What
is Decorative
Painting? Decorative painting involves the decoration
of items made of various materials by painting on them. In decorative
painting, various techniques are applied turning both functional
and non-functional objects into works of art. It is very popular
in the US, Canada,
Australia and Japan, and more and more people in the United Kingdom,
Singapore, Malaysia, Argentina, Spain and the world over are
finding decorative painting to be a fulfilling and meaningful
hobby that taps into their creative talent. For many, decorative painting is a passionate
way of expressing themselves. It is by no means a "new" thing
- rather its something women (and men) of all ages have been
doing for centuries to embellish personal objects and decorate
gifts for loved ones. This traditional folk art has evolved
into various contemporary decorative painting techniques which
can
now be
systematically
taught and easily learned by anyone with absolutely no prior
artistic experience. That's the beauty of decorative painting! Decorative painting today is called
by many names including folk art, tole painting,
country painting, rustic painting etc. "Folk
art" and "tole painting" have historical connotations
and you can learn more about this in A
History of Decorative Painting. You can also read more
about "tole painting" in Tole
Painting and French Folk Art.
Decorative painting can be done in oils
or acrylics but the more frequently-used medium today is acrylic
paint or acrylic gouache because they are water based and therefore
easy to use and clean. Plus, they dry faster than oils and are
not toxic. Various mediums such as extender or retarder, clear
glaze medium, stroke and blending mediums, blending gel, paint
thickener, texture paste etc are frequently used in decorative
painting to achieve different effects and results.
A
selection of decorative painted projects (from left to
right): an MDF cookie box decorated with
birds and scrolls to imitate intarsia, a pair of wooden Dutch
clogs painted in traditional Dutch hindeloopen, a pine
box painted blue
and decorated with Russian zhostovo florals, an old trinket
box found in a flea market given a crackled background
and decorated
with roses, a tin water spray given a country look, a shoe
lathe painted with rosebuds, a candle decorated with roses,
an IKEA magazine
holder painted with cabbage roses, a utensils holder given
an elaborate treatment with birds and peaches, and an MDF
name card box painted
to look like tortoiseshell.
More
examples of decorative painting projects in "Showcase"
If it doesn't move, paint it! Decorative artists paint on 3-dimensional
objects rather than the flat surface of the traditional
canvas. These objects may be made of wood, MDF (medium density
fibreboard, plastic, paper, terra cotta, glass or tiles. 
Ask any decorative painter and they
will tell you that they will paint on whatever surface they might
find around the house that looks like it could be given a new lease
of life through painting. If it doesn't move, you can usually paint
it! Visits to the weekend flea market or garage sales become exciting
and are often fruitful in terms of adding to the hoard of paintable
items.
What do decorative artists
paint? A variety of styles and techniques are applied
in decorative painting. Decorative artists paint traditional
folk art styles originating from various parts of the world
which have in fact been passed down from generation to generation
as well as a variety of contemporary
painting styles. Many designs normally incorporate other elements
like faux finishes, borders,
symbols and lettering. Subjects painted are as limitless as surfaces
painted on. Flowers are an eternal favourite in decorative painting,
while birds, animals, people, naive sceneries, bears etc are also
common
subjects
in
the designs. Unlike fine art, in decorative painting all
these are painted in a stylised rather than realistic manner. New techniques of decorative painting are
also always being developed and applied as new materials, paints
and mediums become available on the market. As a hobby, decorative
painting attracts people from all walks of life, usually none with
formal training in painting! It is very easy to learn because of
the systematic method employed by decorative painting teacher.
Patterns are traced onto the object to be decorated so no freehand
drawing
skill
is
required.
Is Decorative Painting art
or craft? Decorative painting starts out as a craft
simply because of the way in which it is taught - systematically,
skill building and technique-oriented.
Decorative painting students paint projects
which the teacher has created. Different projects are created for
different skill levels. In class, students are coached step-by-step
as they learn the different skills associated with that project.
As skills are learnt and techniques are mastered, new decorative
painters become more and more confident.
Some may begin experimenting with colours,
modifying designs provided, attempting freehand drawing and even
designing a simple project on their own. As they progress, many
learn colour theory, perspective, as well as more sophisticated
drawing and painting techniques. Then, its more than a craft, its art. |
