The "Road" to Decorative Painting

Description: Tips and resources to get you started with decorative tole painting.

You will find throughout this article I will refer to myself and others as decorative painters. I believe we are all "artist" but a lot of people that I have talked to are scared of that word "artist". They feel intimidated when they see an article about "artists" and do not feel the article is geared towards them. To make those people feel more comfortable and made to feel that I am "talking" to them, I will use the term decorative painter.

I had wanted to become a decorative painter since I was a child. I never thought I would be able to paint, I could not even draw a stick figure. Sound familiar? The desire was there but I was afraid of failing. What a big mistake that was. I wasted years of my life being afraid of something I felt a connection and love towards. If this article can get one person to try something they have been afraid to try, then I will consider it a success.

Like I said, I had always wanted to travel down the "road" of decorative art. I put it off, afraid to try it for most of my life. In 2000 I seen Donna Dewberry (http://www.onestroke.com) on television talking about how easy her technique was and how anyone could do it. Yeah right, I thought. I knew that I for one would never be able to learn to paint. I decided to try it, mostly to prove that no, not everyone could learn to paint. I bought all of the supplies that she recommended and got to work on what I thought would be a failed effort. I practiced day after day for a few weeks and did not see the results I wanted to see. I thought to myself, ok I really can't learn this, I put my supplies away and did not think I would ever drag them out again. A couple of months later I came across several groups on the internet for decorative painters. I decided to join a couple to see if there was any help for me. Meeting and talking to other decorative artists built up my confidenc! e enough to give decorative painting another try. I got my supplies back out and attempted to paint something using the One Stroke method again. I was a success! Was it perfect, did it look just like Donna Dewberry's? No, but I could tell what it was and I could tell, with continued practice I could learn to paint using the One Stroke method. I continued to practice everyday and soon I was painting things that I could be proud of. After painting using the One Stroke method for several months and after building my confidence, I decided it was time to venture on to other forms of decorative art.

To start my adventure using techniques and styles other than One Stroke, I started doing my "homework". I surfed the WEB for resources, groups, and tutorials. The internet allows us to find teachers, motivation, and learning resources with the click of a mouse. In my search for online resources I came across several sites and communities that really taught me the basics of decorative art and when I was ready, the more advanced techniques. Two of the most helpful websites I found were Tole Town and Tole Friends. Tole Town is an inexpensive community with a lot to share. They offer live online classes every month, a glossary of painting terms, skill builders, self study classes and more. Tole Friends is a non-profit organization that offers help from the "big brushes", free lessons, articles, a mentoring program and much more. These are only two of the online resources I found useful. Do a search and you will find an array of help available to you.

Another great resource to learn decorative painting is books. It is very easy to find books geared toward the beginning decorative painter these days. One of the best books I found was Jackie Shaw's "Big Book of Decorative Painting". It offers the reader insight into the very basics of decorative painting as well as advanced techniques. Jackie Shaw also has a newer book called "Step by Step Painting Course", that I recommend. http://www.jackieshaw.com

There are a lot of resources for the beginning decorative painter. The above are just a few that I personally found very helpful. With the use of modern technology anyone can find help on how to begin their journey down the road of decorative art.

The most useful piece of information anyone can give you is, not to let fear stand in the way of trying something new. Decorative art *can* be taught. There are artists that possess a natural talent but there are thousands upon thousands of decorative painters that were not born with the talent to create with paint, they were taught! You can be taught as well. Surf the WEB, read books, find a local teacher, join a painting society and most of all do not let fear stand in your way. I am proof that once you get over your fear, anything is possible.

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