How to paint the illusion of lace is a challenge most watercolorists tackle at some point. When included in a painting, lace, because of its apparent complexity, draws the viewer’s attention. It is also nostalgic, conjuring up memories of a time when lace was a popular embellishment in clothing and home decorations. Painting lace looks very complicated, but understanding how to do it, makes it a project even artists new to the medium of watercolor can achieve successfully.
Steps
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Start by finding lace edged items. Look for examples of napkins, doilies, aprons, curtains or table decorations that have actual lace or crochet edging.
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2Set up a still life using a lace edged cloth prominently displayed. As the subject for the painting, use a vase, dish and/or flowers. Or, you could add a few pieces of fruit or colorful vegetables.Advertisement
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3Sketch the still life in pencil. Use 11” X 14” watercolor paper. Block in all the elements or objects, but for the lace, just indicate it as a strip along the border of the fabric. It will most likely have a fancy edge so make the outer edge scalloped or ornate.
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4Take a look at and appreciate a few of the many possible edgings. Crochet and lace have thousands of patterns of edging with varying degrees of showiness. Sketch trying to repeat the pattern as you go. Try to have it rise up and ripple in places.
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5Set up a palette of primary and secondary colors. Place the watercolor, tube paints around the edges of the palette, but leave the center empty for mixing.
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6Gather brushes, all purpose and watercolor types. Include pointed, round brushes of various sizes and a ½” flat.
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7Begin painting by indicating the shadows on the cloth or drape under the objects. Mix a neutral gray and paint the shadows on the drape, including the lace. These are places where the cloth is bunched or slightly raised or under the items. Forming raised areas simply makes it more pleasing to the eye. The soft shadows suggest lines to direct the viewer’s eye through the painting. Let this dry and ignore this preliminary work as you begin to paint.
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8Paint in whatever order pleases you. There is no right or wrong way to begin. Either you first do the objects in the still life or tackle the more complex lace border. Some might even paint the background first.
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9Doing lace is all about a technique called “negative painting.” This means you paint what isn’t there, the spaces around, rather than the filament or threads making up the lace. As you work, if you need it as a guide, draw greater detail on the lace. On close observation, you will see a pattern behind the lace, repeated shapes, circles, ovals, spaces between linked stitches.
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Start lace by painting the edging as it appears against the table. Defining the scalloped edge of the lace will give you parameters. The lace border or edging will emerge, almost magically, as you paint the surface it sits on.
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11Try to train your eye to look beyond the stitches that make up the lace. Leave the white paper representing the stitches and color in the negative shapes, or what lies behind the stitches. Use a neutral gray and a brush with a good point. Do the small dots and dashes around the treads that make up the lace. A strong lace pattern will emerge in a few minutes of painting. Establish a pattern and keep repeating it. Let it dry and move to the other part of the painting, the objects that comprise the still life.
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12Paint the objects by first giving them a base coat. Whatever you have chosen to put in your painting, vases, flowers, etc., establish the body color of these objects. Allow to dry.
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Work all over the page. Establishing and blocking in colors, you will avoid getting too detailed, too quickly. The lace edging will grab people’s attention and will be intricate. Keep that in mind as you paint the objects that make up the still life. When everything has been painted, let the piece dry and view it from a distance.
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14Check to see whether one side of each object is slightly darker in value to give the illusion of roundness. If ornamentation on objects’ surfaces makes sense and follows the contour of the object, whatever its shape. If each item is “grounded” with a light, gray, transparent shadow under it. If you have put shadows on and beneath the lace in places, too. This makes it lie down flat against the table. It also provides contrast by making parts of it appear brighter and in sharper focus.
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15Mat, frame and hang your work to enjoy.Advertisement
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Tips
- Mix your own grays from the colors you used in your painting. Those grays will have sparkle and coordinate well with the entire painting.Thanks
- Keep shadows sheer and transparent.Thanks
- For best results, do them in one pass. Don’t ever try to edit shadows.Thanks
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