WW: Popcorn and Bees {Linky}

I just finished a piece of artwork. I actually had two projects going on at once. Now it's time to say goodbye to one because it's finished! 

It's about the decline in bees right now. That's the reason they are wearing gas masks.

A Few Details: 

The bees took forever. I look at them, and still see things I could do. Materials: Yellow Paper, Colored Pencil Filings, Cut String, Vinyl for their masks masks, Acetate and Tracing Paper for the wings, Felt for the pollen.

For the steam of the sunflower I used popcorn stalks. We grew popcorn, so why not use them in a painting? The yellow stuff on the sides of the steam is dried corn silk. I dry brushed yellow on it. There is some build up of molding paste to get some textures.

I tried another thing new with this painting. I wanted to hint at more in the background, but didn't want paint anything back there. Dripping paint right on the canvas didn't give me enough control. I dripped paint on an old picture, let it dry, and scraped it up with a razor blade to glue down. That's how I got the yellow "blobs".

Bees: We actually have some flying around our house right now. Isaak is a true bee charmer. He love to pet them. He hasn't been stung petting them yet. 

They are so busy I got some close-ups of them. 

I also spotted an empty wasp nest on a walk. I gave it to Isaak to add to his nature collection.

We grew Popcorn. We grew Sweet Corn before, but this is our first year growing Popcorn. To be true Nebraskan's we have to grow corn right?

The boys just picked it off. Travis tried popping an ear, but it wasn't dry enough. I hope we get the popping down. It will be nice to have some popcorn. We're still newbies at that.

CubeCraft 11-Piece Detail Paint Brush Set Review

I started a painting awhile ago, then it got put on hold, and now I'm painting on it again.

CubeCraft 11-Piece Detail Paint Brush Set is what I'm using to paint with. Their brushes are A*M*A*Z*I*N*G. 

They just stay shaped really well, and not one bristle became loose. I hate when I'm painting away, and a bristle is stuck in the paint.

The set comes in a sturdy box. I love this for going to paint on location. It makes it easy to wrap if it's going to be a gift to.

The brushes simply slide out the bottom of the box.

The tips all came with protectors. That's not always something I see on brushes. I can tell CubeCraft cares about maintaining the quality of their product. I'm not always the best about putting the tips back on when I'm finished. I do however keep my brushes clean, and shape them back up with my fingers to maintain a good point. 

Cleaning Your Brushes:

• Always wipe your brush on a plain rag (one you don't care about), or paper towel to get all the paint out before cleaning it. This is less hard on the drain. 

• If you are using a water based paint then rinse it with water. If you are using a oil based paint then rinse it with mineral spirits, or turpentine. I use a product called Gamsol. It's allergy safe.

• There are brush cleaners that you can buy at any craft or art supply place. Read the instructions because some have you leave the cleaner in your brush because it's a conditioner. 

• A mild soap works well to clean with to.

• Always clean your brush until all the color is out of it. 

• Reshape the brush when you are done.

• Dry your paintbrush flat. If you dry it standing up, the water seeps into the brush breaking up the glue, which the bristles will come up eventually.  

These brushes are fairly small for detailed work.

They can be used for any media:

• Watercolors
• Pen and Ink
• Acrylics
• Oils 

They are also separated in the packaging.

I'm working on a painting of the back side of a sunflower. You can see my reference right there. I haven't started paining the actual flower part yet. The steam was painted with something I've never painted with before. It's painted on corn husk. I used the matte medium to adhere the husk to the canvas, and painted on top. I'm still not done, but it's getting there. 

I'm going to use tissue paper to paint on the petals. *Note that colored tissue paper is not light safe. I'll use white, and color it with acrylics.

I have the underpainting done of the steam, but will be going in to touch up lights and darks. Before I do that I'll start in with the underpainting of the flower petals first.

Above the flower will be a honey bee with a gas mask on. The piece is about the mass decline in the bee population.

The brushes worked great. I'll be using them more and more with the detail work. 

Cost:

$19.95 on Amazon. 

Do you like to paint?

Disclaimer: I received CubeCraft 11-Piece Detail Paint Brush Set for a discount in exchange for an honest review.