In today's blog post, we're excited to show you a little step-by-step about our painting process! We hand-paint all of our pendants and charms, and then seal with resin for an enamel effect. Let's get started!
Materials:
♦ A charm or pendant needing some color (any metal will do)♦ Vintaj Patinas (you can find these on our website at www.drygulch.com)
♦ Resin sealer (we use Ice Resin, found on our website at www.drygulch.com)
♦ Paintbrush
♦ Paper towel
♦ Cup of water
♦ Sanding block (optional, this creates a distressed look)
Step 1:
Step 2:
After we added the green to the body,we started to add red and orange for the throat. This was treated in the same fashion as Step 1; red, yellow and orange were loaded onto the brush so they could deposit in layers onto the throat.Step 3:
Next came the wings and tail base coats. We used the Bronze metallic Vintaj Patina with lots of water for a more watercolor-like wash over the wings. I also added some green and black. We just wanted a translucent feel to the wings, so the more water added to the paint the better for this effect.Step 4:
Now the fun part; details! Using white paint and a tiny brush, we added a white eyebrow, belly stripe and tail tips. A little black was added for the beak and eyes. Touch-ups were added with more green, yellow and metallic paints. There's so much color and detail to a humming bird, so working slowly in layers and adding water where a watercolor effect was wanted helps to build that illusion of detail.Step 5:
Now this is optional, but we love to distress our painted creations for that vintage look. Take a sanding block and lightly scratch at your hummingbird. The underlying metal will shine through the paint and bring forth that dash of vintage flair.That's it!
Your painted creation is complete! And dashing as ever, too. The final step is adding a sealer. This must be done because the Vintaj Patinas will flake off over time otherwise. There are several sealers on the market; like Ice Resin or Vintaj Patina Sealer Glaze. Now you have a bit of hand-painted flair ready to use in your jewelry designs!
