some of the heavier stems. I used the
size 10/0 Script Liner for this step.
Lilacs: Mix Hauser Medium Green + Burnt Umber to create a dirty green value and use your liner
to paint the stems. Refer to the finished piece or connect in a logical place according to how you
have painted your lilacs. Highlight as needed lightly with Hauser Light Green.
Leaves: Pull some stems from the base of the leaves as needed with Hauser Medium Green. Shade
a bit with Hauser Dark Green and highlight some with Hauser Light Green.
Daisies: Pull some stems coming from the daisies with Hauser Medium Green, some are slightly
curved. Lose them where they tuck into the lilac clusters. Highlight if needed with a bit of Hauser
Light Green.

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Finishing:
Evaluate your design. Add more highlights to the leaves or the lilacs if the daisies are too over-
powering. I added some medium purple accents to the leaves with Dioxazine Purple + a bit of Ultra
Blue Deep + Titanium White. Refer to the photo.

Edges: I painted the edges with 2-3 coats of DecoArt Dazzling Metallic Venetian Gold over the An-
tique Gold. After all of the paint has had time to cure, varnish as you desire. I like JoSonja’s Poly-
urethane Matte Varnish and apply 4 – 5 light coats for a surface that will be handled. Between the
last two coats, I will wet sand very lightly with the 600 wet/dry sandpaper. You don’t want to sand
off any of the painting underneath the varnish. I wipe away the residue and add one more coat of
varnish. Another option is to use paste wax with super fine steel wool to apply and then buff for a
nice finish. To protect your furniture attach some felt bumper dots to the bottom of the holder.

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 To ensure your
pattern is at 100%,
1” x 1” this box should
measure 1” x 1” when
Pattern at 100% printed.
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 Copyright 2015 by Donna Hodson, CDA and Crafts Americana Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. #331923

No. *A331923*
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