Saw Blade Paintings

When I was little, I was always intrigued by a saw blade painting at my foster home. I have seen some since then and I always wanted to make one myself. Today I painted two as gifts. They were free to make and only required an old saw blade and the right painting supplies and a pencil. 

First, I painted a fiery background on one with yellow, red, and orange paints by swiveling my brush in both short and long strokes. I used the same brush and didn't clean it with water; this helped mix the paints. 

I let it dry and traced the edges of a maltese cross and then drew in the rest. I painted maltese cross black and let it dry. I gave it to my neighbor who has been a firefighter ten years and who got me to become a firefighter. 

The second painting began with a complete dark blue background. I then traced a circle and painted the whole inside of it white. To make the moon look good, use off-whites, greys, and very little black. I blotted the paint instead of using strokes and did this while the white paint was still wet. 

I drew and painted the silhouettes of the deer, grass, and barbwire fence. I added clouds with circular strokes and blending then thin white outlines on the clouds facing the moon. 

I really enjoyed painting these and hope that you are inspired to make some art like this too! Share your photos!