Watercolor Like An Egyptian

Watercolor painting is something that I am slowly trying to bring back into my life. It used to be a retreat for me but then life got busy and I opted for crafts that didn't require as much concentration. Last year, I decided to pick up my brushes and try my hand at Gond painting. It is a really fun form of traditional Indian painting that uses abstract patterns. You can see one of the paintings I made using the Gond painting technique and Valerie's Nesting Doll stencil HERE. But my first love has always been faces. I have so much to learn to when it comes to creating those perfect flesh tones and facial features but I will never learn unless I practice. 

So, last week when my kids had a day off, I pulled out all my painting supplies and stencils. And while I sat there painting, my three little's ones came over and asked to paint with me. We sat together all day talking and painting. It is one of the best days we had together in a while.

I am using a watercolor journal that I received for Christmas last year but haven't had the courage to paint in until now. The stencil I used creates an easy face map to start out and then I can let creativity take over.

Laying skin tones is my first step. I let each  layer of paint dry before adding the next.

I dug out my watercolor pencils and used them for the eyes, hair and some highlights. My inspiration for this painting was the hieroglyphics stencil in the background. 

  

 I have found that I love using these face map stencils as a base for my paintings. I can see a whole journal full of faces in my future.

Thanks for joining me,

Kate

Stencils Used:

L649

S157

S724

Walk like an Egyptian with 3 new stencils by Carolyn Dube

StencilGirl takes you back to a land of mystery and shifting sands. A time when papyrus scrolls were the art journals of the day.

We're rolling out Ankhs, Hieroglyphics, and 3 ancient Egyptian figures designed by Carolyn Dube.

Walk like an Egyptian

Hathor was an important figure and a complex Egyptian Goddess. Not only was she a mother goddess who created and maintained all life on earth but she was also the goddess of the sky, fertility, music, joy, dance and symbolically, the mother of the pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. A very busy woman!

Anubis, known as the god of the afterlife was also a god of healing along with being the patron god of lost souls. He is often depicted with the color black because that color symbolized good fortune and rebirth for the ancient Egyptians. After all, the fertile soil of the Nile was black and having a plentiful growing season was vital to survival.

What about the guy in the triangular skirt? Was he a god, like the other two on this stencil? Nope, he was a fashion icon of the times! Men in ancient Egypt were all about wearing as much jewelry as they could afford, wore makeup, and had the coolest shape ever to a skirt.

Hieroglyphics

This stencil represents translation and understanding. After seeing the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum, Carolyn was in awe that one single stone allowed for the mysterious language of ancient Egypt to be deciphered, allowing for the translation of texts all across Egypt. That one stone held the key to understanding.

Ankh

The Ankh represents eternal life to Egyptians and Carolyn’s interpretation of that is to live right now. Take that breath of life and embrace the moments unfolding in the present.

Both of the Ankhs in this stencil are the same size, so once you use a pair of small scissors or craft knife to cut out the Ankh mask it can be used in conjunction with the stencil version of it.

The eye of Horus/Ra represents protection, health, and restoration. All things that support and work in cooperation with the Ankh.

The right eye represents the Eye of Ra (the Sun), and the left eye represents the Eye of Horus (the Moon). Since this is a stencil, all you need to do is flip the stencil over and you now have the other eye!

If you'd like to unroll your own papyrus and get to art-making, you can order these stencils here.