Have #funwithfolkit and go tropical!

This July it is all about those tropical vibes.  As the sun is a little sporadic up here in Yorkshire, we are creating our own sunshine this month.  We are ready to bring a few tropical vibes to our painting this month!

Every month, as well as challenging our Folkers, we also challenge ourselves to get involved with our themes at Folky HQ - often creating a cheeky tutorial and inspirational project along the way. 

That does not mean that it is always easy and to be honest, some themes including this one is probably as much of a challenge for us as it is for the new folkers out there, if not more. Read on to find out more about how Carol got on with this challenge...

When I first saw this theme, my mind freaked out a little.  My background is in decorative painting, traditional designs and colours - all the things that don't scream 'tropical'.  My first step was to sit down and think about what tropical colours were for me.  In my personal life alone I'm not drawn to bright colours so my first stop was good old Google.  Looking for colour palettes that appealed to me, I began to feel inspired and choose some DecoArt colours that matched.

DecoArt Banana Cream, Bright Blue, Desert Turquiose, Orange Flame, Bright Green, Razzle Berry and Indian Turquoise. I used these to mix a brown for the finer details.  

I knew I wanted to try to create something with brushstrokes, they are my favourite go to when I want to relax and switch off.  All I had to do now was try and work out how to create a suitable design using a few brush strokes! 

I soon realised that the hardest part of this challenge was sitting down and committing to painting.  Once I started painting, ideas started popping into my head.  My first idea was bananas and tropical plants and leaves.  This was a great project to use the different sized round brushes in our brand new luxe label brush collection.  Creating a mix of brushstroke leaves and layered ones created a wild jungle feel and a few (lazy) comma strokes were perfect for the bananas! The bonus of this design and traditional Folk Art painting is that it doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, this art form became so popular in the past because it is imperfect and achievable.  When I had finished it, I had really surprised myself as I really loved the final effect this created. What do you think? 

Isn't it funny how our minds discourage us from starting something worthwhile before we have even begun?  Here I was, convincing myself that it was a waste of time and yet I really enjoyed painting and fell in love with the colours as I painted with them.  

Next, I wanted to add more colour so I adapted the techniques from our Oriental Blossom kit to paint a very loose version that to me resembled a more tropical flower.  Just knowing that I was painting on a greetings card and nothing more important took away the worry of failure as I wasn't going to ruin anything 'important'.   Here, I experimented with my liner brush too, adding a few loose outlines to help the delicate yellow flowers stand out.  I can say with complete confidence that this is something I would never have created on my own without the nudge of our #funwithfolkit theme.   So, with that in mind, I'm going to continue to challenge myself to create projects using some bright tropical colours and see what I can come up with that appeals to me, because I'd have never, ever chosen such bright colours without the challenge.

Whether you share just one project or many (or none at all) I do hope you will be inspired to create something new and have fun with Folk It.  Our painting kits are just the beginning of your creative journey and whether you just paint a familiar design in new colours or create something completely unique with the techniques you've learnt from the lessons, you may just surprise yourself. 

If you do have a go and create something tropical you would love to show off, please tag us on social media and include the hashtag #funwithfolkit