So You Like to Color....

Most people say they enjoy coloring. They find it relaxing. Hence the explosion of the adult coloring book. I bought one once. Never used it. Why? Because, in the end, I like to have a useable product!

I have found my own version of the adult coloring book, and it’s so much more satisfying. Up until now it’s been a big secret, but I’m ready to share it with the world. Here goes.

The secret is doilies. Yes, doilies. I LOVE doilies. Have a collection of them garnered from flea markets, thrift shops, rummage, and estate sales. I am in awe of the workmanship, the skill, the artistry, the engineering involved in these beauties from days gone by. The problem is, many are damaged or stained, most are unwanted and destined for the landfill. I am compelled to rescue them! You can too. Here’s how.

Paint them! It’s just like coloring. You just paint on the shapes already created for you, rather than color in the lines.

Today April 11, 2019, it’s freezing butt cold in Racine, Wisconsin. 36 degrees. Yesterday it snowed. Nevertheless, I hauled myself up into my unheated, waterless, unplumbed studio just to show you a CREATIVE version of coloring.

My water source.

My heat source.

My "plumbing."

1. First things first. Find a doily. Caution: Do not paint on your family heirlooms! My rule is to paint on stained, damaged, discarded or machine made doilies only. You can get a doily at your local dollar store, or thrift store. I took these out to choose from for this project.

I ended up choosing this one because it has a nice pattern to highlight with paint, and because it fits fairly well on an 8”x10” canvas panel. You can get canvas panels at your local craft store, online, or at Walmart. Do not get a stretched canvas for this project.

The spots on the left qualifies this one for painting.

2. Choose your paint colors. I’m using the primary colors, red, yellow, blue, plus black and white. From these colors, I can mix just about any color I want. I like to lay my doily on the blank canvas and think about what colors I could use. Today I’m going to go with purple, dusty mauve, and sage green. You might like to think about color combinations you like. If you can’t think of any, or are afraid to mix your colors, just go with red, yellow and blue. You could just add white or black to them to vary the color a bit. No judgment here! You’ve got to start somewhere! OMG! This guy just scared the bejeebers out of me!

Now you see it.

Now you don't! Gesso, it's not just for canvas anymore.

Before I start to mix colors, I’ll gather my materials, the paint, clean water, rags, clean paint brushes, a clean palette, canvas panel, doily. If you have a paint medium, you can use that too. It’s helpful, but not required.

Notice, there are a variety of brands. Well used too!

Two sizes flat brushes, a round and small liner brushes. A palette knife is good to have too,

Lay your colors out at the top of your palette. Mix colors below.

I’m going to start with a dark purple background. A darker background looks good with doilies. I mixed blue and red in a separate area until I got the shade I liked, then painted the entire canvas. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as you’ll go back over it later.

Mostly blue, less red, and a little white.

No need to be perfect. You'll go back over it later.

3. Apply the doily. Here’s a counterintuitive move. Just lay your doily right on top of the wet paint! Yep, you heard right. The paint will act as a glue, and the doily will stick. I do like to apply some craft glue to the edges to hold them down better while I work. Make sure your glue is a type that dries clear.

Add glue where necessary. Trim off overhanging areas.

4. Decide where to paint first. I like to think about which color would show up best against the dark background and then use that color to paint the edges first. I chose the mauve. I also used it for the center to balance out the mauve color. I’ll also use it one more time in the design. Try to use each color in three different places for balance.

To mix the mauve, I used mostly white, some red, and little bit of the purple. I used my medium sized flat brush and painted right on the doily.

White, red, and a little of the purple.

Paint the border. Add a little water, push the paint in with the brush to cover all the doily string.

The mauve shows up nicely against the purple. The mauve center balances the edges.

Next, I wanted more purple, but a lighter shade than the background so it would show up. I moved some of my dark purple to the side and added some white. Paint usually dries darker than it looks wet, so keep that in mind when mixing your colors.

Mix a little white into the original purple.

Finally, it was time to add the green. My first attempt was too yellow, so I added a lot more blue. Then it was too dark. So I added small amounts of white until I got the shade that looked right with the mauve and purple.

Too yellow. I had to add quite a bit more blue.

Added blue, then white. This shade looks pretty good next to the other colors.

Have you noticed in the pictures, how I’ve changed the paint brush to fit the size of the area I’m painting? It also helps to push the paint into the doily string so that it’s all covered. You can also use a bit of extra water to help the paint flow into the string. The whole thing often needs a second coat of paint after the first coat has soaked in for a while.

I'm using my smallest brush here.

I'm using the round brush here.

5. Finish the background. It’s ok if you got some of the mauve paint on the background. Now’s the time to fix that. I mixed a little black into my original purple color. Just a little. Then I took my middle sized brush and carefully pushed it around and under the edges of the doily. Then I gently brushed it out towards the edges to blend. To get fancy, I dotted small amounts of the mauve on the outer corners of the canvas and tapped the flat side of my brush on the dots to blend them in. You can do this with the colors you have chosen.

I also added a little bit of dark purple in the arches of the border to add some depth.

6. Frame it. Put it in a pretty frame that you got at the thrift store on half-off day. $2.00 for this one! And there you have it! A truly beautiful piece. More adult than adult coloring books, more creative, AND useable, and giftable!

All finished!

7. REWIND! REWIND! REWIND! I don’t like it! Looks too dull, too plain. Needs some szhooszh, some pizzazz, some sparkle. Time to hit up the costume jewelry! I have a large amount of discarded costume jewelry. I know, surprising, isn’t it? Maybe you have some too? I sifted through and came up with this pink sparkley butterfly. Oh, the purple “pearls” might work too, and this pretty chiffon ribbon. I retrieved the craft glue, and NOW it looks complete. See.

What a difference the details make!

Creativity is a building process. It evolves. From doily, to colors, to patterns, to balance, to embellishment. I didn’t know how this was going to look when it was finished. I started with some basic elements and worked from there. I wasn’t terribly fond of my color choices, didn’t think it looked very good, but kept building until I had something that felt right and looked pretty. It was worth freezing my butt off!

You can do this too!

Oh WAIT!! DON'T GO! I went up to the studio today and took one look at this and said "Yuck!" The colors just weren't right. Never fear, with paint, you can always change what you've done. With some mixing and fixing, I was able to lighten and brighten, and NOW I like it. Changed the bow too.....because I got paint on it.

New and improved, lightened and brightened version.

Next up: Branching Out...An Experiment