Art Nouveau Dragonfly
Project Description: Using a rich metallic gold, and a shimmering interference blue on the deep Opaque Black Craft Plastic Film, we will be painting a decorative dragonfly in an art nouveau style.
Designed by: Sandra Bacon
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Materials:
- Grafix Opaque Black Craft Plastic Film, 9” x 12”
- Golden Fluids: Pthalo Blue (Green Shade), Quin Crimson,
- Iridescent Bright Gold, Titanium White, Interference Blue,
- Burnt Sienna, Pyrrole Red, Medium Violet, and Cobalt Black
- Scissors
- Copy Paper
- White Color Pencil
- Acrylic Brushes: Round #2, Flat #2
- Toothbrush to splatter background
Steps to Make This:
- Download outline of a dragonfly with a branch.
- Then cut out and trace around the outline with a colored pencil.
- Fill in with the base colors: Iridescent Bright Gold for the tree branch, Pthalo Blue mixed with Titanium White for the eyes, Medium Violet for the body of the dragonfly. We want these colors to lie flat so the base colors will need two coats.
- Fill in the tree branch with gold, as well as outline the dragonfly.
- Mix bright gold with Burnt Sienna and just a dash of Pthalo Blue, then add shadows and highlights to the branch.
- Blend in areas to convey a sense of light. For instance, for the wings, blend straight Interference Blue with Interference Blue mixed with a drop of Cobalt Black.
- Add dots marks with all the colors to the wings. Pay attention to the shape of each section, and have the dots follow along the contour (darker colors on the sides and lighter colors in the center to add a sense of light.)
- Take a toothbrush and take a mixture of interference blue and water, flick the toothbrush to create a spattered special effect. (Practice on a separate paper).
- Finally, enjoy your beautiful, expressive dragonfly. Consider framing your artwork in a black or a gold frame.