6 Techniques To Decorate With Country Paint

Country painting is part of the homonymous style that is inspired by rural landscapes. Therefore, it takes elements of the field and turns them into artistic details, with a handcrafted and very homey touch. In general, it is made on wood and rustic materials.

Here we will show you some country painting techniques so you can make your own decorative pieces. You will see that they are very simple to carry out and that they do not take much time. Go ahead and incorporate a piece made by you to your decoration!

Although it can be very simple, this style has elaborate ornaments (especially those that are inspired by nature) such as: animals, trees, wild flowers, field activities, etc.

It should be noted that country painting tends to have farms as its main source of inspiration. Therefore, it is not surprising that it has a very traditional and conservative air. And do not be afraid to combine the delicate (like lace) with something more rustic (wood or wrought iron).

Country paint characteristics

Before mentioning the techniques used in country painting, we consider that it is important that you know what their general characteristics are.

• The colors used are generally opaque and pastels (especially blues, greens, and pinks).
• They seek to create aged and worn effects in the pieces. This gives the feeling that the objects have passed from generation to generation, which creates a greater warmth in the environments and, of course, greater familiarity.
• The most commonly used animal motifs are birds (ducks, chickens, roosters, geese, robins, sparrows, pigeons, etc.).
• The paintings include many floral details mixed with romantic motifs, such as hearts.
• It is not afraid to use different types of cloth to decorate objects. For example, the lids of jam jars are lined, among others.
• The vast majority of objects are exhibited. In fact, hiding them is avoided in order to fill in the spaces and have everything at hand.

Techniques used in country painting

Now, we proceed to comment on the most used techniques for this beautiful and original way of making art.

Points

To give this finish, you need a thin brush. This technique is simple and is widely used since, as you may have imagined, there are many small elements in this type of art.

• Paint is put on the tip of the brush and placed vertically against the canvas. 
• Then, very carefully, it is given a single touch by lifting and letting it dry.
• This same procedure must be followed for the other points.

The fluff

Basically it is about using a sponge, it’s that simple. With it we have the objective of  applying paint on the canvas in a delicate way.

• It can be used to paint the sky or white backgrounds, very characteristic in this type of art.

Shading

Shading is used to make subtle color changes or to outline certain areas. For this technique, you will need an angled brush and fresh paint.

• The brush is dipped in water and shaken to remove the excess.
• Then, it enters the painting with its most protruding point and moves in the painting little by little from left to right.

The splash

To create the splatter effect, use a soft-bristle toothbrush.

• The brush is moistened in the paint and, using the finger, it runs from front to back over the bristles with paint so that it splashes the picture.

• This technique is somewhat diffuse so it is necessary to cover the areas where we do not want to splash to avoid spots.

Pencils

The type of pens you choose is very important. We suggest you get special pens for country painting since they prevent the colors from smearing when applying the lacquer.

In general, pens are used to create small, fine details. For example, they are used to represent sewing threads or sometimes to delineate eyes, noses and mouth.

Plaid and Scottish design

Using a thin brush, thin and thick lines are made to give the appearance that the characters are wearing plaid or Scottish-style clothing. This will give the characters a more country touch.

There are other techniques that are used to make country paintings but the above are the most used. The creator of such a painting must bear in mind that the idea is to give a sense of warmth, harmony and romanticism.