Recently, I tried taking some time off with my family but man, I missed y’all! I was just chomping at the bit to get back to going live on Facebook and chatting and painting with y’all. I almost went live the night before, but reminded myself I made a commitment. So, there I was coffee in hand before 11:00 AM ready to share and paint!
During my time off I picked up a new journal. This is where I’m keeping all my designs for 2021. I get so excited when I get a new journal and just want to start doing every single thing possible. So, I went ahead and started drawing the design for this Mardi Gras themed beginning painting. This acrylic painting tutorial is really an easy DIY step-by-step painting for your Mardi Gras decorations and celebrations!
Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase. It helps fuel my coffee habit so I can keep painting fun stuff for y’all!
Painting the background comes first
We are going to paint the background first. Just put some black and white paint on the canvas, then dip your brush in water and spread the paint around the canvas. You can also add a little Pewter and a thinner white to brighten up the background.
Grab some Yellow, Tuscan Red, White and Vivid Violet paint. Dip your brush in some of the Tuscan Red and White and just start painting a little off center on the canvas towards the right. Then, add a little yellow in there and some of the Vivid Violet. Now, you are going to get a baby wipe, and expose some of the gray. Just play with it a bit. You can always go back and add in the other colors.
Add a tree to the painting
Get some black paint and a 1-inch brush. Just add the tree and ground outline where you want it placed. Remember to make the base of your tree bigger and then branch off at the top. If you are a perfectionist, just take a deep breath and wing it! Trees aren’t perfect, they are bit all over the place.
After your tree and ground are placed, add just little Metallic Festive Green for some grass. Take that same green, mixed with a bit of the black, and Just kind of dab it on the branches and bring it down so it looks like it’s the moss hanging from the branches. If you want you can also add a little metallic green on top of this to give it a little more dimension.
Details make the painting
Grab a 1-inch brush and so glorious Gold Paint and add a thin line on the back left of the tree. Take a liner brush and some white paint and freehand the bird. Using a little of the gold and add in some feathers and fill in his beak. I even added a crown! It was super simple, just kind of like an open heart with a few circles or light bulb shape. Now, take some black and add his legs and an eye.
Using purple, green and yellow paint add some beads to the tree. Just use the back of your brush to add the dots to make your beads. You can put these beads all over the tree and even add one to the bird!
At the request of my live Facebook followers, I added a Mardi Gras mask at the base of the tree. You can add the mask or even add a king cake! And, of course I added glitter. The glitter is up to you, no glitter, all over glitter or even just a little glitter is ok. Just make sure your painting is dry first.
It’s Mardi Gras time
Last but not least, you will add the words “Mardi Gras”. A really easy way to do this is to print the words and use carbon paper to trace the letters. I used the same carbon paper technique on the “O Holy Night” painting. After tracing the letters just paint them in with a liner brush. If you aren’t used to using a paint brush to paint in the lettering you can also use a Posca Pen.
Thank you for painting with me and I hope you had a blast. You can also follow me on YouTube for more beginner painting tutorials.
If you are part of Paint Party Headquarters, you will have access to the tracers and SVG files for this painting. Do you have your own paint party business or want to start one but you aren’t sure how to price your art kits and parties? You can grab your free pricing guide HERE to help you get started, right away!
Happy Mardi Gras Y’all!
Supply List
- Canvas
- Chip Brush
- 1” Paint Brush
- White
- Black
- Pewter
- Tuscan Red
- Vivid Violet
- Brown
- Festive Green
- Primary Yellow
- Purple Rain
- Metallic Festive Green
- Glorious Gold
- Liner Brush
- Metallic Green
- Glitter
