Painting onto baubles
I recently picked up some Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground in Titanium White.
Its a medium that you can paint on many surfaces, creating a paper like finish that a watercolour painting can be applied to.
I Chose some plastic craft baubles (sold in Lincraft hobby stores in Australia), to paint a design on. I wanted to create a hand painted Victorian style look.
Painting with watercolour ground
First I dulled the shiny plastic surface by giving the baubles a rub with a Scotch bright pad, this provided a key for the watercolour ground.
I then painted 2 coats of the ground onto the baubles a day apart, using a soft brush. I found the ground was quite thick and textured and using a soft brush kept the stroke marks to a minimum. I gave the final coat 2 days to cure (as per instructions on the pot).
Painting the holly leaves on the ground was pretty easy, though I found it best not to dilute the paint too much as the outlines tended to bleed a little. I think this is only a problem with the type of pattern I was trying to create, blending of watercolours is actually what you want in most situations.
Varnish protection
After completing my painting I fixed the watercolours with a coat of clear spray varnish, again this was a process step particular to this bauble project, as I thought the bauble may come in for a bit of wear and tear.
For ventilation purposes I sprayed the varnish onto the bauble outside by putting a garden bamboo stake into the ground, and popping the bauble on top.
Then I just needed to attach the silver screw on top add some string and hang on the tree!
Karen s Top Tip
Let the painting dry as you go along,its very easy to smudge your work as you rotate and paint the bauble.
