Painted Purple Pansy

 

Here is “Purple Pansy” with the painting done. It is ready for quilting, and I am getting excited. I love how the stitching makes the piece come alive, adding more color, detail and texture. I do not usually do thread sketching (stitching on the surface before I add the backing and batting) on small painted pieces like this. There is enough detail in the painting, and I try to use just enough thread to enhance, and not distract or cover what I have done with paint.

If you look at the original photo, you can see that I adapted the background somewhat. I did a blue sky at the top, because the stuff in the photo was too distracting. In the green leafy area at the bottom, I simplified the leaf shapes. I also used a little more lively green to set off the beautiful purples, blues and red-purples in the flower.

After I painted the leaves, the green color was too strong, so I used a wash of white paint mixed with “Base Extender.” The paints I am using a lot now, and loving, are PROfab Transparent Textile Paints by ProChemical & Dye. 

If you are new to painting on fabric, I suggest purchasing an inexpensive kit that includes small bottles, such as the PROfab Textile Paint Kit (SKU SINK1). It includes one-ounce bottles of red, yellow, blue, green, white and black, and a two-ounce bottle of base extender for $10.95 plus shipping/handling.

I have been trying lots of different brands of brushes, and will try to post in the future about my findings. It is a bit tricky to find the right brushes for painting on fabric. I like ones that are very stiff, and allow me to push the paint into the weave of the fabric, rather than brushing or flowing it on.