Impasto Hydrangeas Painting

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Liquitex Basics Acrylic colors: Titanium White, Light Blue Permanent, Phthalocyanine Blue, Hookers Green Hue Permanent
• Liquitex Gloss Heavy Gel Medium
• 9"x 12" canvas (pre-primed)
• Palette knife - small rounded tip trowel shape
• Palette paper
• Paper or plastic to protect work surface (optional)
• Gloves (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Protect your work surface with paper or plastic (recommended) and assemble supplies & tools.
2. First, scoop out Gel Medium into 4 separate piles on the palette paper with the following quantities:
• Pile 1: 4 Tablespoons
• Pile 2: 2 Tablespoons
• Pile 3: 2 Tablespoons
• Pile 4: 2 Tablespoons
3. Second, add paint colors to above Gel Medium Piles per below and MIX:
4. Add to Gel Pile 1: 1 Tablespoon Titanium White = WHITE MIX
5. Add to Gel Pile 2: 1/2 Tablespoon Light Blue Permanent = LIGHT BLUE MIX
6. Add to Gel Pile 3: 1/2 Tablespoon Primary Red + pea sized dot Phthalo Blue = DEEP PURPLE MIX
7. Add to Gel Pile 4: Keep as is
8. Third, create 2 more piles of purples (per below) and MIX:
9. Pile 4: 1 Tablespoon of Gel Pile 4 + 1 Tablespoon DEEP PURPLE MIX = MEDIUM PURPLE MIX
10. Pile 5: Leftover 1 Tablespoon of Gel Pile 4 + 1/2 Tablespoon MEDIUM PURPLE MIX = LIGHT PURPLE MIX
11. You will now have 5 piles of color: WHITE, LIGHT BLUE, DEEP PURPLE, MEDIUM PURPLE & LIGHT PURPLE
12. In a pile by itself, squeeze out about 1 Tablespoon of the Hooker's Green Hue Permanent = GREEN COLOR
13. Using the palette knife, spread some of the WHITE MIX on to the canvas, focusing on the perimeter.
14. Dip the palette knife into the GREEN COLOR and make strokes on the canvas into the already applied WHITE MIX.
15. Keeping the greenery focused on the sides and bottom of the canvas, continue making strokes and layering with the palette knife, colors will blend and soften.
16. The center and upper area of the canvas will remain mostly white where the flowers will be created.
17. To begin the flowers, clean the knife and using the tip, dip it into the DEEP PURPLE MIX. Make dabs/dots on the canvas, in the areas where you would like your blooms to be, keeping to a circle shape.
18. Tip: Make the dabs closer together towards the bottom of the blooms and spaced further at the top to allow for the lighter colors to be layered.
19. Clean the knife again and dip it into the MEDIUM PURPLE MIX. Make dabs/dots on the canvas, in between and around the DEEP PURPLE dabs.
20. Tip: To achieve thicker dabs, load the palette knife with more paint.
21. Clean the knife again and dip it into the LIGHT BLUE MIX. Make dabs/dots on the canvas in between and around the first two PURPLE colors. This color acts as one of the highlights, so keep the dabs towards the top of the blooms.
22. Clean the knife again and dip it into the LIGHT PURPLE MIX. Make a few dabs/dots on top of the other colors as an accent.
23. Tip: During the process, "holes" can be layered and filled in with any of the colors as needed until a pleasing array of colors is achieved in the bloom petals.
24. To add a brighter highlight, some of the remaining WHITE MIX can be dabbed toward the top of the blooms.
25. Once the blooms are completed, dip the clean palette knife edge into the GREEN COLOR. Use the side of the knife to drag the green downwards from the bottom of the bloom to create the stems.
Tip: Errors with the green can be "erased" by adding extra WHITE MIX on top.

JOANN HACKS:

• The gel medium in this painting keeps the paint wet for longer, making it easy to adjust along the way.