hats off to you!

This is the time of year when we tend to do more things indoors because of winter temperatures and weather. I decided to work on something for summer, to bolster my mood and to get a jump start on creating some things that could be enjoyed when the weather is nicer and we head outdoors to sun and fun again.

I was inspired by a book I had downloaded called The Sketchbook Challenge by Sue Bleiweiss that got my creative juices flowing, and decided I was going to paint a hat.

I have a cotton sunhat, and it has two sides. One side is turquoise, my favorite color, and the other is white. We all know that white is a great color for summer, but it is also the hardest color to keep clean, especially on a hat. So I decided I would decorate the white side, and also create something that would show a little less soil.

Materials I used:
acrylic paint in bright colors
Pitt Pens in black ink size S and F
round brushes in size 4 and 6
liner brush in size 1

I started out by just freehand sketching some simple flowers on the hat, because I know me.  If I didn't sketch them in first it would end up looking like someone had vomited flowers all over the hat, and I wanted to have a bit of control.

After sketching the flowers in, I started painting in the flowers, using one of the round paintbrushes.  I kept adding flowers to it until I had them painted in.  Then I took the green Sharpie paint pen and added vines.
After that I added the leaves in with a small round brush.











After all the painting was completed, I took the Pitt Pen in size F and outlined the flowers and the vines and leaves.

That was all there was to it.  It was a lot of fun to paint, and easy to do.  Even though the paint and pens are waterproof, I don't think I am going to test it by washing the hat.  I figure it can be worn until it looks ratty, then it is time to buy a new $5 hat and start painting again!

Have fun and remember every day is a good day when you paint!

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