Native Americans in the southwestern U.S. created the practice of painting feathers. It is one truly original art form from the indigenous people in this country. Make a beautiful and original piece of art by using these techniques to paint a feather with acrylics.
Instructions
1. Decorate the quill. Use a small paintbrush and one simple color, like black. Make a simple pattern in a Native American motif to decorate the quill. Paint some arrows or simple decorations like dots and squares.
2. Design the basic layout of the painting that will appear on the feather. The best way to do this is on a piece of paper with a photograph or sketch of a feather. Make a pencil sketch on the paper. The sort of image that works best with feather painting is a nature scene or motif.
3. Begin painting the feather by creating the background. The most striking background will be in a deep color. Dip the paintbrush in water to moisten it and then dab it on a paper towel to remove excess water. The acrylic paint for the background should be very thick and not watered down.
4. Apply the first layer of paint to the feather liberally. The thickness of the paint will create a solid plane surface on the feather. Allow this layer to dry completely, which takes only a few minutes with acrylic paints.
5. Use solid blocks of color to block in the main shapes in the image. Do not worry about detail yet, simply block in basic shapes in the main color. Allow this layer to dry.
6. Add shadows. This can be done by mixing the main colors used for blocking with a small amount of black, brown, blue or gray, depending on the color. Shadow will create dimension and detail.
7. Finish the feather image by adding highlights. Add white or yellow to the basic colors of the image to create the highlight colors. Ensure the highlights consistently hit the same side of the objects as if coming from a single light source.
