Well, it has definitely been more than a few days. Time sure
goes by faster these days. You know, life is like a roll of
toilet paper! The closer it gets to the end the faster it goes.
Anyway, let's finish this canvas. Let me share with you
this trompe l'oeil (to fool the eye) technique.
Measure in about 2" and applied painters tape. Leave
1/2" and apply another row of tape. In the upper right
corner you will see a little piece of tape at a 45% angle.
Top and left side is deep gray. Note the miter corner.
Right side and part of the bottom is white or pale
gray. This would indicate the the light source is
on the left.
The white or light gray will touch the edge of the scroll
design. I transferred the design onto the canvas using
graphite paper (not shown).
I photographed this great piece of scroll work on
an old building in Mineral Wells. You can see the
light is on the left side of the raised areas.
Side load your brush with light gray. Apply to light areas.
Again using a side loaded brush, use dark gray to add
shadows. Go easy!!! You can always add more but
it can be frustrating to try to lift color that is too dark.
Also, This is IMPORTANT. The paint needs to be thin
and a bit transparent so the texture of the base will show
through. Now you can add text or just about
anything you want to.
Hope you enjoy this project!
