Painted Suitcases

It is easy to paint on a canvas-type tote or suitcase, and it makes yours readily recognizable in a sea of luggage.

Materials

canvas-type luggage
Folk Art acrylic artists pigments:
pure orange #628
turner's yellow #679
warm white #649
burnt sienna #943
burnt umber #462
asphaltum #476
Folk Art lemon custard acrylic paint #735
Folk Art blending gel medium #867
Loew-Cornell 7300 flat brushes #4, 10, 12, 14
Loew-Cornell 3750 liner brush #1
Folk Art water-based satin varnish
pencil
stylus
tracing paper
Masterson's Sta-Wet Palette
scissors
tape
straight-blade flexible metal palette knife
soft absorbent cotton rags
white graphite paper
Plaid brush basin

Steps:

1. Neatly trace and transfer the design with white graphite paper (figure A).

2. Neatly undercoat the entire design with two coats of lemon custard. Be sure to let the paint dry between coats.

3. Paint the stem first and then the leaves. Complete one leaf at a time. Start with leaves that are in the back of the design and move forward. Paint the acorns last (figure B).

4. To paint the stem: Apply blending gel to the stem.

5. Apply warm white to the top of the stem (or the light side) and burnt umber to the underneath side.

7. To paint the orange leaves: Apply blending gel. Apply pure orange to the light side of the leaf. Apply asphaltum to the center of the leaf.

8. Apply burnt umber and burnt sienna (1 to 1) on the remaining portion of the leaf. Don't use too much paint. Using a large flat brush, blend the colors together where they meet.

9. To paint the yellow leaves: Paint one leaf at a time. Apply blending gel to the leaf. Apply warm white to the outside edges. Apply some Turner's yellow next to the white. Apply a small amount of asphaltum to the center. Apply a small amount of the burnt umber/burnt sienna mixture to the base of the leaf (figure D). Wipe the brush and blend the colors together where they meet. Let the paint dry.

10. Using the liner brush filled with burnt umber thinned to an ink-like consistency with water, slowly paint the veins in the leaves (figure E).

11. To paint the acorns: Apply blending gel to the acorn. Apply warm white to the lower portion of the acorn and burnt umber just under the acorn cap. Wipe your brush and blend where the colors meet.

12. Apply warm white to the lower part of the acorn cap and burnt umber to the upper part of the cap (figure F).

13. Wipe your brush and blend where the colors meet.

14. Using your liner brush, apply small white lines or dots to indicate the sections in the caps (figure G).

15. To make the curlicues: Fill your liner brush with a mixture of warm white and burnt umber (1 to 1). Be sure the paint is thinned with water to an ink-like consistency.

16. Slowly paint the curlicues (figure H). You can go back over them if necessary.

17. To finish: After the design is completely dry, varnish (the design area only) with two coats of satin water based varnish.

Tips:

Be sure you get a good pattern transfer that you can see well.

Apply blending gel on top of the undercoated surface before applying the colors.

Complete one stem, one leaf, or one acorn at a time.

When using a liner brush, be sure you thin the paint with water to an ink-like consistency. Fill the liner brush completely full of paint. Hold the brush handle so it points straight up toward the ceiling and move the brush slowly to give the paint time to flow smoothly from your brush.