Painting!

I've been wanting to get into painting for a long time. Problems? 1) Getting the supplies: It doesn't cost much to pick up crocheting, but with painting you need brushes, paint, something to paint on, etc. 2) Perfectionism: Nothing's ever done. There's always some tweak to be made to make it "better." Unless I've done a fabulous job, I'm never truly happy with my work.

A few days ago, I braved the first problem by purchasing supplies. Charles and I were going Christmas shopping, and he consented to my buying paints and such. But which paints to buy?? There are so many colors to choose from! What to do, what to do.... Then I remembered middle and high school where we had to mix paints if we wanted different colors. *cue singing angels*

This made paint selection a lot easier. Ignore the fancy colors, Lora. All you need are the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), white, and black. (Technically, you can make black with the primary colors, but I've never made a great black, and that would take a lot of time and more paint than I'd like to use, so I bit the bullet.) I got a value pack of brushes, a  couple of canvases, and some glitter (trust me, it was necessary.)

I didn't brave the second issue until yesterday. I'd planned to make a sign with a quote I really like for our entryway for a while, just never got around to it. Yesterday saw the fulfillment of that plan. Here's a photo:

I love the saying, but I'm not sure if I love the work. I like the "Trust in God" part, but not so much the rest. I apparently haven't overcome my second obstacle yet, especially with this piece, and am resisting the urge to completely overhaul it.

I must be a glutton for punishment, though, because I went right on to painting something else. A lady on Pinterest pinned her tutorial for doing a chevron design here. Because I apparently enjoy torturing myself, I decided to do it.

All whilst sitting on the couch and watching Monk, I drew a grid on my canvas, then proceeded to erase all the lines I didn't need (and didn't want to have to cover up once I was painting.) It looked pretty much exactly like hers, because I went with the 1 inch by 1 inch size too, just to make it simpler.

Then, because I didn't want to mess with tape, I got my paints out, and mixed the colors as I went along. (I am proud to point out that every color except for the white was mixed - even the yellow - to get the colors I wanted.) A few hours, and a little glue, glitter, and command strips later, and voila! My very own chevron canvas. You can't tell, but the white stripes have glitter on them - it's one of my favorite details.

It's not perfect, but it's good enough that
I'm not going crazy over it. Phew!

Over all, I'm calling this venture a success. I'd definitely paint again... and I may have had my husband pick up a couple more canvases on his way home from work. No big deal.