The fantasy world of fairies, gnomes, mushrooms, and pixies became a huge interst of mine when I was a teen.
Applying the Base Coats
Started by applying two coats of Liquitex brand white gesso with a 1" flat brush by Princeton Select.
Painting the Sky and Mushroom Stalk
Used a 1/4" angular shader brush by Princeton Select to apply Winsor (phthalo) blue for the sky, blended with titanium white for a soft gradient effect.
Painted the main mushroom stalk using the same angular shader brush and titanium white.
Creating Clouds and Mushroom Cap
Used a Princeton Select 20/0 round detail brush to create the clouds.
Blocked in the mushroom cap with white.
Applied cadmium red to the top and underside of the mushroom cap using the angular shader brush.
Painting Additional Details
Painted several smaller mushrooms using the detail brush.
Blocked in the fairy with titanium white and painted her hair with phthalo blue.
Added spots to the top of the mushroom with a white 0.7mm Posca brand acrylic marker.
Outlines the mushroom with red 0.7mm Posca brand acrylic marker.
Applied iridescent medium to the wings using the detail brush.
Outlined the fairy's body with phthalo blue for depth and shadows.
Adding Final Touches
Added spots of cadmium red wash to the wings for interest.
Drew in details like the fairy's face, strands of hair, freckles, and a tiny mushroom in her hands with the 20/0 round detail brush.
Added red butterflies to the sky around the fairy and cadmium red wash to the bottom of the clouds.
Applied a Winsor & Newton brand raw umber wash to the mushroom stalk to give the appearance of a light coating of dirt. Also used under the fairy to indicate a shadow.
Considerations on Varnishing
If varnishing, I would choose a brush-on or spray-on semi-gloss for a protective finish.
Check out the following links to get the same paints and brushes that I used!
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Color, 200ml (6.75-oz) Tube, Titanium White
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Color, 60ml (2-oz) Tube, Winsor Blue
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Color, 200ml (6.75-oz) Tube, Raw Umber
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Color, 60ml (2-oz) Tube, Cadmium Red Hue
Liquitex BASICS Gesso Surface Prep Medium, 250ml (8.4-oz) Tube, White
Liquitex Professional Effects Medium, 237ml (8-oz), Iridescent Medium
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