Just Paint It: How To Paint Wooden Shutters

The next time someone you know, someone who paints, who writes a blog about painting . . . the next time she says “I think I’ll paint a canvas and show daily progress photos,” and asks, “Isn’t this a great idea?”

Please, for the love of all things paint, say noooooo.

Do me a favor and remind her that, while she may indeed actually paint said canvas every day, it’s just possible, even likely, that Life might have other ideas for her time.

That a simple little stenciled burlap art project and a demo at Michael’s will actually take a ton more time than she realized.

That even though her brother has been in the hospital for 5 weeks, she’s the one who volunteered to mix up protein shakes and deliver them . . . daily . . . since the hospital dietitian couldn’t figure out how to give him 90 grams of protein a day.

That her 85 year old mother, whose been teaching aerobics for 30 years, really can’t teach a full class and it’s up to her to teach them three times a week.

That she, herself, isn’t any spring chicken any more and the simple stresses of Life add up much more quickly than they used to and working those 10 – 12 hour days are now just a memory.

And most importantly, remind her that when she steps away from a painting for a few days, when she gets back to it she usually has one word for it . . .

Ewwww.

Followed by four more words – this isn’t gonna work.

sigh.

But, even though I’m not too fond of this painting, in its present state, and even though I’m itching to make some new class videos, and I’d really, really like to start painting some Spring flowers (Spring! C’mon down already!) . . .

I made a commitment and I’m gonna see it thru.

Ok, three weeks ago, so we started with a blank canvas. The next day we painted a background with a rock wall.

Let’s continue on because I really want this thing off of my easel, mkay?

Since I love turquoise and since a lot of houses in the french country have blue or turquoise doors and shutters, I went with a pretty azure blue.

I mentioned before that I’m struggling with the angles a bit. So why not add a couple more, haha.

There are a few options when painting “glass”, or I should say the reflections in the glass. Since I haven’t made my mind up yet, I just blacked them out and will decide later.

Have you ever built your own home, or redecorated it, or just dreamed of choosing new doors, windows, flooring, etc?

Just paint something. Then you can choose colors, sizes, shapes. Everything. It’s fun but also a little overwhelming.

For the door and shutters I couldn’t decide between weathered and distressed, or freshly painted and pristine.

I wound up with a light whitewash. Sort of weathered, I guess. I just dry-brushed a little white on top of the turquoise.

Next I painted the window frame in – just white with a little shading for detail – and started the ‘stone’ surround.

It’s a mixture of light grey and white, dabbed randomly.

With a little shading, it turns into a stone tiled surround thing.

I have no idea what it’s called. “The thing around windows.” Ok?

Now to the shutters, finally. One line of shading down the center turns the turquoise rectangle into planks of wood.

Then some more turquoise for the cross-member support thing.

I’m so good with architectural terminology, dontcha think?

Dry brush a little white and add shading, more underneath where the shadows would be greater, but also a smidgen on the sides to create some depth.

Easy-peasy wooden shutters!

Ok, so, I dabbed on some blues and greys on the windows but I’m not totally happy with them.

In fact, they kinda creep me out. Like someone’s lurking in the shadows.

No, that’ll have to change. To something or other.

Anyway, I’m back on track. Kind of. I’m back painting this canvas, at least. But Spring is really trying to make an appearance around these parts. We have camellias in bloom, tiny blossoms on all the fruit trees, and even a few daffodils popping up.

Ahchoo!

I’d love to paint some flowering branches. I’d love to make some videos about painting flowering branches.

But don’t hold me to it.

Remember, you’re supposed to stop me when I have a hare-brained idea.

Yeah. Good luck with that though. No one’s had any success so far.

Smile