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2.06.2023

painted 'heart art'

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Valentine's Day is almost upon us...
 i had a 'Valentine' project idea, and started on it... then stopped. 
it just wasn't going the way i wanted. 
after taking a break and surfing Instagram, i had a NEW idea!

(do you have any idea how MANY 'ideas' never make it to the blog?!!!
creating is a process - and sometimes, that process doesn't work as planned!)

the original project plan became THIS and i'm much happier with the results.
i owe that to two other people - continue reading to find out why!

it's not hard to paint a heart onto a block of wood. 
the detail comes in what STYLE of heart you choose to paint.
Valentine's Day,winter,tutorial,painting,inspiration,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,seasonal,winter home decor, Valentine's Day decor,hearts,heart decor,inspired by art,painted hearts.Valentine's Day,winter,tutorial,painting,inspiration,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,seasonal,winter home decor, Valentine's Day decor,hearts,heart decor,inspired by art,painted hearts.
my original idea was to paint a simple gold heart, with the effect of faux 'gold leaf'.
when THAT didn't work out, i stepped away and waited for my muses to speak...
after a few minutes browsing on Instagram, they were speaking loud and clear!

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i have a bin filled with wood squares -
left over from manufacturing my 'giant letter tiles' FIFTEEN years ago.
several of them are larger - two inches thick instead of the regular 1/2" thick.

i painted one of them white, and grabbed a few other supplies:
paint pens, alcohol ink pens, and some craft paints & brushes.
i also needed a piece of scrap paper and some scissors. 
Valentine's Day,winter,tutorial,painting,inspiration,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,seasonal,winter home decor, Valentine's Day decor,hearts,heart decor,inspired by art,painted hearts.
top row:
cut a heart shape out of scrap paper, lay it on top of the wood block, 
and lightly paint over the edges of the heart onto the wood with gold metallic paint.

second row:
using the paint pens and alcohol ink markers, fill in spots in the heart randomly - 
random shapes and random placement of colors.

 use the craft paints to continue filling in the spaces in the heart.
i let some of the paint go on thicker, to add more texture to the piece.

third row:
let the paint dry, then use thick white paint
to touch up the white 'margin' between the yellow heart and the gold edge.
this will clean up the appearance of the piece.

fourth row:
go back in with the paint pens to add some details to a few areas -
i added darker mustard lines and lighter yellow dots to some,
along with a few very tiny details with a gold paint pen (including my signature).

tiny white dots were added with the thick white paint on a tiny brush.
use the same paint & brush to add separations between each color section - 
the final effect is a lot like a ceramic mosaic.

finally, lightly brush random strokes of metallic gold paint on the edges of the wood block.

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a close-up shows the small details on some of the color segments.

want another idea?
forget the paint - use paper scraps + glue, and create a heart collage!

you could also easily add a Valentine message via paint or stickers:
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now, i need to give credit where credit is due:
this project was inspired by several artists whom i follow on Instagram...
their style and color sense always makes me smile
when they show up on my feed!

the random 'shapes' of paint inside the heart and the gold outline
reflect the way artist Stacy Spangler's painted hearts look:
painted heart art
 
the mosaic-like effect & texture bring to mind the architectural style details
that artist Leah Nadeau includes in her energetic contemporary paintings:
painted art
(Leah told me that she gets inspired by looking out of airplane windows
and then interprets what she sees into these abstract shapes!
i just love the way artists see the world...)

combining these talented artist's perspectives with my own
made this heart much better than it started out in my imagination...
i hope that the projects and ideas that i share here on the blog
inspire you as much as other artists / creators inspire me!


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