Love My Little Cottage

Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit- John Steinbeck

 

 

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Custom Painted Couple Portrait Plaque

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Custom Painted Couples Portrait

Since I’ve been painting portraits lately, I thought it might be fun to offer a Custom Painted Couple Portrait Plaque in the Love My Little Cottage Etsy Shop. The picture I chose was of my husband and me standing in front of our house with our dog, Hercules. Painting a couple portrait on a plaque instead of canvas helped achieve the folk art style I wanted.

It looked great beside a picture of our family with the wicked stepsisters and us hugging in front of Minnie’s house at Disney World in 2009. I only display these pictures around Valentine’s Day because I enjoy old photos the most when they are displayed seasonally or for a certain period of time. Sometimes we stop noticing the things we see every day.

the original photo

Getting Ready to Paint

I could have chosen a flattering picture of us, but as a painter who often tires of the perfect way things are portrayed on social media, I decided to use a photo that was more realistic.

a printed sketch of the photo

I used BeFunky to create a sketch from the original photo, then printed it so it could be traced onto the plaque. For a folk art feel, the painting needed to look like us without being too formal.

I took a close-up photo of the house numbers to make the font look similar.

The Painting Process

Sometimes I paint the background first. This time, I painted the focal part first.
The structural details were a little tricky, because I wanted to capture the essence of our house without being too exact.
Things were still a little wonky at this point.
Pink marble was my inspiration for the plaque’s background. However, I added a bit of romantic orange to the paint since my main decor colors are persimmon and blue, with a splash of vintage green.
My first attempt was too busy, and the veins were way too dark.
So, I muted the background and shaded around the heart.

Adding the Finishing Touches

After polishing up the details in the painting, I styled the Custom Painted Couple Plaque on my dining room table,
Custom Painted Couples Portrait
then outside on the porch.
Custom Painted Couple Portriat Plaque
I decided to leave it on the Upcycled Industrial Side Table in the alcove as you come through the front door.
I hope you enjoyed going with me through the painting process of my Custom Painted Couple Plaque!

XOXO,

Kristie

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