Welcome to Your Mini Sample Lesson
I have created this sample lesson to give you a feel for what you will learn as part of my Paint Art That Sells program and to teach you some interesting techniques you can use with your watercolors and inks.
This lesson uses a very loose style of painting inspired by Lilly Pulitzer. The label is known for its playful, vivacious and vibrant prints that are reminiscent of a coastal, resort lifestyle.
I decided to use Lilly Pulitzer as an example to demonstrate how even simple styles of artwork can be turned into a very lucrative business. The company has created an empire from their prints. With practice you can develop your own unique style that people can recognize you for.
I want to show you that you don't have to be an amazing artist to create this style of artwork. Once you know how to let go, loosen up and simply go with the flow you will be surprised with how you can let your inhibitions go and just have fun!
Everything is possible with sunshine and a little pink........
Lilly Pulitzer
A brief history of the icon that is Lilly Pulitizer...
Lilly Pulitzer
If you are not familiar with the brand Lilly Pulitzer, let me fill you in...
The iconic brand Lilly Pulitzer was founded by its name sake in the early 60's in the beautiful coastal town of Palm beach in Florida. Soon after Lilly moved to Palm Beach she opened up a juice bar.
The job was a lot messier than Lilly expected and she needed to find a way to camouflage the juice stains. Most people's solution would be to buy an apron...
But not Lilly!
Lilly designed a sleeveless shift dress made of bright, colorful printed cottons and these dresses tenderly named "Lillys" became her uniform at the juice bar. Lilly's new "uniform" created quite a stir in the small community as they were a stark contrast to the Palm Beach color scheme of navy, red and white.
Her customers all wanted one for their wardrobe so she started to sell them at the juice bar. Eventually, she was selling more dresses than she was juice so she decided to focus on what clearly was a wanted product. So she closed the juice store and built an empire.
The Princess of Prints....
Lilly Pulitzer has become identifiable by their prints more so than the designs they are printed on. Their prints are playful, vivacious and bold and you can't help but feel happy.
Every Lilly Pulitzer print is hand painted in their studio by their team of in-house print designers. The prints are inspired by the colors and scenery of beautiful tropical locations - luscious greenery, tropical birds, underwater sea life - all using a kaleidoscope of colors.
Most of Lilly Pulitzer's prints are created using watercolors and inks. These mediums lend themselves to the loose flowing style that is identifiable as a Lilly Pulitzer, which we will explore in the lesson below.
Not only does Lilly Pulitzer have a great brand but the company also has a dedicated following on social media platforms. The company has developed a lifestyle around their product. They also have many followers creating their own YouTube channels and social pages dedicated to the brand and all that is Lilly Pulitzer.
The power of social media is amazing and can do wonderful things for business. Therefore, in my program I will show you the steps to build not only a following on social media but a loyal raving fan base that can generate repeat sales for your artworks and products.
Would you like to learn how you can easily turn your artworks into multiple products - just like Lilly Pulitzer?
How to Paint a 'Lilly Pulitzer'
Inspired Painting in Watercolor
One of my favorite techniques for getting quick, easy results to use in product design is Watercolor & Inks. Why? Because they can be so unpredictable! There is a surprise in every brushstroke. You can achieve such happy, free-flowing artworks that look great on everything from beach bags to home decor.
In this mini lesson I will take you step-by-step through all the fun of this very loose style so that you can create your own loose watercolor artwork in a similar style to that of Lilly Pulitzer.
Get started now and discover the unexpected.
There are no rules and no expectations............only to have FUN!
In This Lesson:
Activity 1: Flamingo Fun
First, warm up and get a feel for your paints before downloading my Fabulous Flamingo template to try out some great brush techniques.
Activity 2: Fantastic Florals
Next, you can never have enough floral prints! Watch me as I create this one, then enjoy discovering your own flower fun.
Materials
Activity 1:
Flamingo Fun
STEP 1
Get to Know Your Paints & Brushes
It's a good idea to break the ice, warm up and get comfortable with your medium before you start to paint. So start with this activity to get to know your paints and brushes first, before we start on the flamingo.
On a scrap of watercolor paper:
a) Place 2 different colors side by side, then blend together with water. Watch what happens.
b) Dampen your page with clean wet brush, then drop some colors into the damp area. Notice how the color spreads and lightens.
c) Drop a ‘puddle’ of clean water onto your page. Then drop a few different colors into the puddle and watch how they mix and move. You might have to wait a while til they dry.
STEP 3
Wet-on-Wet Technique for the Neck
Wet the area inside the Flamingo’s neck with clean water, then drop in your beautiful pink colors where you want to add color. Make sure you leave some white areas to add light and life to your painting.
STEP 4
Experiment with Brush Strokes
Now finish the body of the flamingo with some feathery brush strokes. Vary the amount of water you use to get lighter and darker shades. Don’t forget the legs and feet. Add a little more color to show the knee joints and foot.
STEP 5
Add a Splash or Two
Load your brush with paint then tap it to add splatter droplets of color. Add a second color and see what happens. You can also use an old toothbrush to get this splatter effect. Notice how these splatters add life and energy to your painting. Perhaps the Flamingo has just landed or is shaking the water off her feathers.
STEP 6
Use a Sharpie To Add Detail
Use a black sharpie to add finer details to the flamingo. Outline and color in the beak. Don't forget to leave a white streak on the beak to show the shine. Then complete the eye to bring your flamingo to life.
STEP 6
Add a Watery Marsh
To finish off use a blue or green wash to add a watery marsh at the bottom of your page.
Activity 2:
Fantastic Florals
Watch the video below to learn how to create a fantastic floral print. The key steps are also outlined below for your reference.
STEP 1
Loosely Draw Your Design
On 300gsm watercolor paper (the paper needs be strong enough to handle the water) lightly draw out your design idea using watercolor pencils. Watercolor pencils are great to use because they will disappear when activated with water, leaving your colors and brushwork clean and bright.
STEP 2
Wet-on-Wet Technique
Using a clean brush, add water to your page in an area you wish to color. Then drop your paint color into this wet area and watch the color flow and swirl. Loosely follow the shapes in your drawing. Make some areas more intense with color and other areas lighter. Leave some areas white to keep your artwork fresh and full of light and movement.
STEP 3
Create Areas of Pattern
Instead of painting in every area, be inspired by Lilli’s designs and fill some shapes with patterns like dots or dashes, allowing lots of white paper to show through.
STEP 4
Add Contrasting Color Features
Use a contrasting color for flower features such as the stamen and veins. These color accents will brighten your design and make the colors pop.
STEP 5
Work Carefully with Lines & Shapes
Do your line work on dry paper. Then build wet areas around it, that way you can keep your strong lines and bring soft flows of color down to meet them.
STEP 6
Add Your Background Color
Use the same Wet-on-Wet technique to paint in your background. Make sure you leave a dry white space around your flowers and leaves. Drop your color into the wet areas allowing it to flow, creating both dark and light patches. Leave some areas free of color and perhaps add another pattern on a white background. Have fun!
…what if we combined the flamingo and a floral print to get a whole new design!
You could then turn your art into some products using print on demand services like Printful.
BONUS:
Turn Your Artwork into a Repeating Print
Follow the steps below to create a basic manual repeating print:
- 1Take your design and cut the page into 4 equal pieces.
- 2Flip the squares around so that the center is on the outside (by swapping left to right and top to bottom).
- 3Now, add additional motifs to fill in the gaps of the print - making sure you draw across the cut lines in the center and not drawing across the outside edges.
1. Cut your motif into 4 equal squares.
2. Flip the squares - swapping right for left and top for bottom.
3. Fill in the gaps with additional motifs.
Turn into a repeating print! (see below)
Turn your completed artwork into a repeating print:
- 1Use sticky tape on the back of the artwork to attach the pieces together being careful to line them up perfectly.
- 2Scan this completed repeat print in to your computer
- 3Open the artwork in a editing program like Adobe Photoshop (or another image editing program. A free alternative to Photoshop is Gimp)
- 4Edit the image to remove any unwanted lines or marks, adjust colors, then use the finished print in graphic work OR upload to a service such as Spoonflower to have it printed onto fabric for you!
Are you loving the idea of bringing your art to life?
In my course, Paint Art That Sells, I'll show you how.
In my program, we take you step by step through building your art skills from simple techniques that you can use right away, building up to more advanced techniques and artworks. I not only cover the art techniques and tricks to creating artworks and print designs that stand out, but also how to market and sell your work too.
It’s time for you to feel the joy of a new direction with loads of stimulation, and inspirational new techniques that will motivate your artistic talent. Develop your art skills, create your own unique style and learn how you can create product ranges from your art that you can market and sell.
Within just a few weeks, you could be making multiple sales from just ONE of your artworks. HOW EXCITING!
Start Living Your Passion Now!
