Taking a Watercolor Painting Class

A  nearby college has a new program offering discounted workshops and classes for area adults.  I wanted to sign up for the Paper-Making class, but they are offering Watercolor Painting classes first.

These are the exercises we went through today:

We practiced Graded Wash, Flat Wash, Variegated Wash.  Dry Brush, Dry on Wet, Wet on Dry Paper.  The Wet-on-Wet (purple/blue/red) effect was gorgeous until I ruined it by adding more water.  Phooey!  The rainbow line across the bottom was Watercolor Pencils scribble, with water applied after the colors were laid down.

Shown below, we used masking tape resist, crayon resist, alcohol dripped on wet paint (THAT was really cool!!!), resist liquid, scrunched plastic wrap and aluminum foil, paint on a sponge, sponge on wet paint (pleasing effect!), sandpaper on dry paint, Exacto knife scratched on dry paint, table salt and Kosher salt on wet paint, and straight-edge scrape.  

It was fun!  I especially liked the effect of alcohol drops on wet watercolor paint.  And of course, I had to play around with the drip method, which I've been using for a few years with the mail art group.

Here ares some of my watercolor paintings from a few years ago before I knew what I was doing:

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This n' That

stickers and rubber stamps over acrylic paint

rubber stamps and collage over acrylic paint

A Couple of New Pieces

Collage over smooshed acrylic paints

Asemic Writing and collage over acrylic paints

An Envelope Booklet

This booklet is made of long business envelopes.  I've made a few, but I really, really liked the way this one turned out, and it took me several years to be able to part with it.  Besides using scrap book papers, some of the pages are collaged over acrylic paint (with some Gelli plate printing, too).  There are two pockets in which treasures are tucked, of course.  I recently took these pictures to remember and for inspiration, hoping to make more of these in the future...

Outside/Cover

First Pocket

Back of Second Pocket

Second Pocket

Back of Second Pocket

Zine tucked into pocket

Fun with Artists' Trading Cards

Someone sent me a few unusual 

silvery square paper "stamps" 

with a black image inked on each one.

Someone else gave me 

some old junk jewelry parts.  

The backgrounds for these 

Vintage images ATC's were clipped 

out of a carpet catalog.  Oh what fun!!!

Gelli Plate Play

Finally, some new art!  Envelopes and note papers:

Bird Feeder With A Snow Cap

Visitors this early winter have included cardinals, black-capped chickadees, gold finches, the occasional blue jay, slate colored juncos, and nuthatches.  Adding more birdseed is a daily event.

(The other feeder I had to clear off to refill...)