aauuuugggghhhh---those cursed people who have been able to LEARN one-stroke painting (groan).

Seriously--they are beautiful! Of course, where I live, they'd be bashed flat in a day :-(

Jill

Oh Hazel! They are beautiful! I AM going to learn that ONE STROKE PAINTING someday! In fact, I have that booklet I think. May all of your mail be as wonderful as your mailbox! (no bills) LOL

I've taken 2 classes, the pansy's (taught by a certified DD instructor) & the roses class that my friend took, taught by a non certified instructor.
I got WAY more out of the class with the certified instructor. In fact for the pansy class, there were 6 of us, & we all did well. For the rose class, there were only 4 of us, & 2 of us had been in the rose class, & that was the ONLY thing that saved US & the CLASS. The 2 that had never done 1 stroke were TOTALLY lost, & if the teacher would have had 4 of us like that she would have never taught us anything! Those that had taken the pansy class had the basic stuff down, so we could sort of work on our own.
I have all the stuff to paint with, just haven't taken the time to do it.......but later this year, I'm hoping to be able to play a bit.

GO for the one stroke class-it's a lot of fun!!

Hazel

Hazel--
I took a one-stroke basic technique class. It was the fastest 3 hrs ever...but I don't feel that I came away with much more than I went into it with. It was nice to see the instructor do the leaves (wiggle) in front of you...and I learned that waxed paper is a great medium to practice on. I wish she would've incorporated a "project" into the class so I could have come home with something other than waxed paper sheets.

Are the mailboxes done freehand, or are theydone w/a guide? I think I could get all the strokes down okay...but it's the composition that keeps me from really getting into it. I know if I practiced, I would have more confidence. My perfectionist attitude (thanks, Dad) keeps me from doing & continuing lots of things.

Jill

The rose on the mailbox (& the "lilac" on mine) were done strictly freehand...she picked a place & started. THe other small flowers & the hummer she traced on then painted. As far as the design, just what she came up with in her head, no pattern, per say.

When we did the pansy class, we were told to find somehting we wanted to paint on, & bring it base coated to the class. we practiced on paper, then started on our piece. (I'll see if I can get a pic. of mine & put it up.....) I just did a wall plaque, but a friend of mine did a big flower pot.
For the rose class, we did a small wall hanging, but she tried to teach us TOO much-roses, vines lilacs etc. the picture was a grapevine wreath that we decorated with roses.....way too much for a 2-3 hr. class......
I'll go hunt up the 2 items & get pics......but I will wanr you the pansies are MUCH better!

Hazel

Ok, I must be slow and pea-brained...I read the one-stroke webpage that Jill sent awhile back and still don't get it.

Why's it called one stroke? Sounds like you'd have to be an artist to begin with? I saw some patterns, but know that I'd never ever be able to do something so pretty.

Now if they were paint by numbers...=D
Andrea

Andrea--it's not really something you have got to already have (ie artistic painting background)...you take these flat brushes and on one corner you put one color, then on the other corner another color--then blend them back & forth so the color graduates from one color on one side of the brush to the other color. Then you lay the brush on the paper on the very tip/chisel edge of the brush and form your strokes that way...so the shading & highlighting are all done in one stroke and you make various flowers/leaves or whatever with different variations on the stroke. Clear as mud?? LOL!

I'm going to HAVE to learn the sunflower because I've decided to repaint my bedroom w/chocolate brown walls (white trim already there) and want to do a wooden flat headboard with the sunflowers & vines. Of course if you give me a day or two - I'll have completely changed my mind on the bedroom decor.

J

Ok, now NO LAUGHING at my class pieces......
the pansies turned out ok, considering I had NEVER done this before, BUT the rose was a dissapointment......
Again pansies were a certified DD teacher, roses weren't. With the pansies we learned, using the big flat brush, then painted our piece with that same brush.
Roses were learned (on the pratice plastic sheets) with the big fat brush, BUT then had to switch to the small one to paint on our board. Doesn't sound like a big thing, but (at least for me) it was......also as I said , we "learned" the grapevine wreath (supposed to be heart shaped....), & the wisteria on the wreath, but it was TOOOO much for 1 class. To me, the pieces look reveresed, it looks like I did the roses 1st, then the pansies. (There was about 18 months from 1 class to the next.).

As I said, don't laugh.....

Hazel

(One thing I did learn was to get the clear plastic page protectors, the ones you slide paper into from the top, & put your practice page inside, so you paint on the plastic. They are cheap, & you get a bunch, so you can paint, take out the practice page & do it again, so you can see how you improve. Then you just wash them under the tap & use them again.....)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

This gal couldn't laugh even if she wanted to. Hazel, those turned out beautiful! I can see what you mean (pansies vs. roses) but I like them both! Your leaves are amazing - I couldn't do that in a million years!!

Hazel,
The mailboxes are absolutely gorgeous! My mom can paint like that and I guess maybe one day I'll learn too, but until then I have her to fall back on.

By the way, your class projects are just as gorgeous as the mailboxes! So much talent in one place - I'm jealous, too.

Magi

Hazel--I think they both are fabulous! Our cert. instructor for the techniques class said that a lot of people have hard time conforming their strokes to Donna's on her practice sheets because she paints fairly small & tight. If you use waxed paper - you can lay it over the practice sheets and still see thru it, and use it to lift and see what your strokes look like...just wad it up & toss it when you're done (no cleaning is my motto!) I need to take one of her project classes--I think that would motivate me to do more with the stuff I have at home.

Susan--'ya could too do it!