Saturday, August 31, 2013

DIY Silhouette Art

Good morning everyone!!!

Your friendly neighborhood artist here at your disposal ( and that is SO sarcastic - because I'm the furthest thing from an artist that there could be )
Although being an artist certainly is starting to be a term people use most loosely - if you want to giggle
check out a true ARTIST HERE - seriously - you won't believe your eyes ( and if you are related to that particular artist - well then I'm sorry - and I'm just an ignoramus - because I don't get it )

BUT - every now and then an " idea " is born and I attempt to do something on a canvas ( and that's a very loose term - because it's usually an old scap piece of wood ).  I created these for my kids last fall - made one each and put lyrics that meant something to each of them.  You can see details of it HERE


They seemed to be quite popular and are SO easy to do - that I decided to do another one with a step by step tutorial for you today..............it didn't come out as nice as the first ones because I was in a hurry to
get things done and didn't do as many buildings on this one

I only had very thin pieces of plywood to use - the first batch were made on pieces of wood boards actually.
So I started off with my " canvas "


I gave it a quick coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Pure White


John says - PLEASE don't paint on the dining room table
Suzan says - It's my EASEL - and please don't stifle my creativity
John says - We use that to eat on - PLEASE
John says - No wonder I can never find a a recycle bag - HAVE YOU BEEN USING THEM FOR DROP CLOTHS???????????

I've been wanting to paint this table for over 2 years now - John is standing firm against the idea -  I figure if I have enough " accidents " on it - he'll have no choice but to let me do it LOL
Ok - ready to see an artist in motion?
Take notice of my clean fluid strokes everyone -
and especially my tools!!!


A Sharpie and a Ruler - LMHO
Now I can draw stick figures AND buildings - SHUT THE DOOR!!!!!!!!!!!


For a city silhouette I make them as close as possible with different roof lines and add some smoke stacks ( chimney's? ) for interest


and I ALWAYS add a Church


Montreal is a city of Churches ( more per capita than anywhere else in North America apparently )
so a city skyline without one is inconceivable to me !!!


Ok - at this point John said the funniest thing he's ever said before ( well concerning the blog anyway )
I'm dying of laughter here.............and like usual he's dead serious !!!
I'm sitting at the computer uploading these images

John says - WHAT are you doing?
Suzan says - I'm giving a tuturorial on how to make these
John says - ARE YOU INSANE???
John says - You could sell these on your blog - why the hell are you telling everyone how to make them???
Suzan says - If you're expecting people to line up to buy these John you're in a dream world here!
John says - Well that's another lost opportunity ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Suzan says - Why do all your get-rich-quick schemes always involve me and a paintbrush?
Suzan says - Please go invent something................leave me alone, I'm blogging

OMG - I'm laughing my head off - I can barely type to finish this ..................
Hey John - You've got HIGH hopes - high hopes - high in the sky apple pie hopes................
Should I have these patented LMHO???

Ok - let's continue............I left the backgrounds white on the ones I made for my kids - on this one I decided to paint a grey sky.................just dry brushing once again -
I used Graphite and White chalk paint because I was out of Paris Grey -
It's completely ok to paint over some of the " buildings " at this point because they're all going to be filled in with the Graphite color anyway..............


I then added some Old Violet here and there - again only dry brushing -



Ok - now we paint the buildings - if you want to make Graphite a pure black - you can add some black pigment to the mix - I didn't have any so I added black craft paint - and if any of you tell Annie Sloan that I'll never speak to you again!!!


I paint the black in one direction only - up/down - and I do it thick for " texture "
And this is how it looks when you're finished ( or in this case almost finished )


I left the one I did for my Son like the above - completely black - but I usually dry brush some white over the buildings at this point..............in the opposite direction that the black was painted in - so side to side.
This allows the texture to show ..............

it almost gives the effect of a rainy twilight  - with moon glow just starting to creep in
oops - have to work on that steeple and cross a little!



Stay tuned - I'm working on a Paris one now.................BECAUSE



Tomorrow is day ONE of GIVE AWAYS  ( to celebrate 1000 GFC followers )
There'll be 6 different days and there may be a little bit a lot of Paris involved  
Have a great Sunday everyone
Much love,

Suzan yells - John the first piece is ready for the Art Gallery!!!!!!!!!!

Sharing with!
Homemaker on a dime                            Craft O Maniac                        Under the table & dreaming
The Charm of Home                               French Country Cottage           Chase the Star
Deborah Jean's Dandelion House            My Romantic Home                 One Artsy Mama
The Shabby Nest                                   Finding Fabulous                       Mellywood's Mansion
I Heart Nap Time                                  Funky Junk Interiors                  It's Overflowing
I should be mopping the floor                 Uncommon Designs                  Homemaker on a Dime
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia           Homework                               Stone Gable

46 comments:

  1. I love it, Suzan! With a couple {meaning, 100's!} of practice runs, I'm going to be a millionaire selling these over here ;-) Ok, maybe not, but I'm definitely thinking of making one for myself using your tute, thanks !

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  2. I think it is great. I love the colours.

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  3. Hmmmm - I already have the Etsy shop....

    You and John crack me up. When I need a laugh, I look first to your blog in the morning.

    Really, the whole city silhouette idea is pretty clever and you did a great tutorial. You have given me a great idea for a Christmas gift though I will probably just think about it until it is too late to actually do it!

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  4. How cute is that, you did a great job, and you truly are an artist. Great tutorial too.

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  5. its a beautiful painting and you are an artist! I can see you doing many of these and versions are limitless, these would sell, I think John is right, I say go for it!

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  6. That's awesome work there. I am sure you could sell these. :)Tell John, that although you are telling everyone HOW to do it, the reality is, not many will actually do it. But they would pay for someone else to do it. ha

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  7. These are very evocative of a Parisian artist of the 1920's who sold his works on a small corner of the Left Bank only on rainy fall days so maybe John is right - you just have to find the right time to sell them!

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  8. That is pretty cool, Suzan. I think you underestimate yourself! I can barely draw stick figures :)

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  9. Once again I am amazed by your genius!

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  10. Love it... and you are an artist Suzan! Can't wait to see the Paris one. I just know it will be amazing!!

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  11. Suzan, I enjoyed the storytelling as much as the artistry, and YES, you ARE an artist! You almost have me believing that I can do this! Looking forward to Paris...

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  12. Now this is art! Wow, why don't you think you could sell these? I agree with John on this one, put them in the shop (or even Facebook) & see how they do, I'll bet you'll be surprised! Great tutorial, too.
    Debbie :)

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  13. Suzan, you are up and at it early today, or maybe it's just my lagging around that usually means I don't see anything at this time of day! You really are an artist, no matter what you try to tell us. This is so clever and I love that it's done on wood. The texture of the grain makes it so outstanding. It is really well done and I like the quote on the top one. Happy Sunday..Judy

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  14. Suzan,
    This is so cool. I love these and that you put their favorite words of their fav song on it. Way too coool!!!! I am sorry but I have to agree with John Yep agreeing with John!!!!! I think you could sell these. Sky lines of the city are so popular and that fact that you personalize them is even more fantastic. I need one for my daughter with the Chicago city sky line. I will be your first customer. I bet the Paris one will be so beautiful. You are missing a big opportunity here.
    Kris

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  15. Lovely, but where are the squirrels???? hahaha

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  16. That is freaking awesome! And I'm with John on this one, you could totally sell these.

    Happy Labour Day weekend!!

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  17. Of course you are an artist! Your horizontal dry brushing gives the illusion of lights in the windows of the buildings. Can't wait for the Paris one, looks like it will be fabulous.

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  18. Those are great. You could add a few pinky,oranges for a sunset view. I would end up with leaning buildings even if I used a measuring stick. I think the "artists" that paint things like the extension cord are secretly laughing hysterically to think that some schmuck was stupid enough to pay millions of dollars for their art. Kind of like the Emperor's New Clothes.

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    1. I'm so glad you went and looked at that Betsy - is that the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen???
      I think they're laughing too - and if they're not - they have a serious ego problem - that others are actually perpetuating for them!!!!!!
      XOX

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  19. Fun! I am seeing silhouettes everywhere right now!

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  20. Love these. I am smiling at the one steeple. It looks like a ghost getting ready to do a swan dive. (Have you ever noticed how someone, ME, who can't paint a straight line is really good at critiquing?) xo Laura

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  21. Wow, you are so talented, my friend. I`m sure you could sell those. I can`t make them like that, even with hundred tuturorials.

    Have a great week

    Hugs

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  22. That extension cord painting is absolutely the stupidest thing I have ever seen - how ridiculous! anyone could do that for that kind of price - what a crock!
    I love your cityscape! Great job - and you are definitely entitled to the 'Artist' title. You create lovely pieces of furniture with the paintbrush!

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  23. Looks like John's getting a lot of support....eh hem.....here too! I say create a gallery online somewhere and sell them! If i can afford one I will buy one!!! The line forms behind me.....right over here.....that's right, behind me...excuse me......I believe I'm here first.....

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    1. LOL - that line is - oooh let's see - 1 person deep LOL
      Thanks though!
      XOXO

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  24. John, John, John, your are so silly at times and I usually laugh at you but this time I am right there with you!! Suzan,these are really great and I adore how you made each on personal. I am also liking the coloring and I can only begin to imagine the one you are going to finish for Paris. That coloring will look like what I imagine the sky would be in Paris. You are an ARTIST!!!

    Cynthia

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  25. Suzan, of course I would love the colours, white, and grey's :)
    And impressive in every altered way.

    I knew I would find some inspiration over here :)

    Xx
    Doré

    À beautiful week to follow'

    Xx

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  26. It looks awesome! I think, you totally need to patent them :) But seriously, I think you can totally sell it!

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  27. That is great! love the monocromatic scheme...if you sell a couple of them, you'll be able to buy an easel :) ...but that would not make it as fun

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  28. Suzan...it looks great and I think John is right on this. You could sell them.

    ~Cindy

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  29. It came out great, and I'm with the others, you could really sell them.

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  30. Fabulous Suzan! John's right though...you could sell these...all day long! Looking forward to your fun week ahead!

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  31. What a fantastic piece of art!! I would love to try my hand at this and make one for each of my kids too. I am pinning this. Thanks for the free tutorial, no thanks to John! Although I have to agree with him on this one :)

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  32. Awwww!! I love it! You're just so ham dandy!!!

    -andi

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  33. It's really gorgeous! I wonder how it would look like with the silhouette of my small village... I'm keeping the idea in mind for when school is off... In 10 months! John made you laugh, but it proves that he has actually a lot of confidence in your skills! Either that or he wants to make money without working himself!

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  34. Such a great piece! It would be fun to personalize for gifts. Love that idea.
    Deb@LakeGirlPaints

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  35. Hi and wow this picture that you made is so beautiful and you are really talented! I saw it on link party palooza!
    Julie from julieslifestyle.blogspot.com

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  36. Wow! Looks great! I thought it was an actual photo!

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  37. You clever chick that's gorgeous, tell John that people will still buy, there's plenty of us who can't paint!

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  38. Thanks for the chuckle this morning..."John, the first piece is ready for the art gallery" LOL. These are awesome Suzan and Paris turned out stunning as well. You must be like the Ever Ready Bunny - how do you have the energy to churn out these beautiful art and furniture pieces while staging and trying to sell your house? You never cease to amaze me!
    Marie@InteriorFrugalista

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    1. We have the first visit scheduled for tomorrow night - fingers crossed !!!
      And now I really do have to be the energizer bunny - and zip through this house once again lol
      XOXO

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  39. Suzan, I love the tutorial and the skyline is fantastic. Thanks for showing how you did it. I did watch you adding each addition for the Paris skyline and I just looked at the finished project. I would advise you to go ahead and contact those galleries.
    Bob and I have often laughed at what passes for art today. We have had the same thoughts as Betsy, the artists are laughing their b**ts off! We only wished we could pull one off like that!
    Somehow your posts stopped showing up in my email. I came by a couple of days to see if you were taking a break. You weren't!! I reentered my email and fixed that.
    Hello again and have a blessed week, Ginger

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Due to a large amount of spam ( that I'm tired of going back to posts and deleting ) I'll be using comment moderation from now on !!!
Can I beat these spammers at their own game? Probably not - but I'm going
to try my damnedest !!!
xoxo