Girl Friend!! You are so quick! Boy when you say you are gonna paint something you just go for it. Me, I have to talk about it for a month before I get around to doing it. ha And it looks so good too. I love the white on the red! So what parts were giving you bumps, cause it turned out great? And I don't think that's the kind o alcohol ya wanna go sippin on even though I've had some of those kinds of projects in the past myself! ha I like your added touch of the pick up by the handle. You always do such a great job of things. Be proud and go do a few other things if you have to cause you do well with those too (we enjoy all your projects), but don't forget us. You can always come chat with us and come paint with us again when you are ready!! ü ~Anj

He looks wonderful!! I don't see anything that you could improve upon. I think this would be beautiful on a foyer table, opened with presents stacked inside. That way you would have a wonderful look from the front and be totally awesome from the back. Great job.

Oddie, Forget about the alcohol, I think maybe you've been getting into the "Jet fuel" or something. OMG! How do you do things so fast? I just mentally picture you like some little hummingbird zooming from one project to the next! LOL

And when you're stressed, you go do another project! Not me! I'd be veggin out in front of the boob tube for an hour to relax. Probably why I'm not tiny like a "hummingbird". LOL

Okay you asked, so here's my handy dandy quick quide to shading. You just put a darker "shade" where ever something would normally have a "shadow". That's it! Nothing complicated or hard.

Just pretend the light is coming from the right side so you need to shade the areas that would be on the left or behind something that blocks the light.

The gal who taught my beginner classes liked to ask us to pick three shades of the same color. Example: dark blue, med. blue, and light blue. Then she would have us base with the medium color, shade with the dark color and highlight with the lightest one. I don't really do that anymore, but I do select a darker color for shading and usually just use white to highlight.

When you are all rested, you might want to just go back and take an angle or flat brush, dampen and blot it and put just a dab of paint on the one side then brush it back and forth a couple of times. (You can even pull the edge with no paint through your fingers if you want it a bit drier) Now just start where you think there should be a "shadow", like maybe under the right edge of the green scarf, and pull the tip of the brush smoothly along the edge of the scarf on the snowman. (You can always use a damp brush to take away some or you can go back over an area if you want to add more.) Now just stand back and take a look--you now have "depth" to your painting because the shading makes the rest look like it "stands out" more. Does that make any sense? An example of some of the places you could do this would be along the left edge and bottom of the house with some dark blue, and under the hand and house on the snowman with some soft brown or even blue. I think I'm already seeing some shading on the scarf.

I love the way the white shows up on that red suitcase. That was such a good find and just seems perfect for a Christmas design. Did you not want the moon and stars to be gold? I love that saying too, and your lettering looks really good. (Lettering is what I really struggle with.)

Sure hope you get into that craft show. I just know customers will love your painted items and other cute crafts. ;o)

Luvs

Thank you! He didnt turn out to bad, but wasnt as easy as the frist one, atleast to make it look okay, I did hand draw it or maybe you call it hand painting because I had only the picture to look at, I wont forget you here, just need to take a break from painting for now and get a few crafts done up for christmas, I will be back!
painting fool love that idea you have, this one is deeper then the other and still had a key!
Thanks agine
oddie

Luvs thank you! we must have been posting at the same time, didnt see yours till I loged back on, I didnt get a very good photo doesnt show everything to good, I did try shadeing in a few areas,might try doing some more, you do make sense when you explane shadeing,but I do better if I was watching someone, I will keep trying and am saveing all the info you are giveing me, I did paint the stars gold frist but couldnt get them painted right with a brush, so I got my paintpen and didnt have gold so they are white stars and still didnt turn out to good I would mess up and had to keep makeing them bigger, lettering wasnt to hard, because nothing had to be real stright, the frist word wasnt right had it curved to much, and paintpens dont come off easy
Hubby would tell you how I get finished so fast LOL! I dont get much of anything else done when I have something I am working on, just cant stop sometimes! he does atleast get supper!
hey you were right about one thing I am little, almost 5 feet tall LOL!
oddie

I love it,and think you did a wonderful job with it.looks great on the red also.
Kathi

Never thought to use paint pens for lettering. Might have to give that a try!

(hey you were right about one thing I am little, almost 5 feet tall LOL!)

You mean I found someone I'm taller than????ha I'm only 5'2" and that's stretching it. ha I'm shorter than everyone I know. Even my 13 yr old is almost topping me.

(Hubby would tell you how I get finished so fast LOL! I dont get much of anything else done when I have something I am working on, just cant stop sometimes! he does atleast get supper!)

That's why I LOVE my crockpot!! Throw everything in in the morning and don't think about it again until suppertime!! ha
~Anj

ODIE - ODIE- ODIE- ODIE - ODIE - Odie...ODIE......
MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS......
You are truly amazing !!!! that is just soooooo adorable !!!
Thank you so much for being so kind to show us your work
You are soooooooo fantastic !!!
* * * * * *Happy * * * * **Holidays** * * * * *!!!!
Thanks for sharing and being such an inspiration to me!
God Bless You and your family !
susiesunshine

Thank you! anjabee, try the paint pens I love them! they just dont come off easy if you need to fix something, but great for lettering! in my family you would be tall, Iam the talest of four sisters and my mother also!all three of my kids were taller them me in grade school.
Luvs I didnt make it in the craft show, but did go to it, mostly bake stuff and they auction off decorated trees for the high school band, that supports the sale, saw some real cute lite bulbs painted up real nice, avon and marykay stuff, not much crafted iteams, might try for next year thoe!
Thank you susiesunshine and kathi glad you liked it, gosh susisunshine dont know if I can live up to all that praise but thank you!
oddie

Oddie, that sure was their loss not having you in the craft show. Bet your table would have been swarmed with customers because your bedspring snowmen, your little angels and your suitcases would have been "new" to all of them.

You should see if you can sign up now for next year's show--then you can just make things all year for it. Nice to have plenty of time to get things ready with no pressure.

Oddie, have you ever tried painting on metal? I actually like painting on it and things come out so cute. Anj is going to be doing a bucket soon. I've done one of those small galvanized trash cans, a watering can, and then the little tub I rescued from my neighbors trash, painted and gave back to her. Just an idea for something you might enjoy trying too. Whatever you do, have fun, your things always come out so cute.

Luvs

Thanks luvs,Iam always a day late, never think to try till its to late,my dd inlaws are always looking for gifts for there secerst sisters at church, so might get rid of a few things.
I have painted on a metal bucket but cant remenber what! isnt that aufull, seems it was something fall, I do remenber the tub you painted for your neighboor and that it was beautiful! and such a nice thing for you to do!
I have a small door that I would like to try something on and I will be posting a photo of a old picnic basket I made up with a candle lite and flowers, take a look in the craft fourm if you like!
you and anj will have to show me your projects when done, yard sales are just about over here and dont have anything metal, but I am sure you two will give me plenty of inspiration!
oddie