Mixed media painting in acrylics of a ballerinas shoes, using Golden Paints and Pouncers.

Acrylic painted Ballerina Shoes

The weather we have been having here in Hervey Bay is absolutely gorgeous, so I got inspired to paint a sort of mixed media painting, loosely based on the November mood board and dancing, which this spectacular weather makes me want to do.

I will post a picture of the November moodboard at the bottom of this page.  

To begin with are the products used to create this gorgeous painting.  

Wood panel canvas board

Golden Acrylics... Mars Black
                              Titanium White
                              Cadmium Red Light
                              Cadmium Red dark
                              Gloss Gel medium
                              Gloss Varnish Liquid

Print out of any quote that is relevant to you.
Mod Podge
Golden chain piece
A charm
Pouncers (to create the circles) Picture below.

Paintbrushes, whatever you prefer to use.
Dotting tool

I absolutely love shopping at Art and Soul Studio, Hervey Bay.  It is a little slice of heaven for me, and for any arty person.  This is my favourite part of the shop.......  Look at all the Golden paints!!!!!!  Nirvana!!! I spend ages in the shop on a regular basis just drooling over these paints, and more, so much more.

 So when you get the chance if you are in or near Hervey Bay, definitely pop in to the shop, browse the aisles of bliss, and have a cup of coffee at the new quaint cafe they have.  Or shop online!!!!

 To begin with I put black gesso on my wood panel. Gesso is necessary on wood panels, but not always required on the canvas ones.  I wanted the base to be black so I killed two bird with one stone! I then made a light grey out the black and white paint and drew 5 lines across the top half of the board.

I wanted the whole top half of the board to be covered in pouncer circles, using the same grey as the ones that we used on the lines.  The tone of the greys do not have to be the same, some circles can be more black, and some more white, it adds to the interest of the painting.  If you do not know how to use a pouncer I have included a quick video below.  Basically you wet the pouncer, squeeze out the excess water, spin it in the grey mixture, then slowly and carefully spin it on the canvas, and just repeat this with all different size pouncers.

When you have covered the whole top half of the board with circles, and they are completely dry, it is then time to grab your blue chalk (just normal kids chalk) and trace in the picture of the ballerina shoes.  I will have a traceable at the end of the page if you require one.

This should be what you have done so far.





















Here is a quick time lapse of the pouncers in use.

The next step is to paint the legs using grey tones.  The leg on the left is in front so it should be lighter than the leg behind it.  The shoes are painted white to enable the cadmium red dark to be easily seen over the top of the black gesso. That is basically all you need to be aware of when painting this part.




This is the part where you get the pouncers out again, and do more circles just on the legs and the feet.  Not the shoes or the background.  This just helps the legs stand out a little more from the background.

 Once everything is dry, get the cadmium red dark and paint over the white that is on the shoes.  Once the paint is dry, get the pouncers out again, small ones this time, get some cadmium red light paint and pounce away on the red shoes only.














Mix some of the black paint with the gloss gel medium and get the dotting tool out, dip it in the paint and make dots all over the shoes, except where the cadmium red light circles are.

















Mix some cadmium red dark with the gloss gel medium to make a glaze, then brush it only over the two halves of circles on the top, not the legs.

 Then add some more grey and white pouncer circles over the red glaze to make the painting have some depth.  Using mod podge paste your chosen quote onto the bottom half of the painting.  I chose "I am brave, I am bruised, This is who I'm meant to be, THIS IS ME.'  I glued the chain to each side of her ankle and added the charm that means something to me.  A dragonfly, because even though I have overcome the worst of Anorexia, it is and will always be a part of me.  A quick stroke of cadmium red dark under the ballet shoes for a slight reflection and it is done.  It just needs to be varnished in about three days and voila.  An inspirational, red, bubbly painting that is quite easy and fun to do.  I hope you enjoy painting this as much as did designing and painting it.  I love black and grey colours with a pop of red, it always looks fantastic.





This is the November mood board from Art and Soul Studio.  Absolutely gorgeous as usual.

Here is the traceable for the ballet shoes that I promised.