Some Tuesday Inspiration!

Sorry for the lack of posts - but hey...it's summertime - best enjoy the sun when you can right?!

I have been taking time each morning in the studio and 'playing' with different techniques and artists! A couple weeks ago I was on a real tear as I had just gotten a new book "Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Painting" by Jo Toye that totally inspired me and I did several of her suggestions and was so inspired by the book itself.

The book really opened my eyes up to using a few of my products in a different way.  As you are aware, I encourage this a lot and whenever I figure or find something like this out I am always willing to share!

Project #1

Working in my Urban Journal (on watercolor paper), I poured some Speedball India Ink on my craft mat and dragged my old visa card through it.

I simply dragged the card then down the paper in what I thought would be in an 'abstract'ish pattern.

I then misted the page with water.  As soon as I did this, I decided right then and there I would e going in a totally different direction that Jo had written in her book.  

I 'saw' something evolving on the page.  It totally made me think of the recent forest fires here in Alberta and the destruction it caused.

Once it was dried, I wanted to show rebirth of the the forests, so I added FW Acrylic Inks in two different greens (Light & Sap) to reflect this growth of new life.

Again, misted it with water.

Really love it turned out.  It is a very simple page, but I think says volumes.

Project #2

I took an old Yupo sheet that I had created on using Alcohol Inks and covered it with a good coat of White Gesso. Once it was dried, in a great suggestion by Jo, I put some Liquid Frisket  in a Fineline Applicator (18 gauge) and created some abstract doodles.  With the humidity at the time, it needed to dry overnight. 

Once it was dry again, I gave it a good coat of white gesso using my brayer.  I tend you use my brayer more so now for applying gesso as I find it gives a good even (and light) coat to surfaces.

I first started out using my Golden Fluid Acrylics and simply painted within the lines of the Masking Fluid.  

It turned out okay, but I wanted more...

...hence the India Ink! Again, applied with my brayer.

Now I thought it would be cool if I added more color on top, this time Using some of my more vibrant FW Acrylic Inks.  So I dropped single dots down from the dropper applicators... 

...and sprayed with water!

I got a tad carried away on this, and it started to muddle...ugh! 

Ya...went too far! Off it comes... 

I like the grunge look of this, but it was just too dark - so I added some scrapes of White Gesso with my palette knife.

Once it was dry, I started adding white gesso through a few of my Donna Downey Stencils (Mini Number Repeat and Mini Alpha Rerun) using my Pouncer.

Thinking I had added too much white gesso, I now added some of the stencils using Black Gesso.

Once I was happy with it, I started to pull off the Masking fluid.  You can either use an eraser or I just start rubbing it with my finger and it lifts and I start pulling!

Very cool!

Project #3 & 4(ish)

Again using Yupo, I covered two separate sheets up using Black Gesso as I wanted to try two different paint applications.  Once the gesso was dry, I used Golden Tar Gel  two different ways.  First I applied it using my palette knife and allowed it to drip from the end of  the blade.  You will note in the photo that I had some Tar Gel in a 20 gauge Fineline Applicator....ya - no, it doesn't work!  Nor does it out of a 18 gauge!! So I ended up using on of my Needle-Tip Applicator Bottles and it worked perfectly!

Applying using the Needle-Tip Applicator.

It needed to dry over night,  You will know when it is dry as it will be clear and no longer tacky to the touch. 

I applied White gesso (to one) using my Dina Wakley Media Stiff Bristle Brush (1") as I needed to get in all the nooks and crannies!

While it was still wet, I dragged my old credit card over top to clear the gesso off the tar gel.

So cool!  I could have left it as is here - I really loved the look. But alas...more needed to be applied...COLOR!!

The other one, I started adding DecoArt Media Interference Paints.

Not one of my faves at this point, so I set it aside until I can figure out what to do with it.

Back to the White Gesso'd one, I thought using Golden High Flows might be cool (in Florescent), but nah...didn't do it for me.  So instead, I pulled out my Faber Castell Pitt Pens (Brush) and went to town coloring!

As I was coloring, I blended it out using a wet brush (heavily saturated with water).

It turned out really cool don't you think?!

This book by Jo Toye is fabulous!  I have gotten so many ideas on expanding the use of acrylics and simply trying something new!  I highly recommend this book if you are looking to expand your knowledge and interest in Mixed Media and Art in general.

Thanks for stopping by - look forward to seeing you again!