Paint. . .

This week's Arty Girlz challenge is to use paint.  All the pages of the art journal I am currently working in would qualify, but I made a new one just for this challenge, and used LOTS of paint!

The background began with a thin wash of yellow acrylic paint.  I'm a little impatient, so I dry my layers with a hair dryer.  The next layer was a creamy mixture of magenta and white, thinned with liquid matte medium and stippled around the perimeter with a sponge brush from Close To My Heart.  Next, I dry-brushed a mixture of magenta acrylic thinned with liquid matte medium in a criss-cross pattern in the center.  When this was dry, I mixed some thinned titanium buff with more medium and washed it over all to mute it a bit. 

I got out my Krylon brights and dotted the perimeter in pink.  Then I made the outer graffiti border in green, the inner graffiti border in pink, and dotted the inside with green.  I cut the baby image from on old Oilily catalog, adhered it with matte medium and added the black dots and circles with a Micron pen.  Stickers were added last.  The page is now ready for whatever I decide to say!

As long as we're talking paint, I thought I'd share a tip I learned many years ago for keeping left-over acrylic paint that has already been mixed or squeezed out of the tube.  The more people I talk with, the fewer I find that know about this handy little piece of advice, and end up throwing out lots of expensive paint. 

Here's the tip:  Acrylics dry out fast and quickly become unusable.  I mix my colors individually in recycled lids. 

Then, if there is any left over when I am finished, I soak a circle of paper towel and lay it over the top of the lid.

Next, I take a piece of folded waxed paper, and put another square of  wet paper towel inside it. I fold this over like a sandwich, and place it on top of the wet circle of paper towel on top of the lid.

The sandwich keeps it humid enough so that the wet paper towel circle won't dry quickly.  Re-wet the paper towels each day until you use the paint, and it should keep nicely.

Have a great day, Everyone!

Comments

[Kimmie]

Amazing! I love to read all the detail you give on how you do stuff! It is hugely helpful! Fabulous colors and I love the doodling!

[Gabrielle Fabian]

Beautiful page - I LOVE color and your page is happy and gorgeous. Thanks for describing your process so nicely and the paint tip as well - I will definitely try this!
Gaye

[crissi]

Wow stunning journal page i love the bright colours and its so nicly done.

Thanks for joining in with the Arty Girlz challenge nd for the Tip.

crissi xx

[femmy]

looks great!!!

[Rosie]

No that is a really handy tip - thanks for sharing!! Can't wait to see what "Baby" has to say!!

[Julie]

As always Barbara your creation is fantatic!!

Great tip too I waste so much paint

Thanks for joining in with Arty Girlz once again xx