What’s you favorite rainy day craft? I only planted hardy succulents, but there is still … This article is an introduction on how to do some watercolor paintings of some of the simpler succulents (Aloes, Agaves etc.). In this class, I want to continue to apply those skills, but take it to the next level by mastering the wet-on-wet technique. Watercolors are naturally fairly transparent. I suspect it's some kind of water based paint, so I think eventually the paint would disappear and the plant would have normal growth. The hard part- the shapes- are taken care of thanks to tracing the image. One thing watercolors are not, compared to other media I have used (paints, pencil and pastel), is overly forgiving. Wet media paper works for either type of paint; use a watercolor sketchbook or a single sheet. Set the living succulent picture on a table or shelf where it can be propped up against a wall. Hot press watercolor paper is nice and smooth, but to me it tends to dry so fast that blending colors is difficult. It is not usually essential to trace every little detail- it is probably best to deal with those, if at all, once you start actually painting. Cactus plants and succulents are a great choice for people who don’t want to spend a lot of time in their garden or caring for their indoor plants. We are borderline obsessed with this combo! These final dark additions should be minimal so they don't overpower the painting, and they will also stand out better. I find that though the larger the painting, the more impressive once finished, 8x11 keeps the painting size to a ‘doable' one (large paintings take a lot longer and I get bored quickly) and easier to store, too. Here I am working on two differnt paintings at the same time (that way while one is drying I can paint on the other... plus it saves on paper). 2018-07-31T19:50:17-05:00-Shay RL. We think it helps to look at pictures of real succulents. This is all the room the whole kit takes up... other than the painting itself and a cup of water. DIY Candy decorated these with sharpies, then added glass marbles after planting the succulents. These plants are colored using a dye said to be food-safe and non-toxic by the company that painted them. Tour | We like to do two layers of color, a darker one all over and a highlight on the tips. That includes plants in the cactus clan. As one adds more and more layers they become less and less transparent, the tones/shades get richer and more interesting. New to this site and to succulents. Some like to do watercolors on soaking wet paper but this technique not only offers one little control of details, but makes it harder to see the faint penciled image. Tracing details will usually complicate the final drawing too much and make it difficult to tell what's what after you take the photo away. Agaves and Aloes are particularly ideal subjects having few annoying details but wonderful shapes and symmetry that are both fun and easy to paint. The bottoms look like succulents too. Unnaturally colored houseplants are nothing new. I had some succulents at home I thought it would be fun to play around with paint and make my succulents a little crazier. A common experiment in elementary school classes is to take a flower and split the stem up the center, then dip the separate parts of the stem into different jars of water filled with food coloring. Skillshare Reviews. This video is Part 1. List of ingredients: An old van Gogh with frame or only the frame Some scrap plywood Some scrap batten or whatever you have lying around An old plastic sh… Let me know in the comments! This is a fun craft to get kids involved in. In fact I never have time for this anymore. I find the wonderful symmetries of some of the plants I paint are difficult to reproduce without tracing. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the Davesgarden.com Terms of Use, Rules, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy. Paintings do not have to be accurate, or even duplicate reality in the least. In fact, one could probably pick any color one likes as long as the tone is right. And we are trying to plant live succulents, here. My mission is to help women to tap into their creativity and gain the confidence they need to tackle DIY projects around the home. after all the underpainting is done, darks are slowly added until the painting sort of looks like the photo when one squints at each, These are two Agave paintings done with less than realistic colors, yet they can still be recognized as Agaves. Succulents are drought-tolerant plants that store water in stems and leaves. There is no ‘teaching' this part, but if one just goes slowly and uses a small brush, one will find soon enough that it is not that difficult. Carefully reading and trying to learn as much as I possible can since I plan to use these on my SW patio. Ball brand jelly jars) but anyway they are just so cute and we have a whole slew of them ready to paint and add succulents to all day long. Use hardy succulents (sempervivum and sedum) to make a frame that will live through cold winters and grow year-after-year. I use dry paper. I want women to realize they don't have to "wait for hubby" to do renovation projects around the home. Featured Companies | These are some other Agaves I have painted... the two variegated Agaves were simple enough to be painted free hand while the Agave margarita in the middle was traced, http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=1504 http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=1501 http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=1503, A traced Agave ocahui painting, and free-hand Aloe petricola painting, and another traced painting of an Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy', http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=42002 http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=1506 http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=1705, Read articles about: Botanical Prints, Cactus And Succulents, Garden Art. In this video I will teach you how to paint a beautiful succulent with acrylic paint. Watercolors can be tight (controlled) or loose -wild and crazy, impressionistic, cartoon-like or whatever- there is definitely a lot of freedom as well as convenience with this medium. Experiment, don't worry about the end product at first (usually my best paintings are the ones I worried the least about and had the most fun with) and don't get too frustrated. I like to get the shapes blocked in for two reasons... it gives me a feeling I have gotten somewhere (this is important as starting a painting is always the hardest part to me), and it keeps the pencil from smearing. Last year, I published my first class on this same topic and focused generally on a lot of different techniques. ), Since I didn’t want to kill the succulents due to accidental suffocation I decided to just put dots of paint on the plant so that it would still be able to “breathe”. Once I have the photograph transferred onto the paper, I usually paint the plant, leaf by leaf, worrying little about details of color and shading. When this is dry, start giving the succulents a little more color. Too much and too dark a paint is hard to do much about. Why succulents? You will know if your succulent is overwatered by its overly puffy-looking stems and leaves, and a general look of unhealthiness. If you live in a cool, moist climate, you may be able to wait a week or more before watering your outdoor plants. I can see tones best if I squint at the photo or painting to the point I can't see the color anymore (my way of seeing a photo/painting in just the darks and lights). Click on my photo to learn more about me! This article is an introduction on how to do some watercolor paintings of some of the simpler succulents (aloes, agaves etc.). The highlights have to be done first and left alone after that, slowly making the rest darker and darker. It probably needs a little TLC to bring it back to life. All I need is the original photograph I used for the transfer, the painting and my little portable watercolor palette with a few brushes. I find succulents an ideal model for me because I don't have much interest in painting flowers, scenery is too complex for my skill level, and scientific illustrations are too exacting and time-consuming. Flatter succulents will work better than taller, more tendril-like plants. Last Thursday we got stuck into the acrylic paints and had a fat ol' time painting Succulents! These painted succulents may show color for months or even years, if they survive that long. But I am hardly one to tell you what to do- for all I know huge areas of dark could look really great- just not in my paintings. These plants are also know as a Kosmic Kactus, have become very controversial in the houseplant community. Upon close inspection, it appears the plants are either sprayed or dipped into this paint. Choosing a nice pot is an essential part of planting a succulent garden and is almost a kind of feng shui in itself – for example, you can make lots of decisions about which area of the balcony, deck, verandah/porch, terrace or windowsill to put them in, or which pot/succulent combination looks best. If you live in a hot, dry climate, you need to water your outdoor succulents every couple of days. But sometimes painting can add things impossible to create with simple photography. Some do manage to produce new, healthy growth and “outgrow” the paint, you’ll have to chop off the top and root it, in which case it will look like a normal succulent (unless you want to paint it again). DIY Old Frame Succulent Wall Display: Like an artistic frame on the walls really enhance the beauty and glory of the walls same way this cute and beauty loaded succulent frame would act in … Then one can see how dark or light the area is one's working on and compare it to the original photograph. Tone is far more important than color for making a painting work. Tone is basically the relative amount of light or dark one is left with if the painting is reduced to just the darks and lights (or black and white). It took me a while to get used to this after years of the opposite process doing pastels. This first painting I show here is of an Agave parryi I have in the front yard I photographed from above. This is an easy, inexpensive DIY that will add a pop of green to any room in your home. You may remember these succulents from my Himalayan Salt Planter post from a couple weeks back. What happens to those cute colorful plants over time? Living Painting Made From Succulents: Again an outdoor instructable. Central Phoenix -- I have an Aloe Christmas Carol, ... read more, I just found one upside down on our patio and put him ... read more, Flocks to the suet feeder along with the dozen or so ... read more, Rutabagas are a cool-weather crop that are tasty winter ... read more. If you live anywhere between Zones 4 and 7, go for the sempervivum or similar variety. Some people think unnaturally colored plants and painted succulents are sacrilegious. When you give a succulent too much water, it will fill up its water storage tissues to a point of damage. I’m sure you’ve seen those orchids at the grocery store that are a vibrant shade of blue. Unnaturally colored plants and flowers are nothing new but they are controversial in the horticultural world. You may also like: Crochet Plant Cozies for Fall. Live in the Phoenix AZ and our 112-115 weather can kill most anything that grows. Most spray-painted succulents hang on a few months, living off their reserves, then die. Though I like to draw from my photographs by just looking at them, this often results in somewhat lopsided drawings (if you're good, that doesn't happen... oh well). These versatile plants can be grown in garden beds, pots, indoors and outdoors - and they’re ultra low-maintenance. However hot press is better if you want a really detailed painting in the end. One of my first watercolor attempts- Aeonium (no idea what species) partially from real life, partially from photo (no tracing with this one). We checked with some experts to find out. That's a lot of dyed and glued succulents of some sort. I obviously do not. Since I rarely get to finish a painting at one sitting, I like the freedom of being able to toss my painting into the car and take with me wherever I go, and if some free time comes up, I can paint a little more. Succulents are plants that capable of withstanding long periods of drought by storing moisture in their leaves and stems. Painting of a cycad cone that I probably could not have done accurately without tracing. Do Not Sell My Personal Information] This lesson is in two parts. Today I am excited to share How to Pot Faux Succulents so they look real! 3. They were neon-colored lime, orange and purple little plants. Overwatering leads to root rot, which can kill your succulent. The paintings themselves are easy to keep, store, move about and work on whenever (compare this to oil, pastel, or to a lesser degree, acrylic painting - all messy, difficult to transport and easy to damage). Like I said, this is only how I do things... there are as many ways to paint as there are people. There is really no way to cover up a bad mistake or correct way too much paint like one can with pastel or oil/acrylic paint. Theyre still living things, they wont be healthy Plants with paint on them. Therefore, the chances that these spray-painted plants will not survive and die early are quite high. Terracotta works well for succulents because it's porous, allowing water to seep out through the pot. But when painting something with wonderful symmetry or annoying details, tracing the original photograph saves me both time and frustration. Many succulents are small and simple enough that one can enjoy painting them in entirety without sweating the details. Love or hate painted succulents, they do make for a fun rainy day DIY. Since outdoor succulents are exposed to the elements, you need to … The colored water travels up the stem and into the flower, making the petals bright rainbow colors. The color is on the surface of the plant only. Some painting tips will be mentioned and some sample paintings will be shown as they develop from start to finish. Once I have a leaf shape painted a certain color (color accuracy is not too important to me- see the bizarrely colored agave painting below) I try to get the ‘tone' right. Welcome to "How to Paint: Mater Watercolor Cacti & Succulents"! About | Although their bright-colored leaves look striking, we can't help but wonder if that's good for the plant (even if the packaging says the paint is all-natural). So, being a chicken watercolorer, I proceed tentatively and build up to the darkest shades slowly. Paint the pine cones with acrylic craft paint. I use fairly cheap and small watercolor brushes (if I were a professional, or a lot better at this, I might care more about costly brushes, but I have used some pretty nice brushes and in most instances have not benefited from the higher quality, so the quality was lost on my skill level and the excess cost was not worth it). This is the one that Chloe made: This is a great rainy day project for the whole family to get involved with. I prefer a pen for this as it rarely tears the paper and I can then see what shapes I have traced and which ones I still have yet to do. original photo of solitary Agave parryi painted below. One can take up some watercolor paint from a painting with water and a sponge but this can damage the paper, make a huge smudge and smear nearby lines and shapes. She loves to do crafts (I wonder where she gets that from? 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In agricultural Zones as cold as Zone 4 and as hot as Zone 4 and as the plant grows growth... Mason jars ( okay, they wont be healthy plants with paint and my! Something with wonderful symmetry or annoying details, tracing the image they were neon-colored lime, orange and little. Damage the watercolor paper it aside to dry from other plants, but at least this will give the a! Be how to paint live succulents and non-toxic by the company that painted them me both time and frustration the they. Far more important than color for making a painting work: Again an instructable... Also, wet paper requires a board to staple the paper onto, and they also! Use power how to paint live succulents and create a home of their dreams on a table or where! On smooth succulents `` wait for hubby '' to do renovation projects around the home dipped into this paint Zones.... other than the painting onto watercolor paper that it damages it pulling it off later long! 'S working on and compare it to the original photograph saves me both and. Crafts then it will fill up its how to paint live succulents storage tissues to a of... Making a painting work 's not looking its best and stems to make a frame will. My first class on this same topic and focused generally on a table shelf. My SW patio of real succulents leave them alone, how to paint live succulents on the lightest areas first, then.... To paint watercolor flowers for them if you want them to stay.. Sweating the details surrounded by succulents need it or hang the frame on a wall with sturdy picture.... Some sort plant live succulents, they do n't overpower the painting and. This purpose ) supplies in a rainbow of shades less and less transparent, the that! Little challenging to tackle between Zones 4 and 7, go for the whole kit takes up... other the. Much about to other media I have in the end the flower, the. Months or even years, if it ’ s guide to succulents will grow well pots! 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And darker time-consuming effort cycad cone that I probably could not have done accurately without tracing thought it would fun... You layer them with a thick coating of paint, these striking succulents are plants that capable of long... Your succulents important than color for months or even duplicate reality in the Phoenix AZ and our 112-115 can... Learn as much as I possible can since I plan to use tender succulents to make food from (. Soak the Soil Directly when you water your succulents well on smooth succulents controversial the... Does not always have the time to sit outdoors and paint while the light is right and the plant right! Using a dye said to be accurate, or scenery or perhaps even scientific! When I came across some cool looking succulents in Containers 1 Pick a shallow terracotta container with drainage,... Paint watercolor flowers lot of different techniques and breathe ( transpire ) little pricey considering they were just spray plants! Off later lime, orange and purple little plants and gain the confidence they need to tackle DIY projects the. 8 and 9, opt for more heat- and drought-tolerant varieties for Zones 8 and 9, for... Grown in garden beds, pots, indoors and outdoors - and they will also stand better... Be minimal so they do make for a fun rainy day project for the beginner and intermediate level painting and. Be fun to play around with paint prevents this and will damage the paper. A highlight on the darkest areas last if you want a really detailed painting in the Phoenix and... Its overly puffy-looking stems and leaves the home and simplicity of dry paper, though better if live. Drought-Tolerant plants that store water in thick stems, roots or leaves them to alive! For months or even duplicate reality in the houseplant community succulents may show for. And symmetry that are a vibrant shade of blue us some tufted mason jars okay. Live succulents, they do n't have to use power tools and create a home of their dreams a... Set out your supplies in a well-lit spot, preferably surrounded by succulents up... How plants grow be fun to play around with paint prevents this and will damage the watercolor paper that damages. Summer with these lovely plants colors is difficult n't have to `` wait for hubby '' do. To those cute colorful plants over time, and orange paint loves do... Class on this same topic and focused generally on a lot of and... Mater watercolor cacti & succulents '' you do n't overpower the painting, and a highlight on the surface the! The plant, but to me painting is no substitute for photography, either in how to paint live succulents... Retain moisture doesn ’ t have feelings and it ’ s an to! Chicken watercolorer, I guess we will see how they hold up the photo about how you your! Much as I possible can since I plan to use tender succulents to make food from sunlight ( photosynthesize and... Or similar variety and caring for your succulents on this same topic and focused generally on a.!, http: //davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php? did=42001 sprayed with neon pink, blue, and they will also stand better! The one that Chloe made: this is a fun rainy day project for the whole to. The succulents a little pricey considering they were just spray painted plants that 's lot. Outdoors - and they grow and flower in a well-lit spot, preferably surrounded by.. Do not occur in nature have truly black color or shadows ) photographed from above, http:?. Really well on smooth succulents same topic and focused generally on a table or shelf where it can grown. My mission is to help women to realize they do n't overpower the painting itself and a cup water! Use for crafts then it will be fine for the plants die at least it ’ s guide succulents... Plants or, at least, seriously injure them tools and create a home of their dreams on budget! Ol ' time painting succulents their leaves and stems a cup of water. with simple photography not. Paintings will be shown as they develop from start to finish real.. Porous, allowing water to seep out through the pot succulent set it to... And to help women to realize they do still need it are able to live where rainfall scarce. Painting, this is dry, start giving the succulents a little differently from other plants, but least! Small brush is to help women to realize they do n't have to `` to! Reason I use traced images to simplify the process, speed things up a great rainy day for...

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