Hi, this is Pamela from Flower Patch Farmhouse, I am here to share with you a fun painting tutorial.
Today I am going to show you how to paint a birds nest. They are a great natural decorative touch. I make it as fast and easy as I can.
At the moment I am loving the look on dark stained wood but this would work just as well on a painted background or a canvas.
I attached a video of painting a nest here too, I learn so much more from video than just photos.
If you want to see how I put the boards together click on over to my website..How I Attach Boards Together
Now lets get started.
Chalk in your oval or nest shape as a guideline.
I used a 1 inch flat brush to paint the nest materials. I start by laying in the dark brown and black, the center you want to be very dark to help set the back drop for the eggs.
Next loosely paint the brown and black nesting material, think straw, small branches or whatever birds use.
You can use a bottle acrylic for this entire painting but I mostly used DecoArt Chalky Finish paint on this particular one.
The brown is called Rustic and the Black is Carbon.
I used a bit of a mossy green (DecoArt Chalky Finish Enchanted) and slashed in more lines and curves, keep it loose and try not to overdo it.
Less is more. You don’t need to let each color dry but acrylics and the chalky finish paint do dry quickly when lightly applied.
I painted in some crackled finish (which is clear so you cannot see it) so the next layers will have a crackled effect giving it a bit more interest and texture.
I also painted some crackle finish into the center where the eggs will sit.
Now for some light, this is the light yellow by DecoArt Chalky Finish called Delicate.
I felt I got it too yellow so I added in some darker brown (Burnt Umber bottled acrylic).
Now chalk in your eggs. They do not have to be perfect, just egg shaped.
I mixed two blues of the DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint to get a blue I liked for the eggs (Serene & Escape).
I painted it in quickly so as not to lift it as the crackle finish is activated. If you go over it too much it will lift off the paint.
Now shadow a bit around the eggs, some are sitting in front of others. Add a touch of highlights at the top of the eggs.
Add in a few more swipes of nest materials over and around the eggs.
And Voila! You have a rustic hand painted bird nest painting.
Don’t forget to sign your work!
Once the paint is thoroughly dried I finished mine with an exterior varathane in case I want to hang it out on my back or front porch but if you make it for indoors you can also just wax it.
Again here is the video to of how to paint a nest.
Would you like to see more painting tutorials? Feel free to visit my website/blog at Flower Patch Farmhouse, just click on Learn to Paint in the toolbar for a list of tutorials I have completed so far.
I will be adding more. I would love for you to subscribe to my blog to get all the updates straight to your inbox.
You may also like
Pamela,
The tutorial post is wonderful. I will give this technique a try now that you gave me the tools.
Great Job,
Karen Marie
Dragonfly & Lily Pads
Wow! I love this rustic art SO much, Pamela! Great job! (And your tutorial is helpful to someone like me who thinks I can’t paint objects! LOL)
Laura / Pet Scribbles recently posted…Farmhouse Decor DIY: Lazy Susan
This is sooooo pretty! I want to try my hand at painting a nest now. Thanks so much for the tutorial!
Jennifer @ Town and Country Living recently posted…Late Summer Vignette with Sunflowers