of Love, Music and Art...

I love listening to my radio at full blast while working..I love the classic rock stuff, the songs from my teenage and early 20's...I don't Think any better music has been written since...But, it is a double edged sword..love the songs, but so many memories attached to them.  sad, glad, bittersweet, soft as gossamer, light as mothdust, these memories still pack a punch when they come from out of thin air, literally, and you don't have time to protect yourself...The other edge of the sword is that these emotions and how you react to these little pieces of your past, directly affects your art you are working on at the time...Some of my best work has come from listening to songs that have the most painful feelings attached...I may have hurt for a couple of minutes, but the emotions had kicked in, and rode along with me on the rest of that particular creative streak...So I had to learn that even bad emotions have their value..and that they are JUST emotions, nothing real...They are not the monster in your closet, or the other one under your bed...You are in control, and you would be smart to stay that way or the feelings can take you down...

Anyway, on to more happy things, which of course is art! I did some experimenting (I may get nasty emails/comments for this one) with blending inks like some famous people are showing how to do with special products they make) and using very cheap ink pads, I was able to get some really nice backgrounds...

atc background

finished atc

So, I for those of you that can't quite swing the expense of a whole new line of products to achieve the backgrounds you are wanting, give this a try..."Use what you have" is my battle cry right now, and I am not going to buy it, because I have "what I want with what I have"...Also, I have been using some watercolors that I am not going to vouch for the light-fastness or anything, but they are beautifully bright, last forever, are already in liquid form, and best of all, inexpensive...They are a perfect product for the beginner art journaler or atc maker, and wonderful for us old timers too..with the handy squeeze bottle, you can mix and match colors, do special effects, etc. mine are made by SARGENT'S and are called "Watercolor Magic". Originally made for children, I think they are perfect for us grown ups too.....No, I am not getting paid anything for these reviews, i just wanted to share with everyone!

I also did an experiment by painting my image with fabric medium, all over, and then went ahead and painted the image wet on wet in the liquid watercolors...once dry...it is permanent! Def give this one a try...or, mix acrylic varnish/medium right into your watercolor paint..It dries completely transparent, so no worries about anything showing, or bleeding for that matter...

PanpAstels respond very well to cheap hairspray, White Rain and Aquanet,  Try some Products like that that have an aerosol container, and the cheaper the better..Mist lightly, dry, mist lightly, dry, for 3 times and you should be in good shape

Well, things have gotten long again, lots of words, but at least some halfway decent tips and secrets for you to try...


The pics above were done with the Liquid Watercolors...along with some other things and techniques that I can't even remember any more, lol...So give it a try, and see if it helps you out any..let me know!

Happy Creating-
LOLO
Laura Shelton