Christmas tree 2022 – 8 x 8 inch watercolor
Let the wonder and warmth of Christmas shine!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year!
Patty Anne ❤️
Merry Merry Christmas!
Tag: holiday
Cute holiday gift tags
I made some holiday gift tags recently and thought it would be fun to show you how it worked out. They are so easy to make and lots of fun.
My Supplies
Mixed media paper
Tombow watercolor markers
Micron pen
Scissors
I selected some bright colors from my stash of dual tip Tombow markers for some pretty lights.
In my mixed media sketchbook I used a pen to make squiggly lines for a string of lights. Then I started adding small lights randomly placed on the strings.
Here is a view after adding more lights in different colors. The shapes aren’t perfect but that’s ok.
I added a little base to each light. That little detail really makes a difference. Here’s a view after I cut the page in half.
I trimmed each section into smaller rectangles and then snipped the corners of each tag. They turned out pretty cute. 😊
I was inspired by theshabbycreekcottage on Instagram. She painted the lights with watercolor using a small brush. I thought it would be fun to try using my markers for this instead. I love how they turned out.
I hope you are doing well and having fun. Thank you for all of your kindness and support. Until next time, share a smile and shine on!
💚 Patty Anne
Updating a Winter Cardinal
While sorting through some paintings I came across a Cardinal that I painted three years ago. I liked the painting but something just wasn’t right so I never posted it. Today I’ll share with you how the update turned out.
Happy Sunday! 💚
This was the painting from 2018 before I made any updates.
Where I decided to make a few changes:
-the far side of the head should have a partial view of the other eye
-cleaning up the claws a little and maybe adding one that I noticed was missing
– a few darker areas on the tail and body
– bumping up some of the red color
9 x 12 inch Winter Cardinal – after the update
Rounding out the far side of the head and making the hidden eye slightly visible was exactly what this painting needed. That little change alone made a big difference. Now I can finally say this one is finished and I really like it. 🙂
I will be taking a blogging break for a few weeks and returning after the new year. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and making new cherished memories.
Wishing you peace and joy this holiday season,
Patty Anne
Making watercolor gift tags
I have a fun watercolor project to share with you today, watercolor gift tags! Handmade gift tags make the perfect addition to any gift.
Hope you are having a wonderful day! 💚
It all starts with a simple design and very small painting. Below I have a few examples.
I divide up the watercolor paper using a pencil and ruler. Then paint some simple designs making sure to leave room at the top and bottom for some lettering.
After the mini paintings dried, I added a little ink detail to each of them using a gold and white pen. I thought the tags with leaves would look better if the leaves were outlined so I used a pen with a very small tip and gave that a try.
Adding lettering is always difficult for me. I decided to use some tape as a guide to help me keep the lettering straight. With a pencil I lightly added the message and then used my gold pen to trace over it. Later I gently erased any pencil marks left behind.
I used a hole punch and added some rustic string to finish them off. A pretty ribbon would look nice too. On a couple of them I got a little fancy and changed the shape of the tag at the top with a little snip of the scissors. I really like how they turned out.
There’s so much you can do with these little tags. I hope you have fun and get creative. I can’t want to use my tags on gifts for loved ones.
I hope you are inspired to create art and have fun. If you make some gift tags, please share with me on Instagram, @pattyanneart. I would love to see your designs.
Until next time, share a smile and shine on!
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
Making Ornaments for Christmas
I’ve been having fun making ornaments and thought you might like to see my process.
Hope you have a wonderful day! 💚
I painted some holiday greenery for this project but you could use any painting for this. I may paint a few little birds next time…and I’m getting excited just thinking about it.
Last year I purchased a bunch of wood slice ornaments for some craft projects. I decided for this project to glue a small part of my painting to the wood. The watercolor paper was rather thick so I ended up using both double sided tape and Elmer’s glue to attach it.
Using my circle template I found a nice area of the painting to cut out for each ornament.
After attaching the painting to the wood ornament, I weighed it down with a couple heavy books for a few hours.
I just love these rustic ornaments, yay! 😊
The pretty green bow adds a sweet touch. I think they will make a nice gift.
I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Until next time, share a smile and shine on.
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
Holiday wishes
Wishing you Joy, Peace, and Love this holiday season. ❤️
My little holiday bird all cozy and warm in his hat and scarf!
Joyful Daisies…
Peaceful Lakeside view…
and a Lovely Coffee Bird
Thank you for joining me on this creative journey. I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.
Warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday!
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
Painting Cards for Christmas
This year I decided to paint a few simple cards for Christmas. I thought it would be fun to share my process with you today.
Hope your day is wonderful! 💚
I started out by folding a 6 x 9 inch piece of bee watercolor paper in half.
Next step was taping off a tree shape with washi tape. I like that the washi tape comes off easily and does not harm the paper.
Using a small round brush I painted a few swipes of clean water across the paper at an angle. Then after dipping my brush in pigment, I lightly painted back and forth down the tree. I left some unpainted areas and like how it adds to the overall design.
Then just peel off the tape and you have a lovely tree.
You can mix it up and use different colors too. That would be a lot of fun.
I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.
Until next time, share a smile and shine on!
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
Christmas Card Collage
I decided to switch things up and try something new. I recently enrolled in a Skillshare class on Collage Art, Collage & Go. For the class project, I thought it would be fun to use some Christmas cards and scrapbook paper that I had on hand.
Happy Sunday, friends! 💚
I cut out some circle shapes and then cut the circles in half.
After arranging the half circles in rows, I simply glued them down using a glue stick.
Wishing you Peace
After adding a few more small pieces, it was time for a little detail. I cut out the word Peace for the top and added a few ink doodles.
I had a lot of fun putting this collage together and just love all of the little birds. When I finished I noticed the words on the page, Wishing you Peace. I just love that!
I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.
Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
‘Tis the Season
It’s that time of year and I’ve been having fun decorating and painting holiday pines.
Happy Thursday, friends! ❤️
I painted this pine branch using a flat 1/2″ brush. For the background I used the wet on wet technique. I dropped in blues and greens (similar to the branch) on to wet areas of the paper. I love the interesting patterns that this technique creates.
and now a cute little Christmas birdie…
This little guy just makes me smile with his cozy hat and scarf. 😀
Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year.
I will be taking a little blogging break until after the new year.
Until next time, share a smile and shine on!
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
Holiday lights watercolor
I’ve been busy getting ready for the holidays. Yesterday we started decorating and hanging lights at my house. I love all of the beautiful lights everywhere this time of year.
Happy Sunday, friends! ❤️
Last week I painted some holiday lights. After the watercolor dried, I used a pen for some outlining and a little detail.
I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.
Until next time, share a smile and shine on!
🌸 Patty Anne 🌸
Patty Anne - Art 