in Fashenhues, by Ruth Ann

Colors are Fashenhues Translucent Stains

(ALTERNATE INSTRUCTIONS AT BOTTOM)

Supplies:

Bisque Wreath C-104 base coat

S-11 Yellow S-12Orange

S-14 Green S-15 Red

S-18 Brown S-22 Magenta

S-23 Mediterranean Spray Sealer

Soft cloths Q-tips

8 Shader Brushes Antiquing Solution

Equate Wet Ones 3 - 1” or ¾” Shader brush

Turntable covered with foil – shiny side down

Best brushes are softer, flat dry brushes, taklon or flat shaders. Or your worn out

brushes can be taken to Fashenhues, extending the usefulness of your brushes.

To a bisque fired wreath (03-04) coat the entire piece, including the back with two coats of C-104, using your large Shader brush. Dry completely.

Test the wreath by brushing it completely with Antiquing Solution with another large shader brush (especially in the detailed areas). Any areas that did not get covered will turn slightly darker. Go back and repaint those areas. Once it is completely covered and dry, clean your brushes now, then you are ready to begin to apply color.

As you change colors, change brushes… When you finish with each color, place the cloths out in front of your work space, and put the brush with the same color on the cloth/cloths.

From here on, you will brush on, wipe off color, doing small areas at a time, unless directions tell you to do differently – and there are some areas we will do differently, so follow these directions carefully. Keep in mind – once you have applied color and wiped back… fresh color will only LIGHTEN the color, never darken the color… do not go back and add fresh color to an area that you already painted.

You will find that working on a turntable will make it easier for you to handle this wreath as you work around it.

Brush on S-18 Brown, with another large shader brush, small areas at a time, wiping back with a soft cloth as you go. Continue until the entire piece is completely brown. Do not let the brown dry before you wipe it back.

Once the entire piece is covered, with no white spots showing, begin to apply the colors. Apply colors to each item and wipe each one back as you go, starting with the leaves on the corn, using S-14 Green & a shader brush. (BRUSH ON, WIPE BACK) NOTE… IF YOU PAINT THE WRONG LEAF, THAT IS OK… MY INSTRUCTIONS ARE JUST SUGGESTIONS, YOU CAN PAINT THEM HOW YOU WANT THEM…Working to the right side of the wreath: paint the small gourd, toward the center, wiping back as you go. (skip leaves & berries) next do the leaves toward the outside of the wreath, and under the pumpkin. (BRUSH ON, WIPE BACK) Continue with the leaf to the upper left of the pumpkin. (BRUSH ON, WIPE BACK) Move to the outside of the leaf, past the gourd, paint that next leaf. (BRUSH ON, WIPE BACK) Continuing on past the next gourd, still on the outside, paint the next leaf green. Pass the two pumpkins and paint the next gourd (bumpy one) and wipe back. At the bottom of that gourd, move to the center of the wreath, just past the two leaves under the gourd, and paint this one green, as with the others, wiping back as you go. Going across to the outside of the wreath, paint this next leaf green, wipe. Set aside your cloth and brush as you may need them again at a later time.

At this point, pour out less than a ½ of a dime size spot of S-15 RED on foil or a pallet – set aside.

Using S-22 & another brush, paint all the raspberries throughout the entire wreath and and PAT them back instead of wiping them back. Set aside brush and cloth.

Next, using S-12 Orange & another brush, paint the pumpkins and wipe them back. Also painting random leaves, and wiping back… Starting under the corn, paint the two leaves under the corn, remembering to wipe back as you go, move to the leaf just under the gourd, Moving on past the first pumpkin, paint the first leaf on the outside orange, moving to the center of the wreath paint one of the leaves in the inside orange, move out toward the next unpainted gourd, paint the leaf that is wedged between the berries and gourd. Also paint the leaf on the other side of this gourd, on the outside of the wreath in orange. Moving on around the wreath, to just under the bumpy gourd, paint the small leaf orange, then move to the outside, just past the raspberries and acorns orange. Set aside brush and cloth.

NOTE… AS YOU PAINT THE RED, DO NOT WIPE BACK AT THIS TIME…

JUST PAINT ON THE COLOR…Using the S-15 Red, (and another brush,) that you poured out earlier, paint the all of the red holly berries throughout the wreath. Then, onto random leaves, starting with the leaf that comes from under the larger unpainted gourd, and overlapping the smaller, green gourd. Continuing on around the wreath, go to the center of the wreath and paint the next leaf, coming from the green leaf, downward to the center of the wreath – DO NOT WIPE BACK. At this time, taking another clean cloth, pat all the spaces that you painted the red. This will pull moisture out of the red, while leaving most of the color. WARNING, IF YOU RUB THE RED, IT WILL TURN PINK, AND THIS IS DIFFICULT TO REPAIR.

Again, set aside your brush and cloth.

With S-11 Yellow & another brush, beginning on the corn, apply the yellow paint to the cornels of corn, wipe back. Continue to apply Yellow to the corn, and wiping back until you get the yellow you want. You may have to scrub the tops of the cornels a little with your brush to lift most of the brown to allow the yellow to shine out. Do not take the brown out between the cornels of corn. Once you get the corn done, pick up another clean shader brush, and begin painting the unpainted leaves and gourds in yellow around the wreath, wiping back as you go… Repeat as necessary to get the yellow color that you want. Be careful not to take all the brown detail out of your leaves as you go. Each time, working to get the yellow color you want.

Set aside your cloth and brush.

Our last color is S-23. Using another brush, apply this color to all the, acorns and stems… wipe back lightly. Wipe the lids softer than the acorn, giving the lids a little more darkness than the acorns themselves… Set aside your brush and cloth.

Picking up your green cloth and find a spot on it, with a lot of green. Beginning with the first yellow leaf just left of the corn, wipe the tips of this leaf to create some dimension on this wreath. Moving around the wreath, add touches of green to leave tips here and there. Set aside this cloth.

Picking up the red cloth, locate a spot with a lot of red, begin highlighting and adding just touches of red highlights to leaves… mostly orange leaves, but you can put some color on any of the leaves. I also tip the two leaves under the corn with my red at this point. You can put more than one color on a leaf, as I did on the yellow leaf at the top, and on some other leaves throughout the wreath. Next, with your yellow cloth, begin doing highlights on the corn leaves, and continue to any other areas you would like highlighted.

Remember, this is your wreath, you can highlight where you want, the above directions are just my guide line that I paint my wreaths by, and how I teach. You can also “clean up” your wreath at this point, using cloths, brushes, and Q-tips to blend, or clean up colors that should not be where they are.

Feel free to contact me for any questions you may have.

Look your wreath over once again. Be sure there are not any white spots anywhere on your wreath. Once you are satisfied with your piece, using Spray Gloss, Seal your piece

At this point, you can clean your all of your brushes with a mild brush cleaner, rinse in clear water, pat to dry and lay down to dry completely. Not recommended to put covers back on the brushes – this can cause bristles to get bent, and if not completely dry, can cause mold to develop in your brushes. It is not recommended to stand your brushes up to dry as the water flows into the glued area and loosens the farrell and will cause your brushes to fall apart. You can dip your brushes in cheap hair conditioner and with your fingers, lightly pull any excess out, shape and lay flat to dry.

Swish in water before you use them the next time.

ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTION – DO ALL LEAVES IN GREEN – S14, HIGHLIGHT WITH S39 GOLDEN YELLOW. 

IF YOU DO THIS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO ALL THE GORDS IN S-11 YELLOW FOR A VARIETY.