Adding Onto An Existing Mural

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to add onto an existing mural that I wanted to share with you. The family has a beach themed painting in their living room and each child has their own sand bucket. Since their family has grown, they needed to add two more buckets to their special mural: one for their youngest daughter, Brinkley, and one for the baby boy they are expecting this summer. The original muralist has since retired and the mother, Jaclyn, reached out to me to help update the painting.

I started out using the existing sand buckets for size references and marking the height and width of the new buckets in pencil. I also decided which bucket should be where in regards to the other bucket colors and checked with Jaclyn that the placements were ok. I drew a quick sketch and started blocking in the buckets with their base colors: bright orange and lime green. I then started to add shading and highlights to create the roundness of each bucket. I worked on both buckets at the same time to allow each layer time to dry. As I worked, I had the cutest audience cheering me on!

I tried to use similar techniques that the original muralist did to shade the buckets so that their styles would match. I then added the handles and sand that they were sitting in. Next, I added Brinkley's name to her lime green bucket. I will return after their baby boy is born to add his name since they have not decided yet. Below are pictures throughout the process of painting the buckets.

Buckets sketched

Buckets blocked in. Shapes need refining.

First layer of shading and highlights

First layer of shading and highlights

Second layer of shading and highlights

Handle added and starting to add the sand

Both buckets with handles

Brinkley's name added

All of the buckets

Photo courtesy of Jaclyn

Do you have something you’d like me to paint? I’ll paint on anything: mailboxes, driveway markers, recipe boxes, coffee tables, or even walls. Feel free to email me if you have a special project in mind! kimberlydenglish@gmail.com

Art Supply Unboxing: Ampersand Floater Frame

Today I wanted to share with my fellow artists and art enthusiasts a new product offered by Ampersand Art: The Floater Frame. I exclusively paint on Ampersand Gessobords and was ecstatic when they released their own line of frames! Their products have a beautifully smooth surface which allows me to paint meticulous details. I also love that they are made in the USA!

The floater frames are made from solid wood and come in three different finishes: white, black or maple. They also have two edge preferences: bold, which measures 3/8" wide and thin, which measures 1/4" wide. The 1-1/4" frame profile accommodates 7/8" deep artwork as well as 3/4" canvas or flat panels. The 1-7/8" frame profile accommodates 1-1/2" deep artwork (See pictures below). All of these options means they are perfect for framing every type of hard panel that Ampersand produces: Aquabord, Claybord, Encausticbord, Gessobord, Hardbord, Pastelbord, or Scratchboard. Currently, floater frames are available in these size: 8"x8", 8"x10", 11"x14", 12"x12" and 16"x20".

I purchased a black, thin 1/4" edge, 7/8" frame profile Ampersand Floater Frame from Amazon. I wanted to see the quality of the product and what was included before I bought in bulk. Below is the unboxing video of my first floater frame. I am thrilled with the quality of this product and the many options it features! I especially like the predrilled countersunk holes for mounting the artwork to the frame. I will definitely be purchasing more; however, next time I'd like to try the bold edge.

In the video I discuss the differences between the Illusions Floating Frames (which I was using previously) and Ampersand's new product.

Pictures from Ampersand's website