Perfect Seckel Pear Save-the-Date

September 27, 2012By AllisonHand-Painted Save-the-Dates 1 Comment

The Seckel Pear Save-the-Date has a lovely vintage feel to it. It would be great for the couple who is having a lot of vintage elements in their wedding. I think this vintage aesthetic works wonderfully with an Autumn wedding. There is something so cozy and charming about it. Also pears are seasonally appropriate for … Read More

Perfect Pear Painting

September 26, 2012By AllisonInspired by

Here is another painting I did of the seckel pears from the farmer’s market. Dare I say…would this be the “perfect pair”? Yes, I just went there…and took advantage of the homophone. You’ll want to come back tomorrow, as I have a beautiful Perfect Pear Save the Date up my sleeve for the blog. Seckel … Read More

Inspired by Seckel Pears

September 25, 2012By AllisonInspired by 1 Comment

Here is the finished still life I did a sneak peak of yesterday. While I initially thought I would approach this painting in a very toned back, vintage aesthetic, I ended up getting inspired by the colorful wash I did in the background. This changed the aesthetic a bit to be much more lively. Seckel … Read More

Work in Progress: Seckel Pear Still Life

September 24, 2012By AllisonWork in Progress 1 Comment

Two weekends ago at the farmer’s market I picked up some beautiful seckel pears with the intention of setting up a still life. This past weekend I started that still life. Here is a sneak peak of the painting. I have masked out the candle and the leaf branch during this stage of the painting. … Read More

Lovebirds and my Wedding Cake

September 20, 2012By AllisonHand-Painted Reception

My wedding cake designed and created by Debbie Celenza (my mom). Photographed by Hoffer Photography. Today I’m sharing with you one of the special elements of my own wedding…my wedding cake! As you can see one of the themes I incorporated into my wedding was the lovebirds theme. I grew up with birds as pets, … Read More

Inspired by Antique Bird Cages continued

September 17, 2012By AllisonInspired by

As hinted in last week’s post I decided to build onto the Antique Bird Cage painting by adding pieces of the background and adding the two cute lovebirds. I’ve been very attracted to warm colors recently. I think it is the change in seasons and my love of autumn color palettes of oranges, warm purples, … Read More

Follow me on Pinterest

September 14, 2012By AllisonAnnouncements

Hand-Painted Weddings is a HUGE fan of Pinterest! So far, I have pinned 785 pins…and counting. Clearly my “Watercolor” board takes up the majority of the pins I pin. Pinterest has been great for watercolor inspiration because most of the blogs I follow are design or wedding blogs, which sometimes do posts on watercolors, but … Read More

Inspired by Jean Haines’ Atmospheric Watercolors book

September 13, 2012By AllisonInspired by

I just purchased this incredibly inspiring watercolor book last week that I am so excited about! I love Jean Haines‘ style. I am always trying to push myself as an artist. This style of expressive watercolors is very different from my normal controlled way of painting, and I think that is why I love it … Read More

Made My Day: Red wild flowers

September 12, 2012By AllisonMade my Day 1 Comment

Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings. Over the weekend, I went to a different farmer’s market than I usually visit on the weekends since I was going to the Renaissance Faire during my usual farmer’s market time. Side note: The Renaissance Faire is so fun! I totally recommend visiting one if you get the chance. We went … Read More

Commissioned Watercolor: Start to Finish

September 11, 2012By AllisonIn the Studio

Yesterday I showed you one way I work from photos, and today I’m showing you the more literal way I sometimes work from photos for commissioned watercolors. In my commissioned watercolors, I start with a pencil sketch. If a client wants me to crop out sections of the photograph or zoom into an portion, that … Read More

Inspired by Antique Bird Cages

September 10, 2012By AllisonInspired by

Aren’t these antique bird cages beautiful? I spotted them in May during a trip to Terrain at Styers. This is the view into the cafe area. I spend hours in this shop every time I visit. There is so much attention to detail put into the interiors. It is very inspiring. I am sharing the … Read More

Inspired by “In the Make” blog

September 7, 2012By AllisonInspired by 1 Comment

In the Make blog is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs. For one, the concept is beautiful….capturing and cherishing the spirit of the artist, their art, and their studio space in a absolutely stunning way. The photographs are honestly my favorite part. The artists behind this blog photograph very candid, authentic glimpses of these … Read More

Textures Study

September 6, 2012By AllisonWork in Progress

Paintings by Hand-Painted Weddings. I’ve been playing around with the textures in watercolor lately. Mixing techniques of washes with loose brushstrokes, and watching what naturally happens as the paint interacts on the paper. I’ve also been playing around with the beauty of mixing in complementary colors into scenes as accents, as seen above when I … Read More

Nostalgic for Italy

September 5, 2012By AllisonMade my Day

Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings. My husband is going on a weeklong trip to Rome next week with his MBA class, and it has me nostalgic for my last trip to Italy. This is a painting I did of the view at the edge of the island of Burano in Venice. This painting is very different … Read More

Morning Glory: A Lesson in Gratitude

September 4, 2012By AllisonMade my Day

Paintings by Hand-Painted Weddings. Did you know that the morning glory flower lives for one day? Well, actually, it is less than a day. It blooms when the sun comes up and wilts and dies by sunset. I bought a morning glory plant this year, and it is honestly so exciting to see one of … Read More

Free DIY tutorial: Apple Leaf Escort Cards

August 31, 2012By AllisonDIY Tutorials

Photos by Hand-Painted Weddings. Today I’m offering my first DIY tutorial with free artwork download! The apple leaf escort cards would be perfect in conjunction with the Back-to-School invitation. It would also work very nicely with any fall-themed table setting, whether at a wedding, bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner. Materials: Cardstock. I used Epson Ultra … Read More