Fluff out and adjust the branches. Hang it on your wall with the tapering end on the top, and decorate with lights, etc., and you have an out-of-the-way tree! You can flock these, or paint them to your preference, before hanging. (Gold is really nice!)A friend sprayed swags in light passes so that the green shows,with raspberry, gold, and plum decorating paint, like the kind used for silk flowers, and WOW!
Painterly techniques: 1
Paint object all white, or desired backgound color. Use Spray adhesive on the back of a paper doily of desired size, and place it where you would like it to be "painted in". Paint the whole object again, your desired final color. Sponging works well over the doily. A drier sponge, worked over an area repeatedly keeps the paint from leaking under the doily edges. Let dry. Remove doily, and you have lace, on your project. You can use real doily work, but please note, the paint will ruin it, don't use heirlooms. Pieces with heavy or thick motiffs work better.
Painterly techniques: 2
When I want to paint a very finely detailed image or am not certain of getting the correct shape, I use tracing paper to outline the details of the image I want, pencilling the details I have the hardest time with. Cut around the image, exactly. Place on the spot you want to paint it into. You can use paint to adhere it, or thin, thin, glue. Let it dry, and paint over it. It will not show, and you will have a definite pattern to aid to your confidence!
