One Stroke FAQ

Wet your brush and gently tap on a paper towel to remove excess water. Pick up paint by dipping one corner of the brush in one color.

Dip the opposite corner of the brush in another color. This will form triangles at each corner of the brush.

Stroke brush back and forth on a clean spot on your palette to blend the paint.

Flip brush over to the other side and push it away from you, blending on the same spot on the palette. Be sure to keep the colors in the same spot on the blending area of the palette.

Notice how a correctly loaded and blended brush should look. The paint fills the brush 3/4ths of the way up the brush, but does not get into the ferrule of the brush. When the brush is loaded correctly, your strokes should feel as though the bristles glide.

If the brush is coarse or splits, you do not have enough paint on the brush. Reload the brush as needed, but do not blend on the palette after each reload or your paint will start to become muddy in your brush, with the colors blending together.

Load a flat brush with Thicket and Sunflower. Make guidelines in a "v" to help keep the top of your leaf even.

Begin at one guideline with the flat side of the brush. Have the green side of brush to the outside. Touch down with brush.

Push and wiggle the stroke.

Begin turning brush as you get to tip.

Turn and slide as you pull brush up to chisel edge.

Make both sides of the leaf in this same way.

To make a turned edge on the leaf: Begin making a leaf in the same way, as you get to the middle of leaf, pull brush up to chisel.

Twist brush 180 degrees and flip to other side.

Make another shell-shaped petal on the left side of the rose bud.

Continue adding the shell-shaped petals below the bud until you have painted four petals.

Clean up the bottom of the bud by restroking over the bottom stroke.

Paint a comma stroke on each side of the bud, ending on the chisel.

Make a comma stroke just under the bud for the last petal of the rose.

Double or triple load your brush. Make one shell- shaped petal of the rose at a time. Start with the lighter colors to the outside.

Wiggle and pull the brush as you pivot the brush into a curve. You will have a slightly scalloped outer edge.

End the stroke on the chisel edge to complete the first petal.

Make some guideline dots in a circle to help you determine the positioning of the five outer petals. Overlap each petal onto the previous one.

Paint the five shell-shaped petals to complete the outer skirt of the rose.

Next, paint a rose bud in the center of these outer petals. Make the top part of the bud, overlapping it onto outer petal #1.

Next, paint the bottom stroke of the rose bud.

To begin painting the inner row of petals, touch the brush at the right of the rose bud. Make another shell-shaped petal here.

Load the flat brush with Dioxazine Purple and School Bus Yellow. Touch chisel edge of brush.

Pull the brush into a curve.

End brush on the chisel edge.

FolkArt® Floating Medium (#868) helps paint flow more smoothly, thus aiding your brush strokes. It should be used when you are painting on any surface that is not slick. It's especially helpful when painting on walls. Use this medium for painting shadows or for watercolor effects.

Reverse the start/end directions. Always start where it says end and end your stroke where it says start.

Because the mini brushes (#2, #6, #8, and #10) are so narrow, they can't be loaded like the standard and large brushes.

To load, dampen the brush and blot on a paper towel to dry. Dip the entire bristle section of the brush into the darker paint puddle. Pull the brush out of puddle to smooth paint into bristles.

Pull one edge of the brush along the edge of the lighter paint puddle.

Thin your paint with water to an inky consistency. Load brush by rolling it in the paint puddle.

When the brush is loaded with paint, twist and roll out of the puddle.

Load the flat brush with School Bus Yellow OR School Bus Yellow and Wicker White. Touch chisel edge of brush to surface and lean.

Pull brush towards you. Push slightly to widen stroke. End up on chisel and lift.

Make these teardrop strokes in a circle to create the daisy. Make strokes at various angles.

Use the brush handle to dot a center in daisy.

Paint individual shell-shaped petals using a flat brush loaded with Dioxazine Purple and Wicker White. Start at left side of petal. Pull brush in a curve as you wiggle. End on chisel.

Make 5 overlapping shell-shaped petals.

Add individual teardrop-shaped petals at bottom of pansy.

Using a flat brush, determine the width of the rosebud by making 2 vertical lines to use as your guidelines. Double or triple load your brush with a dark color and a highlight color.

Position the brush so that the light color of paint is at the right side of the brush. Make the top of the bud first. Position the chisel edge of the brush at the left.

Pull brush into a curve, ending at the opposite guideline with the brush up on the chisel edge.

Make the lower "U" shaped section of the bud by starting on the chisel at the left guideline.

Pull brush in a curve to opposite guideline, ending on the chisel edge of the brush. Make another layer of the bottom stroke, positioning stroke just slightly lower than the first.

To make the calyx, double load the same flat brush with your leaf color and highlight color. Start with the chisel edge at the base of the bud.

Lean and pull the brush and lead with the lighter edge of brush as you pull stroke along the side of the bud. Do not bend the wrist, but pull arm.

End the calyx on the chisel edge as you lift the edge of brush.

Load flat brush with Dioxazine Purple and Wicker White, as shown. Touch chisel edge and flip away from you.

Make petals that angle away from the stem, as shown in photo.

Load flat brush with Berry Wine and Sunflower or Wicker White. Touch brush to surface to begin the center back petal.

Wiggle and push brush up side of petal. Pull brush up to chisel edge at tip. When you reach tip, do not lift brush.

Pull brush back down other side of petal as you wiggle and push.

Make a side petal using the same technique as the center petal, however, just make one side.

For the inside edge of the side petal, make an "S" stroke.

Paint in stem first. For flower, load brush with Night Sky and Wicker White. Touch chisel edge to surface, slightly above stem.

Lean brush towards you, pull and lift. Lead with the white edge.

Paint a series of petals down the stem, working strokes from left to right.

First, make the two loops of the bow.

Make the tails and add a small dot for the knot.

When making curliques you need an inky consistency of paint then pull the script liner brush in spirals, as shown in the photo.

Load the scruffy brush with Thicket, Sunflower and a little Wicker White (optional). Pounce an irregular half circle, with the darker color on the outside.

Move across, overlapping half circles.

Load the brush with Burnt Umber and Wicker White. Touch brush to surface at an angle.

Lead with light color and pull, twist, release as you make an uneven line.

Release pressure and lift at end of branch. If you run out of paint, reload and begin slightly overlapping end of last stroke.

First, load the flat brush with Ticket and Sunflower. Start on chisel edge.

Then pull strokes upward. Do not tilt wrist.

Load brush with Thicket and Sunflower. Begin on chisel edge, leading with Sunflower.

Pull brush along with arm, do not tilt wrist. Lift at end.

Make intertwining vines by crossing over original vine.

Load the flat brush with Thicket and Sunflower. Start by touching flat side of brush.

Push brush down and pivot, turning green side slightly toward tip.

As you get close to end of leaf, pull up on chisel edge at tip.

Pull the brush along in an uneven line.

Cross the vine with other lines to make an intertwining look.

Load brush with Dioxazine Purple and Wicker White. Pounce loaded brush into a half circle shape, with darker color on outside.

Paint a second layer by making a smaller half circle to overlap the first one.

Pounce down to a point, leaning brush as you taper to finish flower.

Load flat brush with Green Forest and School Bus Yellow. Touch on chisel edge to start.

Pull brush to flat edge, lean and pull to make the long leaf.

To make a folded leaf: Pull up to chisel edge and slide it to the side slightly.

Pull brush back down, twist slightly, and end on chisel.

Two of the most used Brush Types are Flat Brushes and Scruffy Brushes. These brushes, when combined with the paint, instructions and worksheets, make painting fun and easy!

• One Stroke Flat Brushes have longer bristles and less thickness than other flat brushes, so they have a much sharper chisel edge. A sharp chisel edge is essential as strokes start and end on the chisel edge. Flat brushes are used for painting roses, flowers, leaves, and ribbons.

For the beginning painter, it’s easier to work with larger brushes, for example a ¾” or #12 Flat, than smaller brushes. Dampen the brush in water and pat dry.

Technique Tip: Double Loading is an easy way to mix two colors of paint together on a palette to create a variety of color within a single brush stroke.

1. Dip a corner of the brush into each of two colors, allowing the paint to meet in the middle of the bristles.
2. On the palette, stroke the brush back and forth, spreading the paint out and also pulling more paint into the brush.
3. Re-dip each corner with the same color paint, and get ready to paint!

To clean Flat Brushes, rake the bristles gently across the bottom of the Brush Caddy, or wash with warm soapy water. Pat dry.

• One Stroke Scruffy Brushes are a lot of fun to use. Remove the brush from the package and gently pull the bristles into an oval shape. Then, twist the bristles gently in the palm of your hand, while maintaining the oval shape.

Technique Tip: This brush is not used with water. To clean after painting is finished, gently pounce the bristles in the Brush Caddy - don’t rake them, as the bristles can break. Allow brush to dry completely before using again.

Loading the Scruffy Brush: follow the same instructions as double loading the flat brush, but, instead of stroking the brush back and forth, pounce the Scruffy Brush up and down to spread out and pull in more paint – and push hard!

When painting your project, be careful not to pounce too hard, so that colors remain separate – not muddy.

Preparing Garments:
Wash and dry the garment according to manufacturer's instructions before painting. This will remove sizing and excess dye and guard against shrinkage after painting. Do not use fabric softener. Iron the garment so it's smooth.

Using and Placing Patterns:

1. It's a good idea to plan the placement of the pattern before you transfer it to the garment. Pin the pattern where you'd like it to go. Try the garment on and observe in mirror to achieve ideal placement.
2. Trace the original pattern onto tracing paper with a pencil or pen.
3. To transfer, place the item to be painted on your work surface and lay the traced pattern in position on project. Slip transfer paper between pattern and item. Trace pattern with stylus to transfer it.

Using a Shirtboard:
Place a cardboard shirtboard inside the garment so you'll have a firm surface for painting and your paint won't bleed through to the back of the garment. Use masking tape to fasten excess fabric to the back of the shirtboard, out of your way. Your painting surface should be taut and flat, but not stretched out of shape. You can make your own shirtboard by cutting a piece of cardboard large enough to fit inside the garment. Cover the cardboard with plastic wrap.

If you prefer not to use FolkArt® Fabric paint, you can create your own fabric paint using regular FolkArt acrylic colors.
Mixing FolkArt Acrylic Colors with Textile Medium When Painting with One Stroke™:
Mix 1 part FolkArt® Textile Medium and 1 part FolkArt® Acrylic paint as directed on the FolkArt® Textile Medium label.

Testing Your Fabric:
Each fabric takes paint a little differently. Some fabrics require more paint; for others a little will be enough. Before painting your design, apply a little bit of paint in an inconspicuous part of the garment, such as a seam allowance or hem. If that's not possible, use a clean paint brush to dab a small amount of water on the fabric to see how the fabric absorbs it.

Heat Setting Your Painting:
Let painted garment dry 24 hours. Place a pressing cloth over painted design. Iron 30 seconds over pressing cloth with iron on highest appropriate setting for fabric.

The One Stroke Painting Method was created by Donna Dewberry as an easy and fast way of decorative painting. One Stroke Painting involves blending, shading and highlighting – all in one easy stroke!

Through Learn to Paint Packs, Worksheets, Brushes, Books and DVDs, Donna demonstrates the beginning to the advanced painter how to paint flowers, greenery, landscapes and still lifes with brushes and tools made just for the One Stroke program.

Donna Dewberry offers an intensive 3 1/2 day seminar on the One Stroke painting technique, how to instruct others, how to demonstrate and promote the technique and how to start a business using this method. The course is limited in size to 45 participants or less. Donna or one of her One Stroke certified elites instructs each course.

To sign up or obtain more information, contact Dewberry Designs Training Studio at:
Mail - 9006 Mossy Oak Lane, Clermont, FL 34711
Phone - 352-394-7344
Website - www.dewberrycrafts.com

When you take the scruffy brush from the package, it needs to be prepared for painting. First, pounce it into the palm of your hand to help remove the sizing and fluff bristles.

Next, use your thumb to spread the bristles.

A fluffed scruffy brush is used to paint mosses, wisteria, lilacs, some hair and fur, faux finishes, and shading textures. This brush is not used with water.

The photo shows the proper way to hold the brush. The brush is moved along on its tip as you pull it along with your entire arm.

Load 1/2 of the brush into first color. Push hard on brush and pounce into color.

Load other half of brush into second color in the same way.

Any formula of FolkArt® paint is perfect for One Stroke or any kind of decorative painting. Donna Dewberry uses FolkArt® Acrylics, FolkArt® Enamels (for glass and ceramics), FolkArt® Outdoor (for outdoor projects), and FolkArt® Fabric (for linens and clothing).