Some Things to Consider

Today I am feeling very excited and it has nothing to do with the ice storm we had last night. I can't really tell you about it fully now, but I can tell you about it next week. It is exciting to think something special is going to happen here the last week in February, and it has nothing to do with US politics :) So watch this spot!

Do you ever have times when you want to do something in your studio, but you really are not feeling all that creative? I have a little project for you to try. I think many people have already done this one, but it is one of those worth repeating. This is fun, a little time consuming, but a lot of fun. Here is what you will need to gather together:

1. watercolors or acrylics in colors you like



2. distilled water



3. heavy watercolor paper or rice paper



4. tissue paper



5. acrylic medium



6. a spray bottle



7. a mop brush or other way to apply watercolors to paper

I like to use watercolor paper in blocks, but use what you have or what is right for you. Spray the paper to moisten it with distilled water. Apply the watercolors or wet acrylics to the paper and allow the paper to absorb the colors and let them run together. I found tilting the block worked great while I was painting it. You might need to use the spray bottle to coax the paint down on the paper. Make several paintings like this. The key is to just play around with this to get the colors to bleed together and down the paper. Just have fun with it. Make several of these paintings, although you will only be using 2 for this project. Allow the paintings to dry thoroughly...and this usually will not take long.



Once the paintings are dry, use some acrylic medium to cover one of the paintings you want to use with tissue paper. You do not have to use this step, but it adds a bit of depth to this simple project. Once the medium is dry begin to cut the paintings into strips. The narrower the strips, the more exciting the final result. In this piece, the strips are about 1.5 cm wide. If the edges of the strips are smooth, it is easier to work with. Keep the strips in order. Now begin to weave the strips together in order. It will look like this, if you use a simple weave:

Of course you can use more complicated weaves to get even more exciting pieces. Once you get the piece going it will hold together easily. When you are finished with the weaving, carefully turn it over (easier if you work on a larger piece of paper and use the paper to help you turn it) and use some of the acrylic medium to glue the pieces together. You can then mount this and frame it if you like. The one I did some years ago turned out this way:

My son is very fond of this pieces, so it belongs to him. Give this a try, it is fun and easy to get results. Once you have done one or two of these, you will be very ready to get back to your own creative work.

Let me know how you get along. Enjoy the weekend and do not forget to check back here next week to see when I will be able to share my exciting news with you!