Creating the One Stroke Way - Day 13

Remember this cute little guy from the other day? Read on, and you, too can have him popping up all over the place.

To begin, load your brush (I used a 3/4" flat brush) with plenty of green paint and a bit of yellow. Then stroke a rainbow-shaped curve, creating the top arch of the frog's head.

Fill in the arch, restroking to blend the colors, making a half-circle.

To make the eyes, I used a #12 flat brush, loaded with the same green and yellow, and painted 2 half circles to create a 'bulging' effect for the eyes.

For the whites of the eyes, did the point end (not the bristle end) of the larger paint brush into white paint and daub a nice-sized circle in the appropriate spots.

 You'll need to let these spots dry before adding more detail to the eyes.

 Let's give our happy little guy some pink cheeks with a little 'scruffy' brush -- a little bit of flesh and white paint (doesn't take much!), pounced on the picture, leaving a dry-brushed effect. 

 Now he needs a friendly smile - this is accomplished with a script liner brush that has been swirled into a puddle of black paint. Adding some water to the paint helps the script-liner brush flow more evenly and smoothly.

While waiting for the eyes to dry, we need to give our little fellow a puddle to play in. Take up the 3/4" brush. If you haven't already, on a paper towel wipe off any excess paint from earlier. No need to wash it, though. Just go ahead and double load that same brush with blue and white.

Beginning on the side of one cheek, pull brush around in a semi-circular motion, pick up more paint and do the same from the other side, pick up more paint and fill in the blank spaces. 

Add caption

With the handle-end of a paintbrush add a black dot to each eyeball. With the liner brush, or the chisel-edge of your paintbrush, you can also add the puddle-swirls for extra detailing. Cute little guy, isn't he?

While I was busy working out this step-by-step tutorial, look-see who else was busy painting her little heart out. 

 Lil' Miss Bekah has been watching her Mama, and followed right along - all by herself! She wants everyone to know it really is not difficult, all you have to do is try!


You can see a listing of all the posts in this series by clicking here.


If you'd like to know more about the One Stroke Painting method created by Donna Dewberry, or if you are interested in her workshops, instruction books or other products, you can check her website at http://www.dewberrycrafts.com/

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