****sigh....I am so messed up on my hours, and sleep patterns! I think it is due to the sudden change of weather here. I know in another life, that I was a big, mean, grizzly bear--and the onslaught of cold weather tells me that I have to hibernate. Plus, as you have all noticed, I put out a huge amount of art last month, and I just fizzled out, and needed to recuperate!!!
I have gotten some FANTASTIC stuff in the mail this past week (or maybe the week before)--I really am not functioning well..LOL. Heather Robinson of
Creative Solace sent me a 4x 4 calendar that she did, and it was so BEAUTIFUL!! (I will show you pictures!) It was the first piece(s) that I have ever seen in real life of the beeswax technique. I adore it!!! I do believe that I am going to have them matted and framed all together, so that I can hang it in my living room, and look at it all the time!! Thank you so much Heather!!! (She's also my partner on Fluffy Fatbottom's Twisted Tuesdays Challenge site)!
THEN, yesterday--I recieved a GREAT package from my friend Neda at
Papier Colles. She was so overly
generous and sent me a book on vintage children's illustrations. It is a HUGE book, and FULL of gorgeous old children's illustrations--I LOVE IT!!!!!!! She also sent me a stack of old Somerset Studios magazines. These were great!!! They did not have one child with wings or funny hats though...I thought that was strange! They have great, interesting articles in them, and I plan on reading ALL of them, cover to cover!! Also, in my box--was a gazillion pieces of scrapbook paper, joss paper, Japanese Origami paper (which I am in love with), stickers, alphabets, scraps, etc!!! Oh my!! It was SO much like Christmas!!!! (I will show pictures). Thank you Neda!!! I loved it all!!!
Ok--now onto the coffee tutorial. Thank you for all your wonderful comments on the piece, and your eagerness to read my insane ramblings about "HOW TO"..LOL.
To answer the two most general questions--You must sing the lalalallaalalal...(the happier, the better), and you don't have to watch the Gilmore Girls, but it brings out the muse in me.LOL. With those out of the way--here's how to paint with instant coffee.......and all the layers that went into this piece.
First, I started out with a vintage file folder. It was a kind of green, and it's thick cardboard. This just happens to be what I grabbed out of my stack of things/canvas/paper/ etc..to paint on. I took and squirted some white Folk Art paint on it, and rolled it out with a Speedball roller (brayer). I rolled it in many directions, and rolled it until it was very light and airy. I then squirted two different greens out, and rolled the brayer over, and put it on a foam stamp. I stamped these two colors all over the piece. At this point, I loved it, and the way it looked. Then I took some Royal Blue and squirted it directly onto the piece--and messed the whole thing up....LOL..then to correct that--in a maddening rush--I squirted some off white directly on the piece, and rolled it into the blue. EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.....my beautiful green piece was GONE...taking the wadded up t-shirt, I scrubbed all the paint that I could off. Of course, it was still there--and all my dots were GONE. VANISHED...***Sigh. (these steps were done at night---NO GILMORE GIRLS--You see where I am going with this????) So, I threw it to the side, and made some other backgrounds on different paper.
Fast forward to the next day--The G.G. are on--(it comes on in the morning, and again in the afternoon). So far--no lalalalalalala (lalalalalalala's only happen when things are WORKING, and FLOWING). Ok...so, roll some paint on the roller--load up the foam dot stamps, and put a row of them at the bottom....get bored...get out wooden ruler (a very old antique ruler, and one of my most favorite things)...take a green watercolor pencil from jar--(just happened to pick a green one--didn't really LOOK, because eyes are glued on G.G.)....draw a line across the dots-make it thick...dip the pencil directly into water...draw the line again..let it look runny...Ok...commercial time---Run outside, talk funny to your pet (or plant, chair, whatever...)smoke a cigarette (or DON'T)...and don't think about the art. Just breathe...I personally torment the dog, and run around acting silly...wrestle with him a bit...etc...come back in..show is back on. Decide you REALLY hate the blue. Take bright yellow airbrush paint and squirt on top of blue...take roller...roll..roll...roll...oh yeah...beautiful green immerges. ( A word about airbrush paint. ...It's BRIGHT, and It's THIN. The perfect glaze. Keeps your colors deep and rich, and spreads wonderfully transparent)...ok. So, now I have a picture with a green top, and a blue and white polka dot bottom, separated by a green blurry line....ummmm...Look over, and see my huge square 4 sided stamp. Take out the blue paint with the dabber top, and cover the stamp...Stamp some large blue squares all over...uh huh...this is working...liking it...Then find a round thing with holes in it...take red paint and put on it...smoosh it down in a few places on the piece....EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK......that's HORRIBLE....hating it again...nothing is working now. My brain shut down....immediately grab some off white--glob it down in the middle.....EEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK .......OH MY GOD!! STOP before it's too late. Frantically grab the t-shirt, scrub the white off....scrub harder...wet the t-shirt...scrub some more... Put some more yellow airbrush paint..rub it around. I used my fingers because all the paint was drying...WHEW...saved....need another smoke....(Follow the go outside steps above).
Ok..this is YUCKY (thinking to self)...light bulb goes off...ooooooo I bought some instant coffee to try aging something. Find it...dump small pile onto plate..dip brush in water, smoosh brush into pile of coffee...OOOOooooooo the smell...get up, go make a regular cup of coffee. Ok. come back, add a bit more water on the brush...smoosh some more..follow the green line with coffee..ummmmm...then take the piece and whack it on the table, making the coffee run...blotted the coffee with the t-shirt. LESSON ONE LEARNED. T-shirt will make coffee disappear from art piece. Take brush....smoosh more coffee...run the brush along the green line again--Pick up piece, and whack on table again (if you are using thinner paper, you can shake instead of whack. Just use common sense when whacking)...ooooooooo ...coffee is looking all syrupy and runny...ooooooo...(feeling the lalallalalalalal's coming on)... take some green ink, some deep blue ink, some brown paint (Folk Art brand)..a dab of orange airbrush paint (you can experiment with different things--don't go rushing out buying inks and such. Make do with what's on hand.) Anyway....put small dots on your palette of all these colors..(about dime size)...dump some more coffee--maybe in two spots...LALALLAALLALAAL...then just dip brush into ink, paint, etc....and then smoosh into coffee pile, until coffee is a little runny, or a little thick... keep working...sing lalallallalalal...because this is creating a really rich look, and it's flowing..stop periodically, and roll the brayer over the piece. This gets rid of excess, and blends. Take some off white, dip your fingers in it..make some smudges on the piece. Just a few. Paint over these...as you work. Don't think--sing llaallalalallalal.....whew...that was fun!! Time to go smoke..(or not)..go outside--breath...skip around...come in..fix lunch..do a load of laundry, wash up some dishes...
Now, you have your background. Colorful, and kind of sugary, syrupy looking. Now, you take some fresh new white images, and you work on them. But that's another story....
So, with this piece we learned....
Do Not Think--just Do.
A t-shirt will fix almost any mistake. It will totally remove coffee if needed.
If you make a mistake--repeat it--it becomes part of the design.
Sing lalallalalala's when things start clicking and flowing.
Watch the G.G. with wild abandon. This helps you NOT think.
Take breaks, play, and breathe the outdoor air.
Hope you liked it. Hope it comes in handy. Sorry, it's so long!!!
The BEAUTIFUL calendar that Heather Robinson made:!!!
I will have to add my photos of the other goodies tonight later. I have to find my camera, and photograph them.
Well...that's all folks! It's almost 4am, and I must go to bed!! Goodnight!
Well...that's all folks! It's almost 4am, and I must go to bed!! Goodnight!
Well...That's it. Love me, Love my mess!!!LOL... It's not pretty, but it's very functional, and I have everything I need (and a lot of stuff that I don't right in one spot.) The rest of the house can be uncluttered, and nice--but this is my space. This is where I create.
