A Festive Painted Llama For The Eighth Night Of Chanukah!
Happy 8th night of Chanukah! The brightest and lightest and most joy filled night of this 8 day holiday, that isn’t necessarily connected to a whimsical llama, but why not? I am happy to share with you that I somehow managed to squeeze in two paintings of whimsical llamas, a chanukah miracle in itself, the first is with a Chanukah menorah, but I just took it down as the main photo of this post, as the second one is much better, at least to my eye. (You can see the first try, in my sketchbook if you keep on reading.) Despite a very busy holiday, phew, I got in a tiny bit of creativity, and it certainly did/does give me joy, so don’t forget to find some moments for yourself! I learned how to paint a llama in this artfully loose style from my friend Amanda Evanston in her Insider’s Club, which I do recommend if you want to up your art game! I painted the first in my sketchbook, and the second, here, on paper to gift as art for kid’s rooms or use as cards for any occasion, though truthfully when one is trying to get better at painting the best thing is to paint for the sake of painting, not worrying about what it will be used for! (And that is the great thing about creating in a sketchbook, where you are recording a journey.) If you make 10 or even 20 not so great llamas painted with acrylic paint on watercolor paper, you can always paint over them when you are trying your hand at florals, believe me this is how I roll, often with three paintings on any given sheet of paper!
Ten or twenty paintings you say? Yes, friends, one painting that was labored over for days or even weeks is not the process that makes me happy, or results in the kind of art I want to make or hang in my home. Art that is created quickly or relatively quickly has the energy of the creative process within it, which makes it a living breathing piece of art! Just sayin’!
Wishing you a light filled chanukah holiday, with maybe just an hour or so to make a little llama painting? And if not now, or even this week, hopefully soon!
You’ll Need:
- acrylic paint
- white gesso (which I use as white paint)
- a white paint pen
- permanent markers in a range of colors
- paint pens in a range of colors (I do not have this, but they are preferable to the permanent markers, though the red and blue worked for me here….)
- watercolor paper or a sketchbook
How To:
- Draw the llama and other landscape details on top of a piece of paper you’ve toned with a color or a few colors. You can use a black permanent marker, a white paint pen, or a piece of chalk (the most forgiving.)
- Paint the llama with a mix of colors, you could even use q-tips for this.
- Now paint the mountains and the sky. I used my finger tip for the snow in the foreground.
- Set aside to dry completely and then go back with a white paint marker and permanent markers to add all the fun details!
A painting where I can add a garland of tassels and pom poms is so much fun!
Here he is, the first llama that honestly looks more like a capybara to me, though he is permanently stuck in my sketchbook and I promise not to paint over him, just so happy that he has a place otherwise, he may have been bound for the recycling pile of paintings gone wrong…..
Happy 8th night of Chanukah to you and yours!
