Folk Art and Decorative Painting

Folk Art Flowers

I found some paintings I did quite a while ago and put some together in a collage.

Background Colours

I do like black as a background for the folk art painting as I find that the colours almost jump off the page, they look so vibrant. Other background colours can also suit your decor but I always come back to black. 

Old Paintbrushes have a New Life

These little paintings are quick, easy, and simple. I have a favourite little brush, one of the first brushes I ever bought. It is a size 2 flat brush. The problem with flat brushes is that the paint tends to get stuck up near the ferrule, the metal bit that holds the hairs of the brush together and clamps the wooden handle to the hairs.

This little soft green handled brush had had such a workout that the hairs had become spread and kind of curled up at the edges. The size 2 brush is a very narrow brush and this little brush painted all the bushy parts of the painting on the left. I never throw out an old brush. It may no longer be useful for what it was originally intended but it can often be useful for other areas of a painting.

Balancing the Colours of your Painting

You will find your paintings will always look balanced if they have the three primary colours in them - red, yellow and blue. Pink is made from red and white, so for folk art or decorative painting, you can also say your painting will be balanced if it contains pink, blue and yellow. Pink flowers are more in abundance than red flowers.

Have fun painting these designs.