Annie Lang's Blog!

It's time to break out the brushes and get this year's ornaments ready for Holiday annual decorating here that begins the day after Thanksgiving!  Being naturally attracted to more "out of the box" surfaces to paint, I stumbled on these adorable little mini gourd ornaments that will be simply perfect for my small Christmas tree display.  Each one of these real gourds is unique and on average range in size from 1.25" to 2".  These along with many other varieties of Amish family farm grown gourds from Pennsylvania Dutch Country, in Lancaster County are available for sale through a co-op venture you can find online at amishgourds.com    I found that permanent marker brushes and pens were ideal for turning these mini gourd ornaments into tiny birdhouses.  Gourds are naturally porous so they really absorb the color well.  Start with lighter colors and then gradually work in the darker colors for best results.  If you want to add outlining, it's easily done u

Whether you want to take up art as a hobby, want to encourage a budding artist, or simply need great gift ideas for your favorite creative, I've compiled a list of some basic "necessities" to get anyone off to a great start!  You can easily be overwhelmed when browsing the art  and craft store shelves, especially if you don't know exactly what it is you are looking for.  The ideas I've listed are all basics that I personally use here in my studio.  I tend to shop for supplies online which usually keeps me within my budget and helps me keep up with the latest products once I read the reviews feedback and watch the promo videos if available.  Please note that I DO NOT get endorsement fees or rewards for any of the branded products I've posted here! Let's get started! SKETCHING KIT This kit has everything you need all neatly organized in a travel friendly carrying case.  This Kalour sketching kit is manufactured by Love Art and has everything one needs to ex

Download this free "Mr. Lucky " character line art pattern and make this your lucky day!  This design was originally hand painted as a calendar art project and it's a timeless image guaranteed to make you smile.  I transferred the design onto tracing paper, placed the tracing over a sheet of graphite paper and then transferred it onto a sheet of Acrylic Paper.  The entire design was colored using acrylic craft paints that were thinned with water to create this sample project.   Here's an expanded view of the paper used to paint this sample project.  I've use this acrylic paper for years with all types of mediums including watercolor brushes, markers, inks, gouache, tempera and tube acrylics.  This paper has a smooth linen weave finish and canvas-like texture that grabs the medium and holds the vibrancy of your colors.  It's a quality heavy weight paper that doesn't bleed through to the backing and best of all, doesn't curl when wet!  I seems a bit pr

Spring will be here soon so now is the perfect time to get ready for the return of our fine feathered friends!  I made my first gourd birdhouse in 2017 and it's time to replace it with a newer model.  I'm pleased it held up this long under the harsh winter and summer weather events we've experienced here in Michigan over the past few years and I expect it will be the same for this new gourd.  Unlike many of the wooden birdhouses I've had, the original gourd birdhouse has been continually occupied by a variety of nesting bird families for the last four years.  I can hardly wait for the snow to melt so I can hang my new one up amid the blossoming tree branches.  I wasn't able to locate a dried gourd locally, but was fortunate to find one to order online from Gourdaments  .  I hope you enjoy and happy birdwatching! UPDATE It only took a few days after hanging the new gourd birdhouse before a new family of birds began using it!  Within the next several weeks, the tree w

September is here so it's time to get your scarecrows on!  They're fun, they're silly and they're so easy to make.  Just grab your autumn colors, your brushes and your imagination and let's GO wherever the creative winds may blow us!  You'll find dozens of seasonal scarecrow characters and autumn pumpkins at Annie Lang's Book Store .  You can download the .pdf version of " Scarecrows in the Pumpkin Patch " right now or order the paperback edition from Amazon.   Want to draw your own characters?  See how Annie Lang creates her Scarecrows with a digital pen in Photoshop in this short YouTube video.  If you work with digital art, you'll enjoy mix and matching Annie's Scarecrows Character Clipart to make your own Autumn fun!  You can download these characters and more at Annie Lang's Creative Market Store. Hope I'll see y'all in the Pumpkin Patch!    

Here's a quick and easy way to jazz up your warm weather plastic drinkware items!  All you need are paint pens and anyone can finish this project in no time at all.  My pictured sample was painted on clear plastic items I use for summertime entertaining.  I lightly sand areas that will be painted before I begin so I can lightly draw the artwork in pencil as my guide but you can also skip the drawing and jump right into freestlye painting if you choose.  The paint pens I use are waterproof, opaque and dry quickly.  I just color in the areas with a medium tip pen and then outline with a black pen.  Once the drinkware is finished, it can be washed by hand using soap and water as it will not hold up well if you put it in your automatic dishwasher.  I've added the link to the paint pens I use and since they're good on nearly all outdoor projects, they get a lot of use around here!  Below you'll find the full size color character art pattern I used to complete the sample pr

You'll enjoy this fresh slice of country apple project design and it's so easy to paint, you'll find them addictive!  I used a beveled edge 8" unfinished wood heart for the sample project, but you can use any size heart and adjust the pattern to fit.  Smaller hearts are perfect for making coasters, trivets, ornaments and more.  To download the full size project, CLICK HERE to visit my DIY page.  I hope you enjoy your apples! NOTE: If you can't find wood heart shapes at you local store, I found some links on Amazon  .  Michaels had this one with handle attached and inexpensive large shapes made of luan that will work.

Here's a quick and easy way to add a folksy look to any decorative planter, container or any other creative surface you may have onhand.  Whether it's terra cotta pots, a wooden * wheelbarrow like the pictured sample or a simple metal bucket, anyone can paint this design up super quick with only a few craft paints and basic brushes.  Paint colors used for the original design shown are white, dark green, yellow, orange and country red but you can use any colors of your choice.  I used DecoArt patio paints that hold up well for outdoor use, but you can use craft paints and then seal with clear finish when paint has dried. Below you'll find the repeatable design you can use as a pattern or coloring guide.  Use a flat brush to paint checkerboard squares, round brushes for the flowers and a liner to paint freestyle lines through the squares.  To download the design, just click the image below and save to your computer.  Enjoy! *NOTE:  The pictured wheelbarrow is no longer

As a Grandma, I try to keep a stash of rainy day projects on hand for those days when outdoor play is not an option for the grandkids.  You may have seen painting/coloring kits for kids in the crafting aisles at your local stores that usually sell for $2.99-5.99 each, depending on size and materials included.  I was able to create the 3 sample 6"x 6" packaged coloring kits for $1.98 each.  I could have added paint pods, mini markers, mini pencils or party crayons for .50 more, but I have plenty of coloring media on hand here in my studio for the kids to choose from.  We all know kids can't sit still for long periods of time so plan projects accordingly!  Toddlers need very simple art and materials which make crayons or color pencils an ideal choice.  Older kids can handle more challenging art and materials and though their attention span is better than a toddler's, they usually can't handle projects that take more than 30 minutes to successfully complete. So l

Here's a quick and easy project you can easily make with the kids on a rainy afternoon! You'll need craft paint, brushes, a small piece of black cardstock or posterboard, scissors and paper mache cone shapes.  I purchased a 6 pack of cones online to use for other character projects like angels, santas, candy corn, pumpkins and ghosts.  I paid half the price for the cones I found at local craft supply stores so buying in bulk was a good choice for me.  Here's a basic step-by step of how I created the Wishing Witch character.  You can add any embellishments or paint colors to make it your own.  So let's get creative and make a wish! You can right click and "save" the free pattern below!  When your witch is finished, just write a wish on a piece of paper, tuck it under the cone and wait for the magic to happen!  Enjoy and feel free to share this link ...