Pastels and Watercolors (and a few other art media)

[terri16]

What material is the journal paper? I’ve found the “mixed media” stuff to be pretty worthless. I have a watercolor paper journal that’s pretty sturdy but I do have to clip it open until it dries.

It's definitely not a watercolor journal. That would have been a better choice, but at the time I was thinking more about getting a small size. The paper is lightweight, certainly not cardstock or WC weight. But heavier than regular book paper. The weight isn't given but it's likely well under 98#.

My only solution has been to glue a couple pages together. A mite awkward, but it's easier to work with now.

 

[snowbear95]

or make your own books.

 

[terri16]

This is my practice attempt of a cottage and garden tutorial by PC. Learned a few lessons. First off I didn’t premix enough color so I had to wing it and mix quickly before the paper dried. That left the background trees too light and the roof got muddled. Also I used the cheaper Canson paper and it really shows. The paper shreds if you try to lift highlights or scrape in some grasses or rocks with a plastic knife. That is easy with Arches paper but the Canson dries too fast and can’t take much abuse. I’m going to do this one again on good paper and see if I can get better results.

View attachment 271191

This is a cute scene, and will be charming when you try again with better paper! I like the reds, and you did a good job with the house.

First off I didn’t premix enough color so I had to wing it and mix quickly before the paper dried.

I hate it when that happens! I'm not very good at judging how far my mixes will go. I mix an extender in all my acrylics, so that takes some of the time pressure off when I have to stop and get more. Without extenders, acrylics dry up quickly (though nothing is quicker than watercolors!).

 

[terri16]

or make your own books.

I've seen some and they're adorable! That's a project all of its own. Frankly, I think I'd find the end result too precious and find reasons to avoid using it.

 

[snowbear95]

I took a class a couple years ago.
The first is a softback (really a paper bundle) with a hardback box. The box could be adapted to something like postcards. The second is a hardback. I used an old road map for the inside cover sheet.

 

[terri16]

These are beautiful!! I love them. The maps look great! I also love the patterned one - looks like the Hokusai wave painting.

Do you use them, gift them, sell them? They're just wonderful.

 

[snowbear95]

Thanks. It's a paper that mimics "The Wave." They are still in boxes from the move. I haven't used them, yet. I'm trying to figure out what they would be good for; probably sketches. I have a nipping press I gopt for $80 to make some more hardbacks but don't have space or time at the moment. I like the idea of the box with some watercolor or pen and ink sketched notecards/postcards. We'll see what I can come up with in the next few months.


DSC_6529.jpg by Charlie Wrenn, on Flickr

 

[terri16]

Interesting - what does this thing do? A nipping press.. .. looks like a flat iron - does it seal together enough paper or cardstock to make a hardcover for a book?

"Artist books" are a thing, I believe. Plus "altered books," repurposed old books. I love the idea of these homemade books, but I fear I'd really go down a rabbit hole. I could eat books, I think.

 

[snowbear95]

Anything you need a press for. I got it to press pages together in the book cover. If I put a brass strip along the edge of a piece of plywood with a short edge, it will crease the joint between the rounded-is endge of the book and the flat "leaves" of the cover. rather than a straight profile (like mine, above).

With this contraption, I can glue up several books at the same time. Without the press, you're rolling them out (bayer?) or stacking stuff on the book to put some weight on the cover.

Keep in mind, the covers are paperboard sandwiched between decorative paper, cloth, or leathe, and the liner paper .

I enjoyed the class - it was three or four Saturdays at the Corcoran School (now part of GW).

 

[terri16]

I enjoyed the class - it was three or four Saturdays at the Corcoran School (now part of GW).

Sorry, what is GW?

It sounds like a fun class - different but definitely artistic, and you can take it as far as you want. I love these little books!

 

[snowbear95]

Sorry - George Washington University. They purchased the Corcoran School of Art a number of years ago. Corcoran (@ New York Ave & 17th St NW - acrossed from Old Exec Office Bldg & "beside" the White House) was strapped for cash and GW wanted an art program.

Back in the 70s, I'd go to work with mom (she was at FDIC, across NY Ave) and would go to Corcoran's gallery. A lot of contemporary work, I presume by the better students.

 

[terri16]

Here's something a little (but then, not really) different from me - I love doing image transfers! This technique uses tissue paper as the receptor!

I wasn't sure where to post this, so decided to put all the process details in the Alternative Techniques forum. But since it's the most recent arty thing I have, I thought I'd share the final result here.

 

[snowbear95]

Nice.

Some watercolor and a couple acrylic tubes delivered today, as well as a pad of WVC paper. Still waiting on the acrylic brushes, palette knives and the WC paper tape.

The box and most of what's in it is new.

 

[SquarePeg19]

My latest masterpiece. Based mostly on a wonderful piece by Anastasia Lily.

Is it a waterfall? Is it a river? Is it a path? Is it the Southwest? Is it the Pine Tree State? I couldn’t decide. And it shows.

Seriously though, I struggle most with two things in almost every landscape painting I attempt; defining the banks of a stream and preserving the whites. In this case I started out going for the sparkling white stream in AL’s painting only to screw bit up so I sprayed it into a waterfall but that didn’t fit with the rest of the scene so I started making it into a path then changed it back to a stream and here we are.

This type of atmospheric landscape was super fun to pain though. Lots of spritzing and scratching and splattering. I’ll definitely use this method again. I’m already thinking what I can do differently.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Interesting technique but yeah, this looks like it got a little off track. So consider it practice/learning. I've scrapped plenty of things and started over...