How To Paint a Simple Dragonfly

A really, really simple dragonfly.

I’m working on a better dragonfly that I’ll share with you soon. Today I just needed some photos to go along with this sweet little bit of prose.

A Garden To Plant

-anonymous

First, plant five rows of peas -

preparedness, promptness, perseverance, politeness and prayer.

Next, three rows of squash -

squash gossip, squash criticism, squash indifference.

Then four rows of lettuce -

let us be unselfish, let us be loyal, let us love one another and let us be truthful.

No garden is complete without turnips -

turn up at workshops, turn up with a smile, turn up with a new idea and turn up with real determination.

Cute, huh? It was written in a ‘get well’ card for Mom and I loved it.

 

Okay – on to our dragonfly.

I took pics of a quickie sketch – not as a pattern, but for you to see how easy dragonflies are to sketch.

 

 

It looks like a 5 year old drew this, doesn’t it? Oh well. It’s just to give you an idea. Don’tcha love the creases in the paper?

Sorry ‘bout that.

If you seriously think you need a dragonfly pattern, I’d be happy to draw one properly for you.

 

These dragonflies are itty-bitty guys. They’re just like the bees and ladybugs – painted on a frame for the Hydrangea class this summer.

Hey! I just had a thought. Maybe I’ll ask my students if I can videotape the class and then share it here. I think it’d be so cool if you could see how people with no experience paint, not just me.

What do you think?

I used Violet Pansy on the dragonfly wings to coordinate with the hydrangea.

While the Violet is still wet, stroke on some white, just inside the outer edges of each wing.

If it seems to white, then add some more Violet Pansy.

Paint the dragonfly head and body with any color you like. I used black, but any color will work. Then I dabbed a little Hydrangea Blue on the black – just for fun.

Now, I won’t lie – the antennae are tricky, trying to get a teeny-weenie line.

You can always use a fine line Sharpie. In fact, I recommend it.

Don’t they perk up a simple green frame?

And they’re so easy! You gotta give them a try – even if they’re only a couple of inches wide!

I’m linking up to the party over at Today’s Creative Blog. It’s one of the best parties, believe me! Check out all the great stuff!