Budgie Beauties Impasto Painting Workshop @ Green Door Studios

What We Did

• Sourced references from gardens, florists, and online platforms like Canva or Creative Market.

• Applied two coats of acrylic paint to our canvas (choosing a base colour based on the darkest tone). The first coat was done the day before, allowing at least 4 hours drying time between coats (longer in winter, shorter in summer).

• Premixed colours and added light moulding paste (no more than 50%) to achieve the desired texture and relief.

• Organised a clean and open workspace, laying out palette knives and brushes for easy access.

• Worked on a flat, easy-to-clean surface, creating paint pools from dark to light.

• Traced or projected the budgies composition on the canvas, using a 2B pencil.

• Followed the example images provided and worked from dark to light, thinner to thicker.

• Selected the most appropriate knives, brushes, and tools to form our initial shapes, continuing this process throughout.

• Practised a brush or palette knife techniques on palette to test techniques and colour combinations.

• Used brush and impasto first and then palette knife for thicker parts of painting, working from dark to light and considering the light source.

• Stepped back frequently to assess progress and plan the next steps.

• Maintained a clean and organised workspace.

• Once complete, allowed the painting to dry flat for at least 48 hours (longer in winter).

• Sealed and protected the painting with Matisse oil-based satin or matt varnish (ensure to mix well, especially the bottom bit!).

Note: Always read the instructions on all painting materials.

What We Used

• High-quality triple-primed stretched canvas (300gsm or more). We used a 30 x 30 cm Canvas Art Triple Primed Canvas, 350gsm.

• Matisse texture acrylic paints.

• Matisse light modelling paste and standard modelling paste.

• Flat paint tray for mixing colours.

• Water jar and paper towels.

• Assorted palette knives (round and pointed) – my preferred brand is Art Spectrum for its quality and selection.

• Assorted brushes (fine, wedged, and filbert) – favourite brand is Princeton.

• Liquitex paddle brush for applying base colour.

• 2B Pencil

Art Suppliers

• Art Supplies Australia

• Riot Art & Craft

• Art on King

• The Sydney Art Store

Learn More About Materials & Tools

• Winsor & Newton – Education

• Matisse – Video Library

• Princeton Brushes

• Rosemary Brushes

Coming Up in 2025

• 16 Feb: Painting Teacups - BOOK

  23 Mar: Painting Vibrant Citrus - BOOK

  24 Aug: Magpies & Cockatoos - BOOK

  19 Oct: Impasto Poppies - BOOK

  7 Dec: Birds By The Sea - BOOK

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