Extend Your Artistic Talent with Folk Art and Painting

Folk Art, Tole Painting

This method of painting is a great method to learn when you want to paint but don't think you can. In Folk Art Painting or Tole Painting students are helped little by little to learn to paint. It is the basics of painting. You learn

• how to hold your brush
• which paint to use
• which colours go together
• background colours
• design
• control of the brush

Folk art flowers, also called Tole painting or Decorative painting

When a student becomes proficient they can progress to more complicated pieces. 

An array of painted folk art or Tole items

Bavarian folk art painting originated in the country villages of Europe. Painters would go from village to village decorating houses and furniture for the poorer people. The designs were very simple. 

Here are some simple designs I painted to decorate my chicken shed.

Hen and Rooster on wooden plaque

Eggs on a wooden plaque

 

Watercolour Painting

When a painter feels ready for more adventure they can try watercolour paints. Subject matter is vast. Painters can paint simple things at first then move onto more complicated studies. 

Watercolour painting on paper

Computer Programs and Art

Another thing I like to do is combine my paintings with the use of computer programs. www.picmonkey.com is a useful, simple program to use. 

Four separates paintings combines digitally

Printmaking

If you really get the artistic bug you can try some printmaking. This is a different form of art that you do not use a paintbrush to make. It can be made from lino, stamping, using copper or aluminium plates, solar plates or plates made from gelatine.

Printmaking on a gelatine plate

Computational Art

Prints can be enhanced with computer programs. Save your print to your computer then enhance it with a computer program, for example Photoshop, GIMP or Picmonkey.

 Using the computer you overlay one print over another and frame it digitally.

Overlay and frame your print

 So you can see there are plenty of ways to extend your skills and you pick up a paintbrush for the first time. 
Enjoy