How to Paint Decorative Corn in Watercolor/Pen & Ink-Craft for Thanksgiving

hi there Lindsay here the frugal crafter
today we're gonna do a little pen and
ink and watercolor and it's so easy in
fact I'm going to do this on my adult
class tonight and I thought well it'll
be fun to share it with you guys
through YouTube as well so it's just
like you're coming to my class it's
exactly what my students are going to
learn tonight
so this is a finished project you're
just gonna need a watercolor card or a
small piece of watercolor paper your
basic watercolors and some permanent
markers you can use micron pens I'm
using these um sepia Brown Pitt pens
anything that's not gonna run with water
is absolutely fine to use and you're
also gonna want a pencil and I'm just
gonna start by sketching on I'm gonna
try to keep it dark enough for you to
kind of see what I'm doing I'm gonna
switch over to pen very soon but I just
want to get a couple corn cobs drawn in
here for you okay you don't need to make
them too big because you're gonna be
doing a lot of pen and needs work make
that one up a little bit higher and then
I just want the just want to put some
corn silk kind of corn Huskies you know
the watching my car lets you know the
husky pull the husk back on the ears you
know when I'm talking about you post a
piece of corn before and you're like oh
going downhill so quickly today alright
and I just wanted to get a basic shape
in there so if you can if I can pull it
up to the screen I think you can see
that you know I've got some I've got
three kind of lobes there and just some
random squiggle lines but we are gonna
get rid of the random squiggle lines and
we'll be cooking with fire pretty soon
all right of course go on the internet
find a picture if you need or go to the
grocery store I haven't seen a
decorative corn out yet but it will be
up soon and if you want to file this
away in the back burner I'm gonna start
with a medium point pen and one of the
other things you don't want to do with
your pencil is just to make some some
vertical lines which would be longitude
if you were looking at a globe learnt
that last night helping my daughter of a
geography the ones they go parallel so I
decide never touch aren't latitude lines
give a car in seven longitude lines you
can do some latitude lines to some
latitude with attitude today
yeah I got my floors washed I feel I'm
excited because I got my housework done
so I can actually clay I didn't think I
was gonna be able to play today
it's so sad I don't like it when I can't
get into my studio alright so I really
my favorite part of doing this is doing
the husky myths and I'm choosing my
thicker pen to do the kind of the the
outlines of them so I'm kind of got like
I've got like a bunch here I'm not gonna
do any uh whatchamacallit I'm not gonna
put any string on them you know like how
would they come bundled up in the
grocery store I think your mind will put
that part in you could of course do a
bit of string if you want to and the
more little husky bits that come down in
front of the corn the little kernels you
have to draw little time-saver for you
there and really I mean it's just some
kind of wavy wavy gravy lines they're
nothing too difficult actually don't you
have to clip your paper down at this
stage of the game
yeah a sim file I do like the nice nice
full look I think this pens going dry I
might have to do myself a little ring
get on that one all right I'm gonna cap
that up and now I'm going to put in some
detailed lines for the corn husk here
and I'm just I'm gonna try to keep my
hand out of the way I hate that when I
leave I tip it like that my hand will be
kind of out of the way for you I'm not
um you're gonna put in that much detail
but I want enough that I'm getting that
kind of whiny texture of the of the corn
husks and getting some that some shadows
in there and the great thing about pen
and ink and watercolor washes is that if
you spent some time on the drawing have
some fun with it you know you're you
can't mess it up after that I mean you
could watercolor wash anything over it
and you're still gonna have the
foundation and the structure of your of
your pen and ink line so really like
that so if I have like a piece of corn
husks that's underneath another piece
I'm gonna give it more line see like I
did right there to make it shadowed look
right here this one's kind
I'm behind that one on the front there
so I'm giving it more lines see like
right there got more lines like right
here oh and by the way feel free to turn
your your artwork as you're working I
like to I want to be comfortable you
want to give yourself you know a sore
arrestor you know a sore back because
you're keeping your paper still go ahead
and and turn it if you need to and also
your line should go they should kind of
follow the edge it should be parallel
kinds of the edge that you're that
you're drawing it against you know so if
this piece of husk is going like that my
line should go like that as well that
makes sense hope it makes sense and I
find a little bit easier to draw pulling
the upend towards myself and so that's
why I turn my paper and I do it that way
so you do it however however is most
comfortable for you know right I don't
think this projects gonna take too long
it's hard to say I was fooling around
with the other one listening to a to a
podcast it was a paper clipping
roundtable by the way it's an excellent
podcast if you ever if you like podcast
you ever get a chance to check it out
I've been listening to that for years I
really enjoy it they do a really nice
job it's funny it's a scrapbooking
podcast so so it's kind of funny because
you wouldn't think that people talking
about scrapbooking to be all that
entertaining because it's such a visual
thing but it's quite fun it's it's it's
lovely enjoy it very enjoyable alright
now I want to draw the little corn
kernels here and some of the corn
kernels will be more around it depends
on the type of corn it is and then
you'll get ones that are kind of more
flat you'll probably spend more time the
drawing of this than the painting and
again I'm gonna move around as I go and
you don't want them all to be lining up
like TC on them to be very they'll have
some order we talked about order and
random and tango video but you you know
you don't do it perfect you want to
have kind of something to go by but you
don't want them to all be perfect lined
up you know exactly the same you want
them to be a little different each
kernel should be its own unique thing
like a snowflake a corny snowflake okay
so the this front one I've done with
round more round kernels okay but if I
go over here I think I'll do flatter
ones we'll run this one so I'm just
using my sketch as a rough guide let's
see I'll make these flatter and more
squared off so I just want to go in and
fill in all of the corn you drew you
could stick to just one ear of corn if
that's all you want another fun thing to
try is a squash and gourds it's a little
early for him but they'll be coming out
soon they'll be they'll be available at
farmer's markets night your nurseries
and greenhouses very soon and you know
it's fun to decorate decorate with them
so you might as well um you know drum to
while you're at it all right so this is
gonna be a lot of monotony here so what
I'm gonna do is I'm gonna pause the
video finish sketching these kernels and
we'll join back up for the watercolor
bit so hang on a moment all right here
we go we are back here we're in frame
we're cooking with fire all right and
then this poodle you know I really love
playing with the little uh little corn
husk thing so I will tend to do a little
bit more in that area and you know pull
some pull some more up there but when
you feel like it's done it's done it's
you know as soon as you're happy with it
you can just stop drawing whenever
you're ready now you take a soft eraser
and I like a plastic white plastic one
and just kind of gently erase your lines
the reason I prefer the white ones as
opposed to that like the paint pearls
are kind of horrible on watercolor paper
because they are they're really abrasive
so the white vinyl ones and they even
have ones at the dollar store they are
very soft and very good to your paper
they do have a little bit of a crummy
nest
as bad as like an art gum but um let
they do the check and then I just kind
enough later there we go this is a
little reminder that it's time to back
in the studio okay so now we're just
gonna work on with some basic colors I
got my watercolor palette right here
wish I if I could put this somewhere
where you could see it that would be
great but only I can because I only have
this much room I'm just gonna use a
number 10 round and let's do the pots
first we're gonna want some yellow ochre
and I just cut that right over there
and um let's see I'm just gonna go ahead
and throw some of that yellow ochre
there and the great thing is we've got
our foundation you know it looks
fabulous already but you say so myself
so we don't have to really worry about
um about much because hard stuffs done
now it's just painting for funsies move
that little guy that's kind of bugging
me clip clip oh and of course the dog is
going to start I'm gonna start growling
and this is the time the teenagers get
drop out and drop it off from high
school earlier than the younger ones now
I've done this little mix of violet here
I just results her marine blue and mauve
you can use actual violet or purple if
you have it on your palette this is this
palette in particular doesn't so um
please excuse the dog she's not
attacking anybody we have nobody
breaking into the house she's just being
a dweeb
she's a golden retriever also known as
the most vicious dog in the world all
right I think I want a little burnt
sienna that is this kind of reddish
brown there and that's a little oh I'm
not a little ultramarine blue I got some
bricks an ultramarine over there but I'm
just gonna throw something there just so
you can see I'm not kidding yeah it
really does make a nice grade down Brown
and I'm just filling it in I just I
don't want to have really any white
spaces in the husks but it really
doesn't matter if you do you do whatever
you like but these are like this is just
my guideline and you
you go out and that bothers you like
there I'm outside of the lines it does
not bother me one iota but if it bothers
you and that happens to you what you can
do is when it's all dry
make sure your papers dry go in there
with your waterproof pen and you can
draw a line out it around it and no one
will ever know that you went outside the
lines you might know that I went outside
the lines of my fixstick said you told
you that's what they do but nobody cares
have fun
there's no wrong way to do this people
ah okay
got a card scraper my favorite thing in
the world and I'm just adding some more
texture so these lines are not gonna be
as dark as the pen and ink which I did
in brown I think I mentioned that or you
but you could use blacking you know I
have this other color right it was
sanguine it's like a second orangie
Brown it's very pretty and I did see
these sets of four pens on sale at
Jerry's Adorama I got the the fall
catalog which is just so tempting I
don't need any more colored pencils and
yet Oh show me colored pencils with it
so a little carry case and a free
sketchbook and a little messenger bag
and I must have it
I didn't order it I was good I gotta
look still sitting on the coffee table
now taunting me
it's taunting me I need any more pencils
goodness I don't need any more pencils
or paper I needs it to keep telling
myself that and they have a deal on
arches paper to add insult to injury I
don't need to order any more supplies
I'm running out of room all right you
could play with these husks as much as
you want but I'm gonna leave that the
way it is cuz we're gonna get cooking on
these Colonel we got to start cooking
the cone people all right so I'm gonna
grab a little of this a nice warm CAD
yellow I just stuck it in the yellow
ocher cuz I wanted to dull it a little
bit I think I want to paint this whole
cob over here with that color I'm gonna
build up our colors here maybe I'll try
I guess I should look at my original
painting make sure I do the same colors
Indian corn so many times in my career
that that I could do it by hearts but I
often change it up and the middle one
I'm just kind of dripping in some
different colors let's
do some of that in there some of the
snakes mob does anything using them off
to mix your pair fall if you're gonna
need em using ultramarine anyway because
it just gives you what do you get two
colors instead of just one purple you
end up with a mob and a blue so you can
use them for different things and I
think I want to use some burnt sienna
and a little CAD red which is CAD red is
kind of like a list CAD red is CAD red
deepening looks a little pinky but CAD
red is generally your more warmer red is
really great for fall projects and I'm
gonna grab some more that CAD red and
just go right over here and I'm working
pretty quick this is a Strathmore
watercolor card and oh my gosh I have to
give I wish
oh I'm bombed I can't remember this
girl's name but one of my viewers and
I'm so sorry I cannot remember your your
screen name said she's on her second box
of watercolor cards of the 100 size box
of watercolor cards so yay I am so happy
I'm so happy that you guys are paying so
much that you're using up your
watercolor cards that means you're
practicing that means that you are
really doing awesome stuff and I need to
make notes because I really wanted I
would have loved to have recognized her
by name but but that's awesome you know
use up your staff buy stuff use stuff or
make do make do with what you have but
just just make sure you you make time to
create it's so important all right I
feel like that's a little dark so what
I'm gonna do and I cook oh it needs to
be a little bit bluer so I'm just adding
that color in then I'm gonna take my I
should invest in a new paper towel I'm
gonna blot some of that away there we go
we selling these pure color under there
I wasn't sure I probably should have
dried my my husks are really close to
this because I think I think they're
getting a little blurry a good thing we
have the pen lines because then we don't
have to worry about the blurriness so
much all right let's start working on
the corn on the cob over there corn on
the cob it's not corn with Hobbiton it's
decorative core and let me dry this up
real quick
let's dry up this little corncob on the
side that's good enough we can let the
and let's look at our actual painting
there and let's grab a little burnt
sienna I have to pause it at one point
here and enough just painting a few
random kernels with this brand sienna
and honestly if you don't have it right
in the spot it's not that big of a deal
I'm gonna do some blue cuz our blue corn
kernels
oh speaking of corn it's boyscout
popcorn time we've uh we've got Scouts
on top going here it's uh that means
it's gonna be a Girl Scout magazine and
candy time oh man I know all the
fundraisers happened at the same time
do you think they'd all get together and
say I know why don't we sell popcorn in
the fall and you sell your cookies in
the spring and don't do any of these
other rubbish sales promotions until
then gets to be a bit crazy
alright well I gotta let these blade
together but I kind of like it so you
know you do whatever you prefer and I'm
just darkening that part of the corn cob
there cuz I think it would be in the
shadow of the corn husks and that's easy
all right now we're gonna I'm gonna
pause this and dry this thoroughly and
we're gonna do the same thing on the
other ones alright I decided to kind of
dab some colors and they're destroyed
have those done out of the way and I'm
just going to add someone to this front
one so we can get that done before we
run out of time here just kind of tap
here and there in the middle of the
kernels you don't have to make it fancy
or fussy your pennant ink is already
there and that has done most of the work
for us
alright now to do a shadow around it you
don't have to do that but I will show
you how to do that what you're gonna do
is wet the background and don't go right
up to the edge of your your illustration
go like leave like a
quarter of an inch to an eighth of an
inch gap because if you do have some wet
paint there we want to make sure that's
not going to bleed right out plus your
paint is only going to go where it's wet
so when we go in there with a purple we
can bring it right up to the edge nice
and crisp li and then just let it kind
of fade out so I've wet the paper now
I'm just gonna grab that Marv an
ultramarine blue mix a little more mob
there a little more water there and then
we're just gonna and you can use a
smaller brush if you want this will hold
quite a bit of paint so that might make
you a little nervous but it's up to you
I'm just drawing right along the edge so
it's just gonna get the concentration of
color right up by the corncob then is
gonna fade out into the it's gonna fade
right out into the rest of the
background and you don't even have to
put this in here this is only if you
want that now I can see in a spot where
some of the paint I've just put on on
one of the corn cobs is kind of drifting
out but we can blot that right off I
will invest in a new paper towel and I
will blot that uh-huh so don't worry
about that really need to get some
sponsors I can't invest in that paper
towel I'm kidding I was so kidding like
a whole roll of paper towels don't you
worry this is brought to you by bounty
just kidding it wasn't I have nothing to
do with bounty
oh good lord I'd only get sued by bounty
although I do have some Bounty paper
towels I do have some generic paper
towels I'm probably more likely to buy
the generic your towels and this I have
a coupon oh actually you know what I do
kind of like that I kind of don't want
to blot it off hmm what shall I do
I feel listen I'll tell you that and
then you can um I have to go I don't
think I want to blot it off then you can
add some more shadows and the corn husks
if you want to just have fun with it you
don't have to brush it I'm rushing it
just because I you know don't want to
take too long for video but you take
your time and just enjoy the process
please if you enjoyed this this tutorial
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forget to
always happy crafting I don't know
buh-bye