Chevron Everywhere!

Chevron Fabric Projects
excerpt reprinted with permission from
HouseSittingJobs.com. edited by @schulmanArt, Miriam Schulman

4x4" mini art- flowers with chevron stems

If adding the chevron pattern to a wall or a piece of furniture seems a little too bold for your style, why not supplement your room with an accent pillow or curtains? The following eight blog entries are full of ideas that add just a touch of pattern to your rooms.

• How to Make Perfect Chevron Stripes Every Time If you’re struggling with getting your stripes just right, then this is the post for you! This blogger gives you step by step instructions for perfect lines every time.
• DIY Chevron Dress Tutorial: Part Two—Painting the Stripes Your stripes don’t have to be confined to fabrics found in your home; with the help of this blogger, you can add them to your clothes, too!
• DIY Chevron Painting & Headboard Fabric  Painting chevron on a canvas is a good way to start implementing the pattern into your home. This blogger will show you how to make a DIY headboard featuring this funky print.
• DIY Project: Block-Printed Chevron Fabric By carving the chevron pattern into wood you can make a stamp and stamp the pattern onto fabric.
• DIY Painted Chevron Curtains Turn store bought curtains into one-of-a-kind works of art by painting them yourself.
• DIY Chevron Stripe Shower Curtain Looking to renovate your bathroom? You can personalize your shower curtain by painting it with a chevron pattern for updated décor.
• DIY Chevron Stripe Lamp Shade If you can’t paint your walls, try adding the stripes onto a lampshade instead.

And for those who are less crafty-- here are the best of the best chevron picks found on etsy for adding soft chevron decor!

Painting Chevron Stripes on Furniture

More Do-it-Yourself Ideas!!
excerpt republished with permission from Sitters., edited by @schulmanArt
 

Art box by SchulmanArt

Furniture
Walk through any trendy boutique and you’ll notice one thing: chevron stripes have overtaken furniture. Unfortunately, this trend usually comes with a rather high price tag as well. You don’t have to pay high prices to have high style, though! Instead, follow these eight blog articles to recreate the trend with the furniture you have.

• How to Paint Chevron Stripes The stripes this blogger added to this coffee table give it a fun and funky twist!
• China Cabinet Gets a Dose of Chevron Stripes To add an interesting pop, try adding chevron to the inside of a cabinet, like this blogger did.
• How to Transfer a Chevron Pattern from Fabric to Furniture This blogger used fabric to create a line to follow when she was painting.
• Cheap & Easy Before & After: How to Paint Chevron Stripes Turn an inexpensive shoe rack into a one-of-a-kind piece of art that puts the fun in functional.
• How to Paint Chevron Stripes Start out with a small project, like this tray, to get the hang of painting chevron stripes, then move onto bigger painting projects, like an accent wall or furniture.
• Chevron Stenciled Laundry Basket Idea Sometimes all you need is one small accent piece to add a little extra flair to a room.
• Chevron Bookcase If you’d like to add a chevron pattern to your home, but are afraid of going too bold, start with this small project.
• Chevron & Chalk Paint Table for My {Someday} Craft Room This blogger used several different techniques to create this unique table.

Get inspired by these hand crafted furniture pieces on etsy! ( or collect an irresistible chevron piece for your own home)

Decorating Idea: Painting DIY Chevron Strips on Walls

Best Blogs Detailing How to Paint Chevron Stripes on Walls

republished with permission from Sitters., edited by @schulmanArt

Chevron on bookcases, peacock art for sale

The chevron pattern is the latest trend in stripes, with the funky design adding a fun twist on an old staple. This bold look is everywhere, from clothing to decorative pillows, comforters and curtains to furniture. People are even using the trendy design as inspiration for accent walls in their home. If the bold motif has caught your eye, then learn how to paint the pattern on your walls!

Walls
Committing to a chevron pattern on your wall is a bold step, but it’s also one that can breathe fresh life into an otherwise dated room. Before you begin painting, you’ll want to make sure that you do a good job prepping the walls. After all, the better the prep job, the better the final product. Once you’ve prepped the walls you can start taping and painting! These eight blog posts will explain how to create the chevron pattern with tape, making the actual painting a piece of cake.

• Do it Yourself: How to Paint Chevron Stripes on a Wall This post offers step by step instructions for making an otherwise boring wall a dynamic addition to a room.
• Boring Kitchen No More! {Chevron Wall} Find taping suggestions on this blog post that will help you create crisp, clean lines with the chevron print.
• How to Paint Perfect Stripes on Textured Walls Textured walls can pose a problem when it comes to maintaining straight lines, but this post offers a good trick that will help you keep the paint from seeping under the tape.
• Pinterest Challenge: Chevron Entry Wall This blogger uses Frog tape to seal the edges of the stripes.
• How to Paint a Chevron Stripe You don’t need to spend hours measuring out precise lines to get the perfect chevron pattern; just follow the instructions this blogger gives to create chevron stripes with minimal fuss.
• DIY: Painting Multicolor Chevron Stripes After reading through the instructions offered by this blogger, you’ll see that creating this pattern isn’t very difficult at all.
• DIY Tutorial: How to Chevron Paint a Wall You can manipulate the pattern of your stripes through different taping methods, which is all thoroughly explained in this post.

Do it yourself projects are not for everyone-- you may need a little help from a stencil, a decal, or just put a piece of chevron wall art on your walls to jazz them up with this trend. Here are some great ideas I found while browsing etsy today looking for chevron walls!

watercolor portrait demo of Harvard Business School

Hahvahd, Hahvahd, Rah, rah, rah!
by Miriam Schulman, @schulmanArt

Commission a portrait or collect a print!

I got commissioned to paint Harvard Business School from someone looking for a creative graduation gift for her husband. I had a lot of fun painting this stately building... just check out my demonstration... the video is only about 6 minutes long. Of course it took me a LOT longer to paint this.

What do you think makes a good gift for a recent grad?



Facebook Giveaway!
Looking for more Boston scenes? I am giving away an 8x10" print of this downtown Boston scene in my weekly facebook giveaway contest! (you can also buy a print of it from my etsy store)

Looking for a graduation gift? Look at the great finds on etsy today!!

Portrait Painting Demonstration in Watercolor

Challenges of Commissioned Portraits by @schulmanArt

Portrait commissions are the most demanding and the less I have under my control the harder the commission becomes. For example, I like to control the lighting and the photograph. Starting with a great photo makes my job easier. For this portrait commission, I was provided with a dramatically lit photo that I suspect the client took herself with a cellphone camera in her bathroom mirror. Most artists would have run the other way when presented with this ( in an online art group that I participate in, I shared my challenge and one artist said "That's why I only paint cats") For this painting, I had to look past the photo's flaws and present the person in a more flattering light while still capturing her likeness. My client is absolutely thrilled with the result, so I knew I did my job. Here is a sped up video ( I think I worked on this for about two hours... not including the drawing time....) to share my watercolor process with you. If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, you can explore my website or etsy offerings. To learn how to paint in watercolor, check out one of my affordable online watercolor classes.



By the way, mother's day is right around the corner. I am offering a FREE upgrade to priority mail shipping through Wednesday so you can pick out your last minute mother's day gifts from my etsy shop!

Here are some other ideas for mother's day I found on etsy today...things that I would want for myself-- since I am a mother too!
etsy finds

May Flowers Have Arrived in time for Mother's Day!

mother's Day is May 12th!

She will think of you every time someone compliments her on this pretty floral handbag!

Gasp-- did may sneak up on you early? At least we have until May 12th this year to pick out our mother's day gifts. My mother is getting a tempered glass cutting board with my pink peony design, but I picked out three great ideas for you in all price ranges that are pretty and practical for mom. I know she will love them, don't you?!

online watercolor class

And if your mom is a do it yourself kind of gal, consider buying her my online art class!

Tempered Glass Cutting Board that is a work of art for your tablescape!

Perhaps the two of you can do it together, a great way to bond over a new hobby that you can share no matter how many miles apart you are!

 A tulip cover adorns the lid of this tea box (also great as a recipe box for Mom!)

In this class I demonstrate from start to finish how to create the tulip watercolor that is featured on all of these accessories...
I also give in detail many of my watercolor secrets from choosing the right materials and full demonstrations on several projects that are interesting for experienced students and also will not frustrate beginners.

This is a self paced class and the first ten people to sign up get the class for $45~ You also get a refund for every new person you get to sign up!
Hope to see you in class!!

Class content available beginning May 6, 2013.

Check out all the secrets I found on etsy today!!

Giving Away 10 prints on Kelly Rae's Blog today

Put on your party dress, it’s time to celebrate! I’m so excited to announce that I’m a part of Kelly Rae Roberts' incredible line up of sponsors for her highly anticipated Hip Hip Hooray Giveaway Party. She hosts this party once a month on her blog, and TODAY is the day, friends. The party has started and YOU are invited! Hop on over to her blog today and enter to win a ton of amazing party favors from her generous sponsors.  I’m giving away 10 PRINTS OF MY GRASSHOPPER, tHE sUMMER dAY!, and there are lots of other giveaways being offered as well. Woohoo! I love a good party and I’m thrilled to be a part of this one. See you there!

What party dress are you going to wear??? Found great ones on etsy!