Mural Painting: Puppy Love

Mural Painting: Puppy Love

Joy, happiness, unconditional love, and a huge welcome home at the end of your day that’s what owning a dog brings to your life. No matter what kind of day you’ve had or how much stress life brings your way a puppies bounce and tail wagging swipes away everything and puts your heart at rest. If you’ve never owned a dog, just take a look at this “anti-depressant “ clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIevW9HsH-8

 It’s no wonder that many of the clients I’ve painted for own these bouncing balls of love. Sometimes they’re just curious as I paint and investigate my paints and brushes. Sometimes they want to “help” and more than a few have grabbed one of my paint brushes or sponges in the hopes of a game of tug-and-war. Recently I got to meet a large “herd” of dogs and was asked to paint the dogs into an already existing mural. Now the owners 3 Golden Retrievers and 1 Golden Doodle grace the guest bathroom mural.  (note: the original mural existed in their purchased model home and was unsigned)

Close -up views:

Before painting the dogs images into the mural I did a "rehearsal" painting :

A few more dogs I’ve had the joy of drawing over the years:

If you're a cat lover, don't fret! I'll be blogging about cat paintings soon !

To have your dog (or cat) painted and sketched contact Swan Studios Inc http://www.swanstudio.net/

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Mural Painting: Brought to You by the Letter “V’

Mural Painting: Brought to You by the Letter “V’

In 1969 creators Joan Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett brought to the world a new show with a theme song that some point you’ve seen, heard, or sang along and now know you’re way to “Sesame Street”. https://www.youtube.com/user/SesameStreet  “Sesame Street “ quickly became a favorite childhood teaching comedy show with Jim Henson’s loveable Muppet characters like Big Bird, Elmo, the Count, and Cookie Monster. They showed us the value of friendship, bridged cultural gaps, taught us how to count, and taught us the alphabet. In that cherished memory, today’s art blog is being sponsored by the letter “V’. 

I was recently asked to create a stylized letter of the client’s last name for their master bedroom and to incorporate the tropical theme that flows through their home. The stylized letter was originally drawn on paper and processed through a computer photo program. The program allowed the sketch to be color changed to bright hues and was then printed out on to a transparency. Because the wall color was a dark green it was necessary to have colors that could be seen when projected onto the wall. A white sketch pencil allowed the logo to be easily seen when drawn on to the wall.  The finished project was created with metallic in deep copper, golds, and pewters.

In the faux and mural art world, one of the finest finishes also starts with the letter V: Venetian Plaster. Venetian plaster finishes range from highly polished plaster to more rustic textured plasters. The plaster is troweled on in layers and the layers burnished to the desired level of polish. The plaster itself consists of slaked lime, marble dust, and/or marble chips and is often top coated with a protective layer of wax. Each manufacturer claims they have the best and finest ingredients so I decided to put several through my own test. Here are my favorites so far:

From Stucco Italiano Inc http://www.stuccoitalianoinc.com/

Carrara in neutral tint without top-coating:

Carrara in neutral tint with a beeswax top-coating:

Classic Stucco Italiano tinted black:

From Faux Effects http://www.fauxeffects.com/index.aspx

Venetian Gem in Topaz:

With clear Venetian topcoat:

With high gloss outdoor topcoat:

Venetian plaster in Pelle by Valspar: http://www.valsparpaint.com/en/find-the-right-product/interior/decorative-paints/faux-venetian-plaster.html

 Low polish

In--- high polish

Some of my favorite murals I’ve painted are also sponsored by the letter “V”---for Venice!

To have your own Initial logo created or for specialty finishes and murals contact Swan Studios Inc http://www.swanstudio.net/

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