new works on wood slices

I recently acquired beautiful round slices of cedar, and I've had fun the last couple of days creating small pieces of art.  The top piece is a photograph of the Oregon coast that I took over 15 years ago.  I really love the look of the cedar bark as a natural frame.  This particular piece will go above my art desk, but I'm thinking I'll make more with other pictures I took of scenic Oregon. 

Here are three mountain paintings on wood slices.  The top two pieces are for sale in my Etsy shop.



Also, not sure if you've heard, but Buy Some Damn Art is having a summer sale through July 9th.  All art is 20% off, which means you can save big on my last available painting on BSDA. 

working with new materials

new work: Mountain View

I'm not much of a chemist, but, as a mixed media artist, I am curious how materials work together.  A good part of my creative week was spent experimenting with new combinations of materials, including a client project that involves painting on polyester film and adhering the design to the wall.  Exploring new project ideas can be a little tricky, and there always seems to be a surprise finding.  I never thought, for example, that I would end up using Mod Podge for a client project!

On my latest trip to the art store, I picked up an eco-friendly paint board.  Although I love painting on wood panels, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try out a new "green" art product.  The board, made by Fredrix, is surprisingly very light.  Its base is made solely from vegetable-based and recycled components.



The Nature Core boards are not ready-to-hang like the wood panels I use, but I found the rigid surface very easy to paint on.  I would definitely consider purchasing more in the future.

Another material I ended up experimenting with this week was Gamblin's FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors.  I actually love working with oil paints but have found acrylic to be more conducive to my painting style and routine.  I recently heard about FastMatte's rapid drying quality (for oil paint, mind you) and was excited to test it out on a work in progress.



Remember this piece that I had deconstructed (via chipping and sanding) and created a new landscape scene on top of it?

I ultimately wanted more of a monochromatic look, so  I used FastMatte Phthalo Green and Titanium White to create different tones of mint green. 

The painting is much more soothing and calm now, don't you think?  It still isn't finished, but getting there.



Like its name suggests, the FastMatte collection dries to a chalky matte within a day's time.  Because of this quality, artists use FastMatte colors for underpainting.  Just a few weeks ago, Gamblin announced an expanded palette of 24 colors.  The 16 new colors are sure to please all the plein air artists out there!

I want to thank all of you who stopped by my show at Buy Some Damn Art.  I'm thrilled that four of the six paintings sold the first day of the show.  Sleeping Mountain (shown above) is one of the two works currently available. 

painting on plastic film

What is it about a shiny surface that is so appealing? Case in point- my kitty's been attacking the shiny friendship pin on my sweater all day. I tend to be a matte enthusiast myself, particularly regarding photography.  But, I do have a weak spot for glass-like finishes on paintings.  If it weren't for its toxicity, I'd be all over epoxy resin.



So, for the past three years, I've been experimenting with different finishes and products.  I do like the natural matte of wood, but sometimes I'm looking for more of a pop in color and detail.  And that's the advantage of a high gloss finish.   



The last couple of months I've been reading up on a product called Dura-Lar.  It is an archival polyester film, and it comes in a variety of thicknesses and sheens.  Since I use a multitude of mediums in my art, the Dura-Lar Wet Media Film was the best fit.  Both sides of the film are treated, and it accepts any water-based medium.

My painting process usually involves layers of transparent color.  The use of clear film in my art allows me to preserve subtle tonal changes or finer details that may otherwise be muted by the underlayer.  The white lines on the river, for example, would not be as defined and bright if I had painted them on the wood surface.



Here is another piece I created with Dura-Lar on wood panel:

To adhere the plastic film to the wood panel, I use an acrylic gel medium.  Some artists use double-sided tape (sold in sheets).  For added protection, I use the same acrylic gel medium over painted areas on the film.



Now to experiment with the transparent film on a bigger painting . . .

new projects

Painting on a vintage platter.

I tend to jump from one project to the next, which usually means I'm taking on a new material or concept every few weeks.  My latest idea- painting on tableware.  I have been wanting to paint on porcelain for awhile now, and then there was the serendipitous find of a Pebeo Porcelaine paint set on clearance for $5. 

This little bowl was my first experiment.  The paint goes on a little thinner than I was expecting, but you can get some neat effects with layering colors.  To set the paint, all you have to do is heat the item in an oven for half an hour.



My second piece was a vintage platter I found at an estate sale this past weekend (first photo).  I applied the paint much thicker for an opaque look.  Although you can feel the raised surface of the paint even after heating it in an oven, the baked paint has an enamel like finish.  I did a scratch test with my fingernail, and no peeling!

I also have an exciting collaboration I've started working on.  I will reveal more details in upcoming weeks, but I thought I would at least give you a glimpse of what's been keeping me busy lately.

spring thaw

And I'm still adding one-of-a-kind pieces to my Etsy shop on a regular basis.  Spring thaw got snatched up pretty quickly, but here's one that was uploaded just this morning:

vintage notecard art, no.4

working with water soluble crayons

A few weekends ago, I picked up a set of water soluble crayons at an estate sale for $1.  They are the Neocolor II crayons from Caran d'Ache.  I've been a fan of Caran d'Ache's oil pastels for over 20 years now, so I was curious to see how the aquarelle crayons compared. 

When applied dry, the crayons act a lot like wax crayons, except they are denser and richer in color.  The magic happens when you add water.  Just look at the vibrancy and easy blending of color when a wet brush is applied! 

The Neocolor II crayons work beautifully on canvas panel, and I've used them on wood panel, too.  Here is a work in progress.  I used the water soluble crayons for the yellow moon.  I like that I can layer other mediums on top, which is a little trickier to do with oil pastels. 

I keep my crayons sorted in a metal slide storage box that I found at the estate sale.  I already added some new colors to my collection. 

Aquarelle crayons are a wonderful material for kids, too.  My daughter used them to make her valentine's card design. 

Fun with image transfers

I don't like to see things go to waste.  So when my experiment with acrylic gel medium as a top coat didn't quite turn out like how I had hoped,  I wanted to figure out another alternative use for the material.  As I was browsing Golden Paints' website, I came across a video on how to create image transfers using acrylic gel.  Perfect!  And I knew just the drawing I wanted to use.



This drawing has been sitting in my "I don't know what I want to do with it" pile for several months now.  I was excited to finally use it in a project.  The first thing I did was make a color copy of the drawing (image was flipped horizontally), and then I trimmed the print to the size of the wood panel.  After applying the acrylic gel onto the wood panel,  the print was placed face down on top of the gel.  I left it overnight to dry.



The next morning I wet the print with a wash cloth and started rubbing off the soaked paper.  This part of the process is almost as fun as watching an image develop in the darkroom.

Once the remaining pulp was wiped up, I set the piece aside to dry fully.   For the top coat, I decided to use a varnish rather than the glossy acrylic gel medium. 



On my second image transfer piece (using another drawing from The Pile), I ended up applying the acrylic gel as a finish.  For the background, I mixed the acrylic gel with some color, but I'm not sure what I think about it yet.

Here is the video that inspired it all.  I look forward to hearing your experiments with image transfers!

Show and Tell: favorite art materials

One of my dream jobs would be an art product tester for an art supply store.  I guess, in a roundabout way, I'm already doing that- just unofficially and unpaid.  Sometimes I think that it would be cheaper if I just opened my own art store!



When I used to teach art, I really enjoyed talking about different art materials- what they were, when they were developed, how to use them, etc.  In the past year, I've featured several art materials on Habit of Art, some that I've used for many years and others that are new found favorites.  Here are a few more to add to the list. 

I like how easily watercolors and oils mix on paper or canvas, but found myself wanting a paint that dried faster on wood panels and would be good for detail work.  I quickly got over my hang up with acrylics when I discovered Golden Fluid Acrylics.  The colors are vibrant, and the paint goes on very smoothly.  I mostly use the fluid acrylics for fine line details, so the small bottles actually go a long way.



Since working with wood panels, I also needed to find a non-spray glue that would bind paper to wood.  Lineco's PVA glue seems to be a favorite among bookbinders, and I can see why.  It's not too thick, and it seems to dry pretty quickly.  And it's acid-free, so it won't yellow with age.  I'm not a huge fan of hot glue, rubber cement glue, or spray adhesives, so this bottle of PVA glue has become a permanent fixture on my art desk. 



I'll be the first to admit that I'm a paper snob.  I don't even like sketching on paper that is less than 70# (a lot of sketchbooks are 55# or 60#).   Local Portland company, Bee Paper, packages 6 x 9 sheets of 90# Aquabee paper that has become my favorite paper to sketch on.  I keep the pile on my desk, so it's easily accessible when I need to jot down some ideas or map out a quick sketch.  My 7 year-old daughter also prefers to use this paper over printer paper.  I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Stack of the Aquabee 6 x 9 drawing paper in my desk organizer. 

For those who favor lace . . .

lace covered trees by Janet Morton and Pene Durston

lace stenciled floor 

lace fence by Demakersvan

lace covered piano by Joana Vasconcelos

lace tunnel 

  

New works, "Spirit" and "Feather Lake"

When I start a new piece, I rarely work from a sketch.  I lay down a watercolor wash first and work in the details as I go.  This was the case with my latest piece, Spirit, which I had been working on for the past few days.  



I usually use pen, ink, and marker for detail work.  I like using ink when I am wanting an opaque look, like the chevron design.  One kind of ink I use is shellac-based, so when it dries, it's like hard candy.  If you look at the right image below, you can see that the red ink is more reflective than the other colors. 

Unfortunately, the shellac-based ink doesn't show up as well on prints. I went back and forth on uploading this piece in my Etsy shop as an original or print.  I ultimately decided to sell the work as a limited-editon print with hand painted features.  So, after I make a print, I touch up some of the colors by hand. 



Also new to my shop is an original piece called Feather Lake.  I like how it shows the different elements I normally incorporate in a composition, but in a more simplified way.  I picture this scene at a lake in the quiet hours of the morning. 

My creative process this week

Here's my latest mixed media piece called summer at the lake.  This work evolved from a lot of editing and problem-solving.  Originally, there were more details around the lake, but I didn't like the direction I was going.   So, I decided to cut out only the elements of the art work that I liked and glue the pieces to a birch panel.  When using a rotary paper trimmer, I miscalculated one of the cuts and sliced through a part of the drawing I wanted to keep intact.  Funny enough, I actually liked the horizontal line effect and made a few more horizontal cuts (as seen in the top portion of the work).  



I debated on tinting the birch panel.  Ultimately, I decided to keep it natural, which complements the warm tones of the sky and the water highlights.  To enhance the wood a bit, I used Gamblin Gamvar varnish.  Gamvar is normally used to varnish oil and acrylic paintings, but I apply it on mixed media works as well.  The varnish seems to give colors a little more pop. 



Although I do love drawing at my desk, most of my creative time this week has been spent on this embroidery piece:

I'm almost done with the embroidery part.  I'm wondering if I should add a city monogram to the design like I did in this piece.  Your thoughts?

Creating labels with twill tape

My dear friend Katie likes to make things, whether it’s soap, rugs, skirts, journals, or homemade bread.  Recently, she’s been sewing pencil pouches made from vintage and reclaimed fabrics.  She needed some labels for the pouches, and I suggested stamped twill tape as a simple solution.  Twill tape comes in a variety of widths and colors, is easy to adhere to fabric, and is very affordable.  (The .5 inch tape shown above just cost 25¢ a yard!) 



To create your own labels, all you need in addition to twill tape is a stamp, ink pad, scissors/pinking shears, and iron-on adhesive.  For a more custom look, you can have a stamp made at an office supply store for a reasonable cost.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you’re near Sisters, Oregon tomorrow, come see Katie’s creations and my art at the Sisters Summer Faire tomorrow.  We’ll be sharing a booth at the event all day Saturday.

making your own fabric tape

I was thrilled to discover last week a wonderful new blog called Annekata.  The first post I read was a tutorial on how to make your own fabric tape, and I knew that was the first thing I wanted to do with my printed fabric.



The steps are quite simple.  (And I'm sure you could even improvise with double-sided tape, but I wanted to create a more permanent bond between the fabric and tape.)

I bought some packaging tape and laid a strip of it on some wax paper.  Since the tape had some gloss on the non-sticky side, I used sand paper to prepare the surface for glue.  (If you skip this step, you'll find that the fabric will just peel right off of the tape.  Believe me, I tried it!)



I applied some Tacky Glue on the tape (the bottle comes with a handy brush), and then laid a strip of fabric onto the tape. 



I smoothed out the fabric with my fingers.



Once the glue dried, I used a rotary cutter to cut out the fabric tape and presto!  My very own custom fabric tape.

Printing your own designs on fabric

Lately, I've been determined to print my own designs on fabric.  After browsing some diy blogs, I finally ran a test run yesterday on my pigment inkjet printer.  It was surprisingly easy and so much fun! The bulk of the work is actually designing the fabric. I didn't want to spend too much time on a new design before seeing the print quality, so I used one of my drawings from this year as the basis of my fabric design.

I formatted the design to fill an 8.5" x 11" space.  Then I gathered some basic supplies to prep the fabric for printing. 

I used two different types of fabric.  One was a muslin and the other a cotton canvas.  I also experimented with using different backings for the fabric while printing, since fabric alone doesn't have the rigidity to run through a printer.  For the first test run, I ironed the muslin onto freezer paper cut to the same size (shiny side to the fabric).  With the cotton canvas, I decided to use cardstock as a backing.  I didn't adhere the fabric to the cardstock.  I just held the two pieces together as they were being fed into the printer.

Both fabrics and backings seemed to work fine in the printer.  I had to refeed the fabric several times, but eventually it took.



The print quality is not as vibrant as the original design (as expected), but the details on the printed fabric were impressive! And I didn't waste any time in using the new printed fabric.  See what I made in tomorrow's post!

Creating art from found materials

Whether it's worn clothes, old magazine clippings, discarded security envelops, or yellowed book pages, I seem to come across a lot more found and reclaimed objects in art nowadays.  I'm a huge proponent of resourceful living.  So, needless to say, I love the idea of giving used materials a new purpose in art.  Here are a few of my favorite recent finds. 

Lesley Bricknell

Michelle Thompson

Sarah Nicole Phillips

Blondebeard