The MAGICAL BEAUTY OF ZHOSTOVO
By Priscilla Hauser
Supplies Needed:
FolkArt® Artists’ Pigments
#480 Titanium White
#629 Red Light
#758 Alizarin Crimson
#476 Asphaltum
#918 Yellow Light
#686 Burnt Carmine
#461 Hauser Green Dark
#459 Hauser Green Light
FolkArt® Acrylic Paint
#938 Licorice
FolkArt® Blending Gel Medium #867
Brushes:
Priscilla recommends Robert Simmons brushes by Daler Rowney
Sienna Series SN#67 #10 Filbert
Sienna Series SN#51 #1 liner or smaller if desired
Sienna Series SN#60 #4 flat
Other Supplies:
Masterson Sta Wet Palette, palette paper
*This wonderful palette when properly prepared will keep your acrylics wet*
Brush Basin
Tracing paper
Chalk or White graphite paper
Soft absorbent cotton 100% rags or towels *example, VIVA Job Squad
Palette knife
Fine Sand Paper
Tack Cloth
Single edge razor blade
Gold Paint of your choice for border work
*Note: there are many good metallic gold paints on the market. There are also those that do not cover very well. I prefer a very opaque gold. My favorite is to mix Zhostovo Gold, a Mica with a water based varnish. This wonderful opaque MICA powder enables you to do lovely border work. The powder is available on our website by request or by phone.
Definitions:
Floating – A technique in which the brush is filled with painting and blending medium or water on one side, and paint on the other. Used to created shadows and highlights
Wash – Mixing paint with water to create a very thin consistency, and wash this over an area.
PREPARATION:
1. Base coat the tray or project of your choice by brushing or spraying on on two or three coats of the black Paint. Let dry thoroughly between coats and sand with very fine sandpaper or soft steel wool.
2. Wipe all of the residue off with a tack cloth.
3. Neatly trace and transfer the design to your prepared surface using chalk.
4. Undercoat the design with White Acrylic paint using the same brush strokes that you will use to paint the design.
Study the worksheet
Two coats will probably be needed. This undercoating needs be as neat and accurate as possible. Let dry thoroughly.
5. Using a single edge razor blade or fine sand paper, sand
or scrape the entire design lightly. Wipe with a tack rag.
The Leaves:
1. Using your #10 filbert brush, apply the colors to the leaves a shown on the worksheet. When painting, complete one leaf at a time.
I first applied Hauser Green Dark, let it dry, then apply Asphaltum on top of that as you can see by studying the worksheet. Alizarin Crimson is applied at the top. Let dry.
A second and third application may be applied to give the leaf “depth”.
2. Fill the white areas in with Hauser Green Light, let dry.
3. Apply Blending Gel and Hauser Green Dark.
4. Paint “S” type strokes of white to create the look of veins
on the leaf. On the right side of the leaf, stroke from the
outside edge, lifting in to the center as shown on the worksheet. On the left side, stroke from the vein area out.
NOTE: You want to do these over strokes while the Blending Gel and the Dark Green underneath are wet, so that the color will bleed in to the white.
5. Quickly wipe the brush and pick up white. Go over the
strokes to create highlights in White.
The Line Work:
1. Thin Yellow paint and water to an ink like consistency.
2. Fill your very fine liner brush with this paint and neatly
paint the beautiful line work around the edges of the leaf.
The fill in line work is often referred to as “grass”. This is also done with the liner and thinned Yellow paint.
When doing line work:
v The paint must be very thin
v You must have an excellent liner brush in excellent condition
v Hold the handle of the brush straight up so that it points toward the ceiling move the brush very slowly
v Be sure that you can see. Often your reading glasses are not painting glasses. I use an Optivisor. This wonderful tool is available online from Priscilla, at Priscilla’s Little Red Tole House or from other wonderful art and craft stores throughout the Country.
Priscilla pictured using the Optivsor
The Blossoms:
1. Undercoat the blossoms using brush strokes as shown on
the worksheet with 2 or more coats of White paint. Use your #10 filbert .Let dry
*Here’s a tip: Sometimes I use JW’s White Undercoat, this is an excellent product that covers beautifully. The choice is yours.
2. After the undercoating has dried, float on Asphaltum shadows where one petal goes under another. Let dry. You may deepen those shadows with a 2nd or 3rd coat if desired.
3. Apply a wash of Red Light plus a tiny touch of Asphaltum if desired.The Asphaltum deepens the color a little. Let dry.
4. Apply a 2nd wash of Red Light to the petals. Let dry. You can vary the depth of color on some of the blossoms by the number washes you apply. Let some of the blossoms be lighter and some darker.
5. Now, paint one petal at a time. Apply Blending Gel to the petal, wipe the brush. Apply a wash of Red Light into the Blending Gel. While the wash is wet, over stroke as shown on the worksheet, with White.
The Buds:
1. Undercoat the Buds using brush strokes of white. Refer to the worksheet. A second coat may be applied if desired. Let dry.
2. Make a wash of Red Light. Paint this wash over the white. Deepen in the center and at the base. Let dry.
3. Apply Blending Gel and another wash of Red, while the
wash is wet, over stroke with comma type strokes of white
as show on the worksheet.
4. The bracts and stem are painted with Light Green, shaded with Hauser Green Dark and Burnt Carmine.
Highlighted with white.
The Calyx base and Stem:
1. Paint these areas with Hauser Green Light, shade with Hauser Green Dark plus a touch of Asphaltum.
2. Highlight with just a little White.
The Center:
1. Block the center in with Yellow Light.
2. Using your liner brush, or the point of an old beat up brush, dab on Burnt Carmine in a loose circular motion.
3. Dab the center in with Burnt Carmine, add touches of Burnt Umber to deepen the color if desired. Let dry.
4. Fill your liner brush with thinned Yellow Light, paint a comma like stroke as shown on the worksheet.
5. The very thin line work is white and yellow. Study this on the worksheet.
6. Outline the petals as desired with thinned white, let dry.
The Border or “Ornamentation”
1. Fill an excellent liner brush with the metallic gold of your choice. Make sure the paint has been thinned to a flowing consistency.
2. Neatly paint the border around the tray.
To Finish:
Let the paint dry and cure. Varnish with the High Gloss Varnish of your choice.
My favorite is JW’s Gloss Water Base Varnish.
Priscilla offers a Special Zhostovo Seminar packed with beautiful projects. You will be studying Zhostovo for 5 1/2 days with Priscilla. Call for more information 918-743-6072
We also have wonderful Russian Folk Art Books available on Priscilla’s website: www.priscillahauser.com