Tutorials....Artsy Treats

Spiritual Mailbox

2012-02-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Purpose of box: To assist in the spiritual practice of asking for what we want and/or expressing our gratitude for what we have.

The box is a receptacle for your written wishes and your written thank you notes. Although writing would be the easiest form for most people, expressions may also be symbolic, i.e.....a picture you drew or found, or a symbolic tiny object. I encourage that you use your box on a daily basis! You will receive clarity, and a new sense of gratitude.

Though any box would do, a box that you have made carries your own special “ju-ju”! I believe your communication with that which is greater than you, ought always to be on a personal level!:)

Choose your box....I am using a 6 ¾” diameter round paper mache box. I purchased at Hobby Lobby. (If you want your box to be round and cannot find the supplies, you may order a kit from me so long as my supply lasts. Just drop me a note)
Choose your paper...For the sample size, you will need two 12x12 medium weight scrapbook paper.
Paint all surfaces of the inside of the box as well as the lid. I used one coat of gesso. After it’s dry, I followed with one coat of Golden Acrylic, and because I like a layered look, I followed with a coat of Lumiere’ in close to the same color. Allow to dry!
Draw the outline of the upper and lower round with a pencil on one sheet of your paper and then cut it out...I find that large scissors work better than small ones.
Glue the cut out round to the top lid and the bottom of the box. Crafter’s Pick The Ultimate works well. Spread glue thinly and evenly! Smooth paper with the palm of your hand so no bubbles form.
Measure outside height of box and also the lid and mark your second sheet of paper accordingly. Cut out.
Glue the strips...there will be 2 for the box, and 2 for the lid which you will allow to overlap. Use the same careful approach as for the rounds.

Congratulations! You are done with the hard part!

Choose a round design....Handle by the edges only...and cut it out carefully
Paint the edges by drawing a catseye stamp along just the edges. Allow to dry 5 minutes or so before gluing to the top of your lid
Choose ribbon and using Fabri-tac, glue on outside edge of lid
Decorate the rest of the box! Don’t forget the inside of the box, as well as the inside of the lid. PLAY! Have fun!
Don’t forget to USE your box! By the way, they would make great gifts.:)

Will Stay Stuck?

2011-04-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

I recently re-discovered my first love, Crafter's Pick "The Ultimate". I used it successfully to glue polymer clay cabs, fabric strips for my wrapped dolls, and all the various components of my box shrines.

And, then I discovered specialty glues. Quick Grip by Beacon is absolutely wonderful because it sets up fast. Over time, though, I have discovered that it requires special handling. Unless the glue is new, i.e. has not thickened even a tiny bit in the tube, and is applied to the surface thinly enough to make a firm bond....it does not hold firmly under temperature changes! Since my art goes to homes all over the country....and, sometimes, even further....the glues I use MUST HOLD!

I am currently working with "The Ultimate" once again...bemoaning its slowness, and promising myself to find a better way. What works for you?

Zip-Dry by Beacon is my favorite paper glue....no bubbling!

Gels & Mediums

2009-07-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

For purposes of controlling transparency of paints, adding gels and/or mediums offers a useful tool. Nearly all gels and paste are effective for this purpose, with the exception of those that are opaque (the Pumices and Molding Pastes).

The Gloss Gels are most effective, especially when highly transparent glazes are desired, and the glazes are to be applied thickly (greater than 1/8 inch wet film thickness).

The Matte and Semi-Gloss products will increase the translucency of the paint, but will not yield genuinely transparent glazes. This is the result of the matting agents in such products, detracting from the overall transparency.

The milky acrylic emulsion eventually dries translucent, and this must be kept in mind when determining the amount of color to add to gels and pastes.

I use Golden products exclusively, as I've found them to provide the best results. Matte gel medium makes a great glue for paper and also small embellishments. Use an old credit card as a spreader. If you spread the gel on both sides of the paper, you will prevent wrinkling as it dries. What causes the unsightly buckling and wrinkling is due to paper shrinkage. If you spread it on both surfaces, they shrink the same amount as they dry. (Be sure that the paper is laying flat to begin with. )

Trashcan Collage

2009-03-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

I made this collage this morning in 10 minutes, not counting the drying time after I sprayed it with Glitz Spritz. Everything was in my trashcan, except the face and the heart which were on my table. The purpose is not to wind up with your favorite piece of work....rather, to learn that even in just a few minutes, it's possible to produce something halfway decent.

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This is an excellent way to get going during those times when you find yourself bogged down. You set your own rules, but here are my suggestions:

Define the parameters:
Allow yourself only your trashcan for a supply of materials OR
Your trashcan plus acrylic paint (and, glue, of course) OR
Your trashcan and anything within easy arm's reach on your art table. No fair digging.

Set a timer to 15 minutes (or 20, but don't make it much longer or you'll take this too seriously)

Start gluing items down on the nearest piece of paper within your reach. Do it fast! No one's looking....not even that judgmental part of yourself. It is soooo much fun! I think we get bogged down because we think we can't create until we "clean up", as well as because we impose so many projects, so many rules, on ourselves.

Please let me know if you're pleased!

It's Really Not About Color

2009-01-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you have assumed that good art was about using the "right" color combinations, you were
kind of on the right track. I say "kind of" because color can be very misleading when we believe that all that's necessary is to learn how to use a color wheel correctly.

Color is important, of course, but even more important is value. You could have the perfect color combination but if you did not have a range of values, the composition would not work. Value is probably one of the most important design elements, and possibly the most difficult to grasp.

Things were easier before our world became so colorful. Ansel Adams taught us the Zone System, and along with it, the concept of seeing a full range of values from the blackest black to the whitest white. Once color photography replaced black and white, we forgot about value.

Fortunately, there are two shortcuts. You will be amazed how much improved your art will be if you use either to work in a full range of values! Find and purchase a value-viewer (I got mine from a painting teacher years ago). When you look through the red film, color is seen as a range of black to white tones. Or, print your work as a black and white copy. Is there a full range of
values?

Collaged Paper

2008-12-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

There are many different ways of doing collaged paper, and in this short tutorial it is my intention to show you this one particular easy method. These directions are for this particular type of collaged paper.

Supplies needed: Watercolor paper, Golden fluid acrylics, brushes, glue stick, a couple of geometrical rubber stamps, a small stamp roller, comb

This collage is limited to just 3 colors. Two warm colors and one cool, OR two cool colors and one
warm. The sample shown uses 2 warm colors: yellow and a clear red; and one cool color: green.

Use the the single color...whether you have chosen this to be cool or warm....as the accent color,
which means using it in the smallest proportion. In my sample, this is green.

Place your 3 paint choices on a paper plate....Use them straight, no mixing.
Paint three sheets of watercolor paper in the three colors.

Choose one of these to be your background paper. While the other two are still wet, stamp them randomly with uninked rubber stamps to give the paper some texture. I also like to draw a comb through wet paint for texture. When dry....acrylics dry quickly....tear them into strips of varying width.

Place these strips on the background piece in a way which pleases you. Then glue them down.
Run your stamp roller through one of the paint colors and roll it across your collage.
Repeat with another color if so desired.

With a few tries, you will learn to work fast so you can roll wet on almost, but not quite wet
paint. That's when you will see the beautiful color variations as two colors mix.

Keep your leftover torn painted strips for more collaged papers. The possibilities are endless!

Painted Papers

2008-11-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Supplies needed: paper... a little heavier than inkjet paper, but specific kind does not matter
paints...Golden fluid acrylics, Lumiere's (optional)
embossing powder...clear
heat gun, brushes
old comb (optional)

Use either throw away brushes or be careful to not allow paint to dry in your brushes, washing them out immediately.

Work on 2 or 3 papers at a time. Lay down a light in hue base color. Lay down stripes or squiggles of a a second darker color, leaving plenty of area uncovered. Repeat as many times, and with as many colors as you desire. Draw your comb through some of these....experimenting with the designs this makes. Before the last layer is dry, quickly sprinkle on some clear embossing powder. Shake off the excess into the trashcan. Hit the paper with your heatgun until it melts.

Be random. Consult your colorwheel for pleasing combinations. Use no more than 3 or 4 colors,
making one of these a metallic gold or silver. If you want to create papers of a darker tone, you
can use metallic bronze or copper.

Tutorials

2008-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

By popular demand, I will be posting some artsy treats....free tutorials....here. Please check back!