Chalk Portrait

[Achill Baldwin]

Eachyear, several artists win scholarships to attend the Figurative Art Convention & Expo (FACE). In this exclusive Q&A, winner Tori Cole shares her love of drawing portraits with sanguine chalk, her challenges and successes, and more.

CDH: How has your art changed over time?

TC: My art has changed from drawing portraits from photos, to trying to really observe from life and thinking about the narratives I can bring to subject matter such as still-lifes and figurative work, which is currently where my interest lies.

For example, I have set up my own website and created business cards, and I really try to put myself in front of people to market myself and my work. I take commissions as they come and try not to undervalue my work to establish to others that this is my serious career. I also try to be proactive about applying for scholarships and grants, as well as submitting work for shows and publications so that I can spread my work to a larger audience.

CDH: Where do you see yourself a year from now?

TC: A year from now I hope to be attending an atelier full-time as a way to fully round out the education I have been receiving for the last four years.

CDH: What surprised you at the event?

TC: At FACE, I was surprised at the variety of demos and presentations they offered. It felt like there was something to interest everyone at the event.

Now and then we like to enjoy a tutorial in the style of a particular artist. Today, we celebrate the popular 20th century artist, Norman Rockwell. His birthday is February 3, 1894. He is known for his paintings of every day American life, portraits of famous Americans, plus funny, beautiful and nostalgic scenes of family times. For you, a Norman Rockwell Chalk Art Tutorial.

Step 3: Now the fun begins! First, paint your portrait on the canvas! Place your face as if it is only partially seen, most of it in front of the head. Then draw your reflection in the mirror.

On one of our trips to the World of Coca-Cola in nearby Atlanta, Georgia, we had the privilege of seeing several original Norman Rockwell paintings. The World of Coca-Cola always has an art exhibit and we were so glad we got to see those original Coca-Cola Santa paintings and more by Rockwell while they were on display there.

Murray City reserves the right to disqualify any artwork that is deemed inappropriate. All artwork must be family friendly. If artwork is not your own idea, please give credit to the original artist/source. Murray City is entitled to photograph and reproduce the chalk art for the purpose of historical record and future publicity.

I would recommend starting off with the dry chalk and let your kids rub it back and forth on the branch. Different textures and surfaces on the branch will offer different experiences with the chalk. Kids just love it.

After a little time with dry chalk painting (go as long as they seem engaged) offer a small bowl of water for dipping the chalk. Wet chalk will offer a whole new sensory experience that kids love even more. They will dip and dunk the chalk and paint paint paint all over the branch.

The results are pretty gorgeous as well and there are so many things you can do with the branches when they are done. For one, you can chalk paint them over and over again with new colors. Other ideas might be to make a mobile, or a teepee, or maybe a temporary sculpture.

This post is part of an ongoing nature series with 10 uber talented arts and crafts bloggers. We started here on The Craft Train with this gorgeous Leaf Mosaic Dreamcatcher by Kate. And then tomorrow click on over to Willowday to see how to make these beautiful flower crowns that I pretty much want to wear every waking moment.

Kath, thank you so much. I truly appreciate your kind words. So happy you found my blog. And wow, 20 years teaching preschool! How amazing. You must have an arsenal of tricks up your sleeve!!! Enjoy time with your granddaughters and happy fairy land. Meri

After my last chalk paint project, I have to admit that I took a little break from chalk painting, despite the fact that at any given time there are probably about a hundred things in my house I'd like to chalk paint. Yesterday, I might have even been eyeing the guest bath vanity. Keep in mind that our house is only 1.5 years old so nothing is really in need of refinishing...yet. Someone please slap me. Anyway, I finally picked up my brush again a few days ago and refinished a piece that I have contemplated several times selling or sending to the curb with a sign that says "Take Me." It's one of those floater pieces that gets moved to nearly every room in the house but never quite seems to work anywhere. We had a teeny breakfast room in our last house, and it was a perfect fit there, but it just wasn't landing so well in our new house...that is until I tried it out in our guest room, and it totally worked! Yay! The only problem is that our guest room is light and airy, and the piece I'm talking about was black and heavy looking. Color-wise, it just wasn't a good fit for the space. My solution, chalk paint. It's one of the best ways I know to quickly and relatively easily give a whole new look to a piece of furniture. I'm by no means an expert on chalk painting, but I have learned a few things by doing it, so I thought I would share some of my tips with you today to help get you started, especially if this is something you've never done before. There are so many brands of chalk paint to choose from, but Annie Sloan is my favorite, so these tips have her paint in mind, but they should work for most brands of chalk paint. Okay, grab that cup of coffee. Here we go!

FLIP YOUR CAN. The very first thing I do when I get ready to paint is flip my can over for at least 30 minutes, then I give it a really good shake. This is actually one of Annie's tips, and I think it's a really good one. Annie Sloan paint is super thick so you want to make sure it's thoroughly mixed so it distributes evenly.

PREP. You're actually not supposed to have to prep your furniture piece before you paint, but in my opinion your finish will only look as good as your base. That being said I like to sand any rough spots (you DO NOT need to sand the entire piece, but if it's a shiny or slick surface I like to rough it up a little with a sanding block), fill in any holes or nicks (unless of course, you're wanting that kind of distressing), remove any sticky or greasy gunk, then clean the furniture piece with warm, soapy water, followed by a rinse of clear water to remove any soapy residue. Dry it up then you're ready to go!

BRUSHES. The brush that you choose is super important, as it will affect the way your paint goes on. Annie Sloan sells great brushes, but like many others chalk painters, my favorite brushes to use are the Purdy brand brushes. I purchase these at my local Sherwin Williams store, but I believe that Lowe's and Home Depot carry them as well, as does Amazon. Keep in mind that chalk paint does show brush strokes, which is part of it's charm, but that also means that you want to keep your brush strokes going in the same direction. It really helps if you're painting a wood piece because you can just follow the grain of the wood. When you're finished painting, you can clean your brushes with warm water and a mild soap.

ADD A LITTLE WATER. As mentioned above, Annie Sloan paint is quite thick, and it's meant to show brush strokes. I find that adding a little water to my paint makes the brush strokes a little less noticeable and makes the paint go further. If you're going to add water, I would recommend putting a little paint in another container and adding small amounts of water at a time until you have reached your desired consistency. Also, if you're painting from the can and the lid is left off for a good amount of time, the paint can thicken even more. In this case you can simply add a little water to the can and shake it up.

RE-COATING. I like to give all of my projects two coats of paint. Because most of the pieces I paint are going from a darker color to a lighter color, I find that I need that second coat for complete coverage. Make sure to let your paint dry completely between coats. In the past I've had problems with the paint cracking when I've been impatient and not allowed adequate drying time. The good thing is that this paint dries super fast, so you shouldn't have to wait long. Speaking of that, because of this I always do my chalk paint projects indoors or out of super warm temps and direct sunlight.

MY PAINT ISN'T STICKING. Every once in a while you may have a piece where the paint just doesn't want to adhere in places. Sometimes it's hard to know why this is the case, it could be something like the piece being cleaned with furniture polish or perhaps there is a sticky, waxy or greasy spot. The way I fix this is by using Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac. This stuff is really great at priming over whatever the it is that's keeping your paint from sticking. Just put it on, let it dry and keep on painting. If you're working on an entire piece and the paint isn't sticking, that may be a case where you have to sand down the piece completely. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often. I have heard people complain that chalk paint doesn't adhere well to Pottery Barn furniture. I've never tried to paint a PB piece, but it's something to keep in mind if you're considering it.

DISTRESSING. Distressing is probably my favorite part of chalk painting. While I've heard it advised to wait 24 hours and to add your clear wax before distressing, I pretty much get after it as soon as the paint is dry to the touch. The only difference I have found in not waxing beforehand is that there is a lot more dust, but hey, that's what vacuums are for. When distressing I use a fine grit sandpaper block, but you can actually also distress with a wet rag if you've only done one color and there is wood underneath. You can distress as much or as little as you like. It's best to think of where the piece might distress naturally, and use that as your guide. If distressing with sandpaper, when I'm finished I actually pull out my vacuum cleaner and my soft bristle brush attachment and run it lightly over the piece to remove any paint dust. I then follow up with a damp cloth. You want a clean furniture piece for waxing.

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