Painting on Plaster Play Date

 We had a great time creating water colour paintings on plaster coated fabric, inspired by the work of Kate Thompson and her Fractured Angelics.  Our craft buddy K set us up for another great creative play date.  Here's how i got started.....

 K printed out some images on printer paper using a laser printer (not ink jet).

 She had prepared dozens of pieces of fabric, burlap and lace by coating them with either Venetian plaster or joint compound.  a coat of gesso to seal the front and back.

 Apply some matte medium to the plaster and to the image - and lay face down.  smooth all the bumps.

 Let dry thoroughly.  I drew a few flowers on the side with a pencil.

 Spritz with water and start peeling off the paper backing.  keep adding water with your fingers and roll the little bits of paper until they are all off.  You will be left with the image - transferred onto your plaster.

 In some places you can see i scraped too much and took off the gesso (white) showing the plaster (cream) underneath.  no matter, i plan to paint it anyway!

 The image on top (my favorite) was perfect and soft and lovely.  but i kept adding and taking away and ruined the eyes.  We were painting with water colour paints and a bit of white gouache.

 more work in progress.

Here is my finished result!  darker than the original, but still quite nice.

 K set us up with a flat screen to watch videos while we worked!

 And of course prepared a delicious, beautiful and nutritious luncheon.

 Here was my second attempt.  I used a copy of a vintage image - here in the rolling the paper stage.

 The image was too small on the fringed burlap.  k had pressed some lace into the plaster for more texture.

 I painted the background blue and added a trellis.

 and here she is - complete with a dress made from an actual doily (applied to the base with some joint compound) and a cute little bird.

 Here is a piece that Z was working on.  

She plans to add some berries and leaves as a headress.

 Another work in progress - a vintage image with some stencilling done with plaster for a raised texture.

 Look at this cutie - she'll look great when colourized.

 Speaking of colour - wow - look at K's angels!

Later K added some texture using a wing stencil.

 And another with brilliant tones.

This one was just image transferred, a more modern day example.  

can't wait to see how this turns out once some colour is applied!

Thanks K for another fabulous play date.  Missed our crafty buddies D and S.  We can always do this again - it was so much fun!  And thanks again to Kate for the inspiration.

Paint Lounge

 

 I am on a business trip in Markham, Ontario, and had to spend the weekend.  I looked around for artsy activities and found the Paint Lounge on historic Old Markham Main Street.  I have never been impressed with the cookie cutter paintings these places promote as "paint and drink" parties.  

But the Paint Lounge was offering a workshop featuring different texture techniques. Using string, using drips, or using tissue paper for raised surfaces, you could create your own painting, any size you wanted.  I decided to try that.

 The first step was to put on an apron and learn how to use their disposable palettes and paint pumps.  There were about 8 people there when i started, but an hour later the place was packed solid with several groups of gal pals, many couples, and me.

 I chose  to use a 12" square canvas, for $20.  prices go up from there and include all other supplies.  my only complaint would be that the quality of the brushes was kind of bad,  and they were totally trashed (stubby and stiff).  But no matter.  I started with a blend of blue, white and a touch of green to create a background of my signature robin's egg blue.  then one of the instructors  showed us the simple technique of creating flowers using tissue paper coiled into a rough circle, and dabbed into matte medium and onto the canvas.

I created 7 flowers and then added a few leaves fro some added texture.  I had grand plans to capture every stage of my painting - but alas my phone battery died right after this image was taken.

 So all i can show you is the final result -voila!  I added globs of paint to each flower.  tried to make each one a little different.  i never quite know how to add white highlights.  not sure they worked!  it was impossible to paint narrows stems with the brushes provided.  i went ahead and even added white flecks with a toothbrush - since that was one of the "tools" offered.  the  girl next to me acted as if she witnessed Michelangelo in person creating the Sistine chapel when she saw me do that!  (which was silly, but made me beam with pride nonetheless)

One of the instructors told me my painting would look so cute in a little girl's bedroom.  so i guess i'll  add it to my other "suitable for a little girl's bedroom" art collection!  like these:

   

 

 Up next?  how about i go to the pottery painting place.....?