Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Questions Answered

Altered Photo (original photo from google images)

Before I get started, I just want to say thank you (and you, and you!) for all of the wonderful comments and emails I receive - I love reading each and every one!

Frequently those comments and emails contain questions...  


How do you create your textures?

Boy, do I love me some texture!  I am always looking for different ways to create it.  Two of the easiest ways to create texture are by using tissue paper or by painting on an already textured surface like pressboard.

I started the painting above by adhering crumpled tissue paper to my primed canvas using a watered down glue mixture.  (Nothing fancy - just plain white tissue paper and white school glue mixed with water.)  I put a layer of brown paint over the whole thing then put a creamy white over that. (By painting it brown first it really brings out the wrinkles.)


Pressboard is instant texture!  It is basically wood chips that have been glued and pressed together to create solid sheets.  (I love using black gesso on pressboard!)

*My favorite place to get wood of all kinds is the "leftovers bin" at my local home improvement store.  It is the bin where they put all of the misfits and leftover pieces from when they cut down large sheets of wood - You can find amazing bargains in that bin!*    

Altered Photo  (original photo from google images)

House paint?  I still can't believe you use house paint in some of your paintings... Is there a specific type you use?

House paint has really great coverage.  I first started using it when I painted murals, but I continue to (sometimes) use it in my paintings on canvas and wood.  When I use it, I like to use a satin or semi-gloss finish.

*A great place to buy paint?  The "mistint" section at the hardware store.  It's the place that they sell the "mistakes" for deeply discounted prices.  The colors that you find there may not be something that you want right out of the can, but you can adjust them yourself at home!*


How do you work on so many paintings at once?  Where do you find the time?

For me, working on multiple paintings at the same time makes sense with my schedule.  I basically have one long, full day a week of intense art making and the rest is shorter bursts here and there around Tyler's schedule.  (You can read more about my schedule in an interview here.)  

If I have fifteen minutes, I work on the piece that has a fifteen minute chunk that can be conquered... They are always in different stages of completion.  When I work on more than one painting at a time, I don't have to worry about drying times - I can move on to a different painting.  


Where do you get your ideas?

If you read this post, then you remember that I believe inspiration is everywhere!

The photo above was an early morning discovery.  The soft sunlight coming through my kitchen window cast this crazy shadow on my refrigerator.  (I had a pineapple on the counter with my usual paper towel holder and soap dispenser.)  These look like some fun characters to me... expect to see them in my art work at some point in the future!

Keep your eyes open - you never know what ideas may be lurking in the shadows!


I love to share, so if you have any questions I haven't already answered please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email!

In the interest of even more sharing, I'd like to leave you with this fantastic post by Austin Kleon that I read the other day.

   

14 comments:

  1. Thank you I visit most days but you might not know that as I comment only rarely. Wonderful share so helpful to those of us taking baby steps. XOXO Zoe

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  2. Kristin you have such a passion for art. Thanks for sharing those great tips.

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  3. Thankyou so much for sharing your tips and what a fantastic link...a real pleasure to read :)x

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  4. Love your tips young lady, great blog and wonderful art.
    Annette

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  5. I love the bargain bins myself....you never know what you will find and how they will appear in the journey. Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

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  6. You are incredible partner!

    Love the Q&A and all the unique and interesting ways you create!

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  7. I stash away your fabulous ideas in hopes of being able to retrieve them when I need them. Thanks for the link too, what a great concept from him.

    Thank YOU for sharing :)

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  8. What a wonderful post! I love how you create texture and I also agree with you that inspiration is everywhere. :-)

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  9. Great post and I learned some things, always good. I have never thought to look in the scrap bin at the home improvement store but love the idea.

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  10. Great post. I'm a lover of texture myself and am also someone who works on several things at once. When you work in the medium that I've chosen there is a lot of drying time involved. I've also shopped the scrap bin at the home improvement store. My son has recently built me raised beds for my herb gargen using scrap lumber. I'd never thought to pass this information along.

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  11. Love your blog:) Thanks so much for your kind comments on mine. I too love tissue paper - in every color! I'm so bad that at birthday parties my daughters will go around and collect the tissue paper from opened presents. I never would have thought of press board but I really like the idea - thanks for the inspiration - i'm off to the lumber department at Home Depot. Have a great week.

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  12. Thanks so much. I am also a texture freak and am now using a hardware product called No More Gaps which I spread on to the canvas then scrape and fiddle around. It's about 1/4 of the price of (I suppose archival) moulding paste.
    Love Rosie

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  13. Kristin ... you are so very talented! Thx for sharing!

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  14. Thank Gawd I found your blog months ago Kristen. You are a huge ole' jar full of awesomesauce. ;o)

    xo
    Mari

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Hi! I love and appreciate all of your comments! I turned off the word verification so please don't leave me spam. Thanks!

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