How to: doll-size painted artwork

Wow, I can't believe it's June already! I feel like I'm just getting started with the content I have planned for 2021, but all of a sudden we're almost half through the year. I feel like I've got barely anything done, but at the same time, this is my 13th post this year, and my 160th post overall. It's not that I haven't done anything, but the "To-do" project list never seems to end. But I digress.

On my last photo compilation I mentioned that I did a painted artwork piece and was planning on doing a tutorial. Since it's a fairly easy project, I decided to work on a couple more pieces, to give more options and ideas to my readers. So, I hope that you like them. 

This post was meant to be up in late-May, but I have joined two courses that started the same day and, once I'm done studying, I don't feel like spending more time in front of the computer. One of the courses has a limited time to complete, so I need to hurry up if I want to get that diploma. On top of that, I got sick a couple of days ago with some pounding headaches and couldn't do anything besides sleep. Luckily, I'm better now, so let's get into this craft. 

For this craft, you will need:

• A cereal or cookie box.
• Scissors.
• Glue stick.
• Sanding paper.
• Craft paint and brushes.
• A ruler. 

I start by cutting open a cereal box and drawing a rectangle. I decided to make it 9,5x7 cm (3.75 x2,76 inches) because I want it to look like a big piece of artwork without looking massive. Draw 3 and cut them out. 

Glue the pieces together using a glue stick and let it dry with some weight on top.

Once the glue has dried down, smooth the edges using some fine sanding paper. Be gentle with it.

I gave it a coat of white acrylic paint, to create a base for my painting. 

I saw on the @barbiestyle Instagram some doll size artwork that I thought I could make a similar version off, so I decided to give it a try. You can check out the original Barbie Style post. I decided to make my own version of it, so I decided to go with a different color. I'm using Coral Blush, from Americana Acrylics because I want it to be bright and colorful.

Next, I went with the color Sea Breeze, also from Americana Acrylics. I gave some brush strokes, mostly starting from the bottom and going upwards. Then, I splattered some paint, to mimic the original piece.

Looking back at it now, it doesn't look too similar to the one on Barbie Style, but at that time I wasn't mad at it. 

I made that first painting back in April, and it wasn't until mid-May that I started working on the other two. I was working on my last post, so I didn't have the time or the space to work on it. But, finally, I cleared my craft table and started working.

For the other two, I tried to make something different. I was quite happy with the size I of my first painting, so I decided to make another one that same size. If it worked once, it should work twice. Again, I drew 3 pieces and cut them out. 

For the third one, I decided to make it a bit smaller, so I can try something different. I made it 6 x 7,5 cm (2,36 x  2,95 in). I drew the pieces and cut them out. 

I did the same thing as with the first one. Glue the pieces together and sand the edges to make everything smooth.

Now, it's time for my favorite part: painting. For the big one, I gave it a coat of white acrylic and let it dry. 

For this one, I wanted to make something tropical, so I googled something like "tropical leaf drawing" and, taking an image as a guide, I started drawing mine. I'm not the greatest at drawing, but I want to give it a go. If you don't feel confident drawing, you can always print your image and use some tracing paper to transfer it.

Once I was happy with my drawing, I carefully erased the lines to fade them, so I won't have trouble covering them. I removed the leftovers from the eraser and started re-drawing my leaf with some acrylic paint and a thin brush.

The color I'm using is Festive Green from Americana Acrylics. It came in a 16 color set that I got for Christmas, and it really came in handy for this project.

Once I was done, I colored big part of the leaf, leaving some blank spaces for highlight and to draw the veins of the leaf. I used some yellow, mixed in with the green, for the highlights, but also to draw the veins. 

Then I used some dark green (Forest Green) to create some shadows under the highlights and towards de center of the leaf. 

This is what we got. I just need to clean it with some white acrylic and call it a day. It reminds me of some paintings AtelierniShasha does for her art shop (hers are much better though). 

For the last one, I wanted to do something different, but I didn't know exactly what. I knew I wanted something in line with nowadays trends, that could as well be sold at Urban Outfitters. I looked for some inspiration online, and finally found something on Etsy. I don't recall the name of the store and I can't find the link, but I found it by searching "modern artwork" on Google. You can find similar artwork at Kate Decor Prints and Arteex, both on Etsy.  

For this one, I gave it a first coat of Americana's Light Buttermilk, which is creamy/ off-white color. Next, I started free-hand drawing a few lines. I'm using Acualux in the color Orange, which is a darker not-so-vibrant orange. I didn't sketch anything beforehand, so I really went full out here. 

Once I was happy with the dark orange lines, I added a few details with a lighter orange color. The one I'm using is Bright Orange, again, by Americana Acrylics.

This is the finished result. I'm quite happy with it.

Here's a look at the three paintings. They're quite different between them, don't you think so?

Now it's the turn to try out how they look on camera. First, I set up my Dove Grey wall and brought Victoria, to get an idea.

Although I have already tried it, let's see how the abstract one looks against the Dove Gray wall. Tate is really happy to have this new artwork around the house.

Even though I like it, I feel like my gray backdrop is a bit dull, so I decided to take the rest of the photos using my Sea Glass wall, which adds a subtle pop of green. I love how the plants and the green on the painting work with the wall. 

Now let's see how both the tropical and the boho painting look together. 

I do think that I would need some matching artwork to the ones I already have, but so far, I'm happy with the result. I've been trying to make my backgrounds look busier, because sometimes I feel they look quite empty, and artwork helps to cover  the empty spaces on the wall. 

On a side note, remember that I told you that Feedburner would stop working soon? I have found an alternative, Follow.it, but I'm still figuring things out with it.  I managed to find my e-mail subscribers list, but it turned out that lots of them were spam accounts, so with a few exceptions, I still don't know who was subscribed by e-mail. I haven't re-subscribed anyone so, if you want to re-subscribe yourself, on the sidebar you can find a box where you can introduce your e-mail. You should be notified every time I post, maybe a few hours later. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post. I'm not sure what I will do next, but I have an idea for a specific photo, so I might do that and write an in-depth post. Finally, I've managed to get some fabric, so soon I'll start sewing. One of my projects includes a daybed, so I'll need to make a few pillows for that. Sounds like the perfect sewing project for a beginner. 

So, what do you guys think of this project? Are you working on any doll-related projects? 

I hope you're all staying well and healthy.

Monster Crafts

For other craft projects, follow the doll crafts tag.

Update, January 2022: I have just published a YouTube video making a 4th design. Subscribe to my channel to find out more video tutorials.