Painting patterns.....Help!!

[Jamie Stokes]

Hi all,
part way alomgwith Pegaso's China Lady, and have decided that a pattern of white flower shapes would be acheiveable at my current skill level.....

Trying a series of patterns,getting frustrated. Attached is the latest work ups so far......and the lady 'herself' so to speak.

I chose white, so as I dont have to shade the pattern also. Shading the kimono is coming along ok, rather enjoying this bust actually.

Just want to add some pattern to the kimon to add some variety...

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to paint up such patterns?

cheers
Jamie

 

[Tommi]

Hi, Take a look at this article it may help!
Cheers
Tommi
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26732

 

[dinovision79]

Hi Janus,
in case you decide to try on free hand, it's about practice, try to work out simple steps, for difficult parts it can be easier to paint the flower around with the basecolour. You may try different size/shape brushes and dillutions, btw, what medium are you using?

Good luck!
Denes

 

[Einion]

I chose white, so as I dont have to shade the pattern also.

FYI the majority of advanced painters will shade patterns too, even at a scale this large

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to paint up such patterns?

Practice is key. If the pattern is from your head decide for sure how it looks, if you're working from a reference have it at hand when you're painting.

Use the paints you'll actually be using and work at the scale you want to paint (or smaller, which can help).

You want to thin the paint just enough to allow it to flow off the brush - there are no formulas for this, it depends on the thickness your paint started out at. The basic consistency to aim for is something like single cream. You may also want to add some flow improver or similar to your mix if you have any; if you don't a small amount of dishwashing liquid in your mixing water is worth trying (compare to a mix using straight water).

A good brush helps.

Since you're using white you're already using an opaque colour, for any future projects it's a very good idea not to attempt pattern painting using any transparent colours as they naturally cover poorly.

Einion

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Jamie,

If you want to repeat a pattern (for example a flower) over a large area you may consider creating a stencil from paper and using it as a way of ensuring the pattern remains uniform across the whole piece. This helps keep the edges of the pattern shape sharp and defined. The trick with a stencil is to ensure the patterns are evenly spaced apart. Good luck.

Cheers